We decided to take a short break, and everyone left the room to get coffee, except for me, Sarah, Noah, and Sarah's assistant, Ester. Sarah, as always, was focused on her work, discussing some papers with Ester at the far end of the room. The quiet buzz of their conversation was the only sound in the large, otherwise empty boardroom. I glanced at Noah, who was scrolling through his phone, his coffee cup untouched in front of him.The faint sound of a knock at the door broke the silence. I turned to see my secretary standing there, her expression neutral but professional. "Sir, Mr. Morgan is here to see you," she informed me."Please send him in," I replied, wondering briefly what had brought Justin here today. Moments later, Justin walked into the boardroom with his usual confident stride."Hey, Adrian! Hey, Noah!" he greeted, flashing his characteristic grin. He dropped into the chair next to Noah, but his attention quickly shifted across the room. His expression changed subtly as hi
Sarah P.O.VI excused myself and left the boardroom, heading towards the restroom to freshen up. It wasn’t even noon yet, and I already felt drained. Perhaps it was Adrian’s presence that was wearing me out—he had a knack for testing my patience. Before the presentation, he had tried to insult me by questioning my potential and skills. It was a game he seemed to enjoy, but I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of seeing me falter.Despite my efforts to avoid confrontation, I delivered the presentation with clarity and confidence. Every point was carefully structured, and I made sure to emphasize the hard work I had put into it. When I finished, I braced myself for Adrian’s critique, anticipating his sharp words or an attempt to undermine my work in front of everyone. But instead, he sat there, silent and seemingly deep in thought, his usual smirk absent. He looked almost...shocked.It amused me internally to see him taken aback; he clearly hadn’t expected this level of competenc
Sarah POVGiven my distressing situation, I expected Adrian to intervene or at least inquire about what was happening. Instead, he slammed the door shut and left us there without a word.Why had I expected him to help me? He wouldn't, Sarah. He never had and never would.I refocused on Justin before he could attack me again. My clenched fist connected with his face, and he stumbled backward, clutching his nose. His eyes blazed with a mix of shock and anger as he quickly regained his stance."What the hell, Sarah?!" he shouted, blood trickling from his nose.Without wasting a second, I pushed him again, my palm striking below his right eye. As he reeled from the blow, I delivered a sharp knee to his groin. A guttural groan escaped his lips as he collapsed to the floor, clutching his face and abdomen."If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I will file a harassment complaint against you," I warned, adjusting my disheveled clothes. My voice was steady, but inside, I was trembling. I c
Adrian P.O.VAfter seeing Sarah with Justin in the restroom, I acted as if I didn't care, but deep down, it was bothering me. Watching my wife close to another man was unsettling. When she entered my cabin to sign the papers, I couldn't hold back any longer and directly questioned her about her relationship with Justin. She confidently replied that there was nothing between them, and from the sincerity in her eyes, I could tell she was telling the truth.Despite knowing her past and the dubious nature of her character, I felt an intense attraction toward her. I had wanted to taste those lips ever since I first saw her. Without thinking further, I kissed her.At first, she tried to push me away, but eventually, she gave in. I didn't realize how quickly one kiss would lead to more. I only came to my senses when Sarah pushed me back. She immediately stood up and rushed out of my cabin. I leaned back, taking a deep breath. Although I didn't regret kissing her, it wasn't like she would eve
Adrian P.O.VSince it was Sunday, I decided to visit Jessica's apartment, hoping to meet and talk with her. I quickly got ready, grabbed my car keys, and headed out. As I passed Sarah's room, her voice stopped me in my tracks:"Of course, I love you. My marriage with Adrian won't affect our relationship. We can still spend time together like we did yesterday. Let me know the place and time; I'll be there," she said.Her tone was sweet and conspiratorial, a stark contrast to the innocent facade she wore around me. My blood boiled as the implications of her words sank in. It didn’t take much effort to guess she was talking to her lover on the phone.I clenched my fists, furious. She was out there, whoring around while I had foolishly trusted her words. My mind raced with images of her betrayal, each one more infuriating than the last.It’s time to teach her a lesson.Without thinking twice, I opened the door and stormed into her room.Sarah gasped, her face paling as she saw me. She imm
Sarah P.O.V"Let's finish what I started yesterday," Adrian whispered in my ear, his voice laced with venom and desire. His hot breath brushed against my neck, sending an unwelcome shiver down my spine.Before I could fully process his words, his fingers slid between my thighs, parting the swollen tissues with a relentless determination. My body betrayed me almost instantly, reacting to his touch despite the storm of emotions whirling inside me."Adrian," I gasped, my voice trembling as I tried to push his hand away. But he was unyielding, his grip on my waist keeping me firmly in place."Stay still," he growled, his fingers moving in an unforgiving rhythm. My body quivered against my will, heat pooling deep inside me as he continued his torment."You’re so snug," he muttered, his voice dark with mockery. I clenched my fists, anger and shame bubbling inside me, even as my body strained toward the sensation he was forcing upon me."Oh, Jesus," I whimpered, unable to stop the sound from
