LOGINBellaThe logical part of me knew I should go home, but the memory of the night with Raymond had planted roots in my soul, making the idea of leaving feel like a physical wrenching. I wanted to stay, wrapped in the profound sense of safety and appreciation he offered. He felt like a home I had been searching for without ever knowing I was lost. My goodbye was a soft promise to return as soon as I could manage my obligations, and then I left.Now, back in my own space after only a short absence, the emptiness was a palpable thing. I missed the comfort of his presence with a startling intensity. My mind was a storm of questions. What was it about him that reached so deep into my core? And why did this profound connection feel like a strange, beautiful betrayal of my friendship with Rex? I missed Rex, of course, but it was a quiet, steady feeling. I never felt this desperate, clawing need to hurry back to him. With Raymond, that need was a live wire inside me.As I collected my things fo
Raymond’s Pov“Which proposal are you referring to?”Her eyelashes swept downward, a gesture that sent me spiraling back through time to when she was just a girl.“Marry me.”I said it plainly.“I beg your pardon?”The sheer astonishment on her face was almost comical. I had to fight back a laugh.“Marry me, Miss Bella.”Her gaze darted around the room, a hand coming up to press against her chest. She drew a slow, deep breath, her eyes closing for a moment before opening to meet mine again.“I cannot do that, sir.”“And why is that?”“I do not know you. And forgive me, but have you not just lost your wife?”There was a genuine hesitation in her voice. It was true, my wife was gone, but our relationship was never that kind of romance.“Marla required a husband to access her inheritance from her father. I was helping a friend. She was a wonderful person and my closest confidant, but that is all it was. Our bond was one of deep friendship, nothing more.”She studied me with those beautif
Raymond’s POVThe moment I saw Bella again, I recognized her immediately. We first lived beside each other twenty-six years ago. She was just three then. I was older, and at first I did not want anything to do with her. She followed me everywhere I went, talking and trying to keep up. It irritated me until I realized that her mother was hardly ever home. I did not know every detail of their situation, but I could tell Bella was left to handle life on her own most of the time.The very first day we met, she was sitting on the steps outside their house, playing with a few worn toys. I walked past, and she jumped up and came running toward me.“My name is Bella,” she said, holding out her tiny hand.I did not stop. She hurried beside me anyway, telling me how happy she was to finally have someone nearby her age.“I am not your friend. You should go back home,” I told her when I finally turned around. The expression on her face made something twist inside me, but I did not want to grow cl
BellaI closed my eyes and rested my forehead against the door. That woman always knew how to ruin my day. Memories of her came rushing back, how I had to clean up after her when she was too drunk to stand, how I burned myself cooking because she had left groceries lying around but never made a meal. Other times, I went to bed with nothing but water in my stomach and a prayer on my lips.She said we had no family. I had no reason to doubt her because no one ever showed up for me. Ron never came to my school events, and I always found excuses for her absence. When my classmates’ parents filled the seats at school plays and parent-teacher meetings, mine were always empty. She never cared about those things. What mattered to her were the men she brought home because they paid her bills.I once asked her about my father, hoping she would tell me something kind, something I could hold on to. All she said was that he left because I was a spoiled little brat. When she drank too much, even se
VeronicaI took his advice seriously. I had a habit of thinking too much, but Rex was not someone worth losing sleep over. As annoying as Raymond could be, he often made more sense than I wanted to admit. I turned to face him and stretched out my hand.“Can I have that back now, please?” I asked, pointing at the ring on his left hand.“Oh, Bella, you cannot just propose to someone and then ask for the ring back, especially after I already accepted,” he said with a teasing smile.“That is not what I did,” I replied quickly. “I only wanted to keep him from seeing it. I never asked for your hand in marriage, and you know that. Now, give it back.”Before he could answer, the door opened, and a graceful older woman walked in. Behind her was another woman dressed in a nurse’s uniform that did not belong to our hospital.“Raymondbl, son, I am so glad you are awake,” the woman said warmly. “I brought someone to meet you. This is Elise. She will be taking care of you from now on.”“I do not ne
Bella’s PovHe caught me off guard. I had assumed he was asleep, or maybe he had been, and I was not as quiet as I thought. I leaned away from the door and moved closer to his bed. His face was badly swollen and covered in bruises, so it was hard to recognise him. His eyes were a soft shade of grey, his hair a tangled mess, and his lips dry and cracked. He looked like someone who had been through a terrible fight.“Moody, aren’t you?” I asked, studying him carefully. Those eyes looked familiar. Where had I seen them before?“I am not moody,” he said in a low, rough voice. “I am just tired of you nurses thinking you know everything.”“Well, I am not thrilled about being here either,” I replied. “And honestly, when it comes to medical care, I think we might know a little more than you do.”“You think you know more than the doctor?” he muttered. “Go away. I want to be alone.”Julie was right, he was rude. But I was not going to let him push me around.“Too bad,” I said. “You are stuck wi







