ANMELDENISABELLA'S POVWhen I get to the hospital my father is awake and alone, thankfully. For once, Aunt Lottie isn't crowding the place."Papa," I call out, and kiss his forehead. "You look better.""I feel like something is being slowly stolen from me," he says, his voice dry.I let out a laugh in spite of myself, but the humor doesn't last. He watches me for a moment before asking, "How are my grandchildren?""They are doing what they do best.""Good." He's quiet for a moment, watching me. "You look tired.""I'm fine.""You're not. Your cousin hasn't gone home, right.""No.""I thought as much."I sit down. Something about the way he's looking at me makes me worry. He's got a look I remember from when I was small and I'd done something wrong, and he was giving me a chance to say it first."Isabella," he calls out. "Ask Ethan if there's anything he hasn't told you."I go very still. "Why would you say that?""I'm only saying. Ask him.""Papa, did he say something?""Ask him, first I beliv
ISABELLA'S POVIt is the third day of our stay here and Esme has insert herself in everything.She now knows Liam wants his toast cut in triangles and Lila wants hers in squares. Even how Lila won't sleep without the hall light on. She knows the bath rule, the cartoon rule, and which cutlery they both prefer.She is always in my face, so when I walk into their room to get the kids ready for bedtime and find Esme already there, sitting on the little bed with Lila in her lap I see red. She is even reading a book to her in the voice I use."Mommy!" Lila says. "Esme is reading me a story.""I see that clearly." "I just wanted to help," Esme answers in defense immediately, acting as though I am about to attack her. She remains sitting. "You looked so tired at dinner.""I'm fine. I'll take it from here.""It's no trouble. We're having fun.""Esme."She looks up, smiling innocently, but her eyes aren't. I know that look. It's the one that says go ahead, make a scene in front of the baby.B
ISABELLA'S POVAfter searching for benefit in anyway she can get, Aunt Lottie stays for lunch and when we finished eating, she annouces loudly to the hearing of everyone that she is going to the hospital to sit with my father. After saying so she sighs and repeat the same sentence while sneakily looking at Ethan, clearly hoping to get Ethan's reaction or attention. But when he did not pay her any attention she stands grab her bag, kiss the kids Liam reluctantly allows her kiss his hair while looking at her with suspicion. When she walks to the door, Esme stands and walk into her room stating that she needs to rest, as she is still tired.Aunt Lottie looks at me with expectation clearly in her eyes, but I did not make any move to send her off. Seeing this she walks out a huff.By the evening as the nanny place the twins in the bath, the penthouse finally goes quiet. They had been playing and raising hell through out the day so the peace is welcomed. I go into Ethan's room and he's sta
ISABELLA'S POV"Answer it if you want," I say.Esme looks shocked by my response. She looks down at the phone, then at me. I think she expected me to grab it or beg her not to.So she lets it ring until it goes to voicemail and the screen goes dark."Huh," she says."What?""Nothing. I thought you'd stop me, I'm surprised you didn't.""I'm not going to stop you. You'll tell her anyway."Hearing that she picks her phone up and types something with her thumbs. I can't help but watch her face while she does it. She's angry, I can see that. Her jaw is tight and she won't look at the twins. But under her anger there's something else. Her mouth keeps turning up at one corner. She knows something her mother doesn't, and she likes it.She hits send and puts the phone face down on the counter."You should eat," she says to Liam, in a voice that's almost normal. "You need breakfast.""Mommy says toast makes you stronger," Liam tells her."Does she.""With butter."Mrs. Sue sets a plate in front
ISABELLA'S POVEthan carries my bag into his bedroom and I immediately follow him while making sure to lock the door behind us."I'll take the sofa," he says."No." I blurt out immediately without second thinking."Isabella, it makes sense. Moreover I wouldn’t want to encroach in your much needed space and...""If she sees you on that sofa in the morning, she'll have something to spin and a story to tell to my aunt." I replied him while keeping my voice down. "She'll know for sure that we're pretending. She'll say something for sure and I don’t want that to happen, I'm not going to give her that satisfaction."He looks at me in surprise. "You really care that much what she thinks?""I care about what she says. And who she says it to." I put my bag on the chair. "You sleep in the bed. I will also sleep in the bed. We act like it's normal. That's all.""Okay.""Okay."I sit on the edge of the mattress and realize my hands are shaking. So I press them between my knees."She heard Lila's v
ETHAN'S POVImmediately I end the call, I call out my house manager.I am so glad about this situation. If not anything it has made Isabelle seek for my help twice, and she has not fight me at every turn especially when I mention the word Together. Soon the house appears with two other help, I instruct them on what to do and they immediately get to it. The penthouse has four bedrooms. One is mine, one is for the twins', one is a place I use as my home study, though I place a bed in there in the recent months and the one is a guest room I put in order for her weeks ago and have not, in all that time, let myself hope too much that she might crash here one day.I inform Mrs. Sue to prepare the room for the visitor, and to move everything I got for Isabelle to my room. Also to dismantle every surface that looks good to sleep on in the study. I put a call to the building manager to inform him about Esme, since I never removed Isabelle's registration from the building. She is still registe
ISABELLA'S POVThe afternoon light has shifted into early evening by the time we finally surface. My body feels heavy, deliciously used, and sore in all the right places. Ethan’s arm is draped possessively over my waist, his chest pressed to my back, his cock still half-hard and nestled against my
ISABELLA'S POVThe silk robe feels too thin against my skin as I walk away from the kitchen. Every step reminds me of last night ... the delicious ache between my thighs, the tender bruises on my hips where Ethan’s fingers dug in while he drove into me, the faint sting on my ass from his palm. My b
ETHAN'S POVI wake up feeling wrong.My head is thick, foggy, and weighted down by something heavier than a normal night’s sleep. I’ve been drinking whiskey since I was twenty-two, and I know the exact texture of a whiskey morning ... the cotton mouth, the dull throb behind my eyes, the slow churn i
ISABELLA'S POVThe next few days blurs into a dangerous rhythm, settling into a tense, addictive pattern that both thrills and terrifies meThe mornings start with Ethan waking me by sliding his thick cock between my thighs from behind, fucking me slowly and deeply while spooning me. Afternoons oft