Sarah POVThe warm water, laced with lavender and sea salt, had finally begun to soothe the tremors that had wracked my body. My tears, a bitter salt solution that mirrored the bathwater, had long since subsided. I traced the slick porcelain with my fingertips, a silent goodbye to the swirling emotions I had just released. Stepping out of the tub, a chilled shiver ran down my spine, a stark contrast to the steamy cocoon I had just left. Water beaded on my skin, reflecting the soft light of the bathroom, a canvas of tiny, glistening diamonds. I reached for my oversized, cotton shirt, the one I used as a shield, a comfortable cocoon, but my gaze snagged on my reflection in the mirror.The woman staring back wasn’t the girl who used to cower beneath the weight of her father’s harsh words and Lisa and Chloe's physical assaults. My shoulders were broader now, my posture straighter, a testament to the disciplined workouts I had adopted. My arms, once thin and perpetually bruised, held a quie
Sarah’s P.O.V.The next few days passed in a blur of responsibilities and avoidance. I buried myself in work, leaving the mansion early each morning to manage the company and returning late in the evening to retreat into my room, ensuring minimal interaction with Adrian. Despite the unspoken tension between us, I continued to prepare meals for him, and though he never openly acknowledged my efforts, he ate every dish without complaint. It was an unspoken routine we had fallen into, neither of us willing to break the fragile balance of our strange marriage.On Friday night, as I sat cross-legged on my bed reviewing a stack of documents, a sharp knock echoed through the room. Startled, I set aside the papers and rose to answer the door, my heart already anticipating another clash. I pulled the door open to find Adrian standing before me, his usual expression of irritation firmly in place. His deep brown eyes held a flicker of something unreadable, but I was too exhausted to try decipher
Sarah POVI gazed at my reflection in the mirror, wrapped in my robe, with Alessandro's text shining like a ray of hope in my hand."I understand we've had a rough patch. But if you can spare one night, I'd like to attempt to fix things.No expectations. Just you, me, and a little honesty. I’ll be waiting.”My heart ached. The sincerity in those words hit something raw inside me. I missed him, missed us. Missed the warmth of our mornings, the soft laughter that once filled our home. But pain changes things. Doubt makes strangers of the people you love most.Just then, there was a knock.“Come in,” I called, not looking up.I recognised the perfume before the door fully opened. Chanel No. 5. Chloe's signature. Of course.She stepped inside like a queen visiting a kingdom she meant to burn down.Silk robe fastened with precision, wine glass clutched like a villain in a sad drama. She always loved to put on a show."Going out tonight?" she inquired, her eyes sparkling as they darted to th
Alessandro’s POVIt had been ten days since we returned from the farmhouse. Ten days since everything unraveled.I sensed Sarah drifting further away from me, bit by bit, like sand slipping through an hourglass.She hadn’t raised her voice. She hadn’t lashed out. But her silence said more than any screaming match could. The way she avoided eye contact. The way her footsteps always trailed toward the guest room instead of ours. The way she smiled politely, but not warmly, when I handed her coffee in the mornings.I’d made a mistake. A big one.Not because of Mira, not entirely. That chapter of my life had been over years ago. And Mira’s accusations had never made sense to begin with. But I should’ve told Sarah everything the moment we got serious. I should’ve trusted her with my truth before someone like Adrian could twist it.God, Adrian.Even now, the thought of his smug face as he dropped that bomb still made my jaw clench. He’d timed it perfectly right when we were finding peace. W
Adrian’s POVThe city still felt cold, but the chill in my bones had shifted not from warmth, but from purpose. I finally had a plan.I sat at my desk, eyes fixed on Alessandro’s digital trail. His online presence lit up like a roadmap—threads of the past just waiting to be pulled. But I knew better now. Whispers and half-truths wouldn’t be enough. If I wanted to break them, I needed more than suspicion. I needed leverage. Misdirection.And I needed someone on the inside.That’s when it clicked.Chloe.Sarah’s perfect little world had always been cracked at the edges, and Chloe was one of those cracks. They were step-sisters in name, but anyone who spent five minutes with them knew there was no love lost. I remembered the subtle digs Chloe made at family dinners, the way Sarah would force a smile and pretend not to hear. But I heard them. I felt the tension.Chloe didn’t just dislike Sarah, she resented her.That kind of bitterness? It could be moulded. Turned into something useful.I
