로그인JamesMy expression remained cold.I stared at her in shock. I’d expected her return for a long time. That she’d eventually realize how wrong she’d been. How messed up it was to abandon her own daughter.For years I’d imagined what it would be like when I saw her again.All the anger bottled up inside me. The bitterness. The resentment that had lived in my chest for so many years, waiting to explode in her face.But right now…Nothing came. I’d given up on her ever showing up. I’d convinced myself her cold heart felt no guilt.And now I’d moved on.With her completely out of the picture.I felt Belle’s hand in mine. I heard the voices from the room behind us and the music still playing faintly through the walls. I stared at the woman who had broken something fundamental in me, and I felt almost nothing for her at all.That was the answer I hadn’t known I was waiting for.She was my past now.One that had to remain there.“What are you doing here, Angelina?” I growled.She hesitated,
BelleI stood there preparing for my engagement party. James had planned it all, with Lorena’s help. She’d insisted we needed to sell our love story to the public and flip the coin from a scandal into the perfect comeback. And James couldn’t miss an opportunity to show off his woman to the world. We’d had our secret affair for long enough.By the time I found out the details, it was already arranged.So here I was and all I had to do was show up and wear the dress he had chosen.It was gold-colored and silky, fitted through the waist and flaring just below, elegant and somehow exactly right for a body that was rounder than it had ever been.I stood in front of the mirror before it was time to go down, admiring myself, and for the first time in months I didn’t feel the stress of anything at all. Not the scandal or my job or Tania or James.And I was happier for it.I took a few more seconds twirling around, still admiring myself in my heavier state. A bit plumper now thanks to my pregn
James My phone rang almost at the same time.It was George.“Hello… Dad.”The word still felt surreal.We’d been apart for over twenty years.And now we were a family again.It wasn’t perfect yet.But we were all willing to try.“Son,” George said through the phone, satisfaction clear in his voice. “I’m here with your mother and Janet. We wanted to say…”“Congratulations!”Mum and Janet echoed through the phone, cutting George off.“Tania called us. And we are thrilled about the news, son,” George continued.“Thanks. All of you.”We stayed on the call for a while, still catching up.About Belle.About me.About the family company and mine.Dad spoke about a merger.I told him I’d think about it.We got off the call.I had Hulk order pizza for lunch.He brought an assortment of pizzas and laid them on the table with cranberry juice.Then I called the ladies to eat.Belle came in chuckling.“What, did you order the whole pizzeria here?” she joked.“Trust my dad to go all out,” Tania ca
JamesEvery part of me waited for her answer.She leaned forward.Her hand stretched toward mine and I closed my eyes briefly, trying to steady myself, and then she stopped.She pulled back and stared down at the ring and then back up at my face.“What is it?” I kept my voice even, though every part of me was anything but.She chewed on her bottom lip.“If I’m going to do this,” she whispered, still staring at the ring in awe, “we’re going to have rules.”The tension in my chest released a bit. I let the smallest smile through.“Okay.”“I mean it, James.”“I know you do. Tell me the rules, Mirabelle.”She cleared her throat.“No more making decisions for me.”“Agreed.”“No more controlling behavior.”“I will work on that every single day.”She stared at me like she found me thoroughly unconvincing.“I mean it. I want to do better,” I affirmed. “It just might take some getting used to.”Her mouth curved with approval.“Getting used to.” She tilted her head. “Right. So you’re going to g
JamesShe turned the camera on us and held it up and leaned back into me.I looked at the screen.At her face.And all I could think was that I’d buy every island in every ocean if it made her look this happy.“Tania would go wild when she sees this.” She giggled mischievously. “It’ll totally piss her off.”I paused.“I thought you both had settled your differences.”“We can stand each other again. That doesn’t mean we’re besties again. Not yet.” She grinned. “Besides, I’m going to enjoy the jealous look on her face when I show her these pictures.”She giggled and ran ahead.We went through the house.High ceilings.Open walls.Solid architecture that made the outdoors feel like part of every room.Belle moved through each space with her phone out and her eyes wide. Every now and then she stopped to touch something or stand at a window, soaking it all in without speaking.Everything had been prepared for our stay.Fresh flowers.Food stocked in the kitchen.An outdoor dining setup fac
JamesWe spent the rest of the days together and neither of us said what we were both thinking.The contract was ending.Every morning I woke up with her and counted it, unable to stop myself. Every evening I’d hold her in my arms, keeping her close, cherishing the home we had made together, and I thought about what it was going to feel like when I no longer had a reason to ask her to stay. When she could just go. And I would have no claim over her time or her presence or any part of her life unless she chose to give it to me.And I didn’t know if she would choose that.That was the fear in my chest that I couldn’t shake off.I had wanted to have the conversation. I circled it probably a hundred times in my head and found a hundred different ways to start it and then stopped every single time because I was afraid of the answer. If I asked her and she said no, I would lose what I had. And what I had, whatever this was, contract and complications and all of it, was the best thing that h