Sarah’s POV New York City’s noise had always been oddly comforting, the honking cabs, distant sirens, and hurried footsteps on pavement. But today, it felt too loud, too sharp, like it was echoing the storm still raging inside me. It had been a week since we’d returned from the farmhouse. Seven days of strained silences, clipped conversations, and the kind of emotional distance I never thought I’d feel between Alessandro and me. I still hadn’t fully processed everything. I had hardly gotten any sleep. Whenever I shut my eyes, I envisioned the expression on his face as I turned to leave.But how was I meant to simply act as if it never occurred? He had kept something huge from me. Not just about Mira, but about how little he must have trusted me—to think I couldn’t handle the truth, to let someone like Adrian be the one to reveal it. After everything we’d fought for, the secrets still found a way to wedge themselves between us. And it hurt. Today marked my return to the office aft
Alessandro’s POVI stood there, watching the woman I loved crumble in front of me, her eyes scanning that godforsaken document Adrian had handed her like it was a grenade. AAnd maybe it was due to my awareness of the explosion the moment her face shifted from confusion to disbelief to something that scared me more than any anger. Proximity. Although she was merely a few feet distant, it felt as if she stood across a canyon, unreachable. God, I wanted to fix it. But how do you fix something you didn’t even know was still broken?In the past, I thought I’d buried it. That nightmare with Mira... it had happened years ago, in a life that felt a million miles away from who I am now. I had been young, foolish, and too trusting. I never touched her. I never crossed any line. But when things ended, Mira spiralled. I tried to reason with her, but she twisted everything. She wanted revenge. And she got it in the worst way.I never expected it to follow me here, to this life. This future I’d bee
Sarah POVA few steps back, I noticed a captain whose face was completely devoid of colour. Words seemed to want to escape from his lips, but they were nowhere to be found.His still figure, rigid and motionless, also changed his hands into fists, which revealed the stress he was holding.This was simply too much to handle. My thoughts were fragmented, unable to reach a coherent conclusion. “Do tell me this isn’t the case,” I spoke in my flat voice. “Please tell me this is some unexpected blunder that someone made. That this… this woman is lying. Alessandro took a slow step toward me, but stopped when he saw me flinch not in fear, but in raw emotional recoil. That hurt in a way I couldn’t describe.The reflection of his features contorted with agony. "Sarah," a soft admission escaped as his throat felt like it was choked with raw feelings. “That's not the case.”We were close once, back in college. Yes, we dated for a few months, but when things didn’t work out, she didn’t take
Sarah’s POVThe paper trembled a little in my hands as if it knew what it held was too much for me to handle, and I stood motionless. My breath became trapped in my chest, in that agonising space where heartbreak and incredulity collide. I read it again, slower this time, praying I’d misunderstood. But every word sank deeper, each one a blow I hadn’t been ready for.Mira Solanki. Sexual harassment complaint. Alessandro’s name… tied to it.I looked up at him—the man I had let into every part of my life. My heart, my home, Gabriel’s world. The man who’d been my safe place after everything fell apart… was Alessandro. The person I trusted with my son, my recovery, and dreams I was hardly brave enough to share aloud.His gaze was directed towards the ground, pale, and his lips parted open like he was contemplating speech, but the words were not forthcoming. The tension was evident as he held up his arms and kept his fists in place, trying to conceal the strain. I couldn't take it in. Non
Sarah’s POV As I packed the last of Gabriel's small sweaters into his duffel bag, the late afternoon sun spilled gentle light into the room. I smiled as the fresh laundry's lavender scent clung to the fabric. He’d had such a beautiful time here. We all had. For the first time in weeks, things had felt… steady. Like the ground beneath my feet wasn’t constantly shifting. I glanced over my shoulder at Alessandro and Gabriel outside. Before we left the farmhouse, Alessandro had Gabriel sitting on his shoulders as they took a final stroll around the garden. The pure and contagious sound of Gabriel's laughter filled the air. A reminder that love wasn’t always about fireworks and chaos. Sometimes, it was about the way Alessandro always remembered how I took my coffee, or how he brushed Gabriel’s hair back before bed like it was second nature. It was safe. It was deep. Seeing them together made my heart feel full. It reminded me of the life I've always dreamed of—something genuine, cozy,
Adrian’s POVThe sun was slipping from the sky, casting a mellow light across the land; it felt like a reprieve. I stood in the hallway in my guest-sister’s room, peering through a silken curtain at them. Sarah, Alessandro and Gabriel had gone into the garden for a final evening together. To an outsider, it must have seemed like bliss – that scene of a perfect family.I couldn’t bear it.Alessandro was chasing Gabriel around the wildflower patch while he was laughing loudly and freely. He then effortlessly caught him again after swooping him into his arms and throwing him into the air. Gabriel's laughter reached me exactly where I was standing, resonating through the silence of the area. And then I saw it—the way Gabriel looked at Alessandro. Eyes wide with trust, with adoration. As if he were the safest place in the world.As if he were the father.Not me.A pain that was a mix of heartbreak, rage, and jealousy twisted sharply in my chest. I was descended from Gabriel. My son. Nevert