All Chapters of Your Waiting Arms: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

I never imagined the résumé I submitted would end up in Ewan Rivera's hands, and that he would be the one interviewing me. The second I pushed the door open, my breath faltered.He sat behind his desk, a pair of rimless glasses perched on his straight nose. He turned the pages of my résumé with his long fingers. His gaze moved from my photo to my face, a probing look in his eyes."Ingrid Landeau? You graduated from Walden College, and you're applying to be my personal assistant?" He tapped the desk and raised his eyes lazily. He continued, "Do you know what it entails? To put it bluntly, you'll be like a housekeeper. I have a lot going on day to day, so there are countless details you'll need to pay attention to."He was still talking, but my mind had drifted back to the night we parted years ago.Back then, Ewan wore a shirt washed to the point of fading. I yanked his collar open, sending the buttons flying. I pinned him to the bed and kissed him without rhyme or reason.At the

Chapter 2

The pressure was real when Ewan's expression turned cold. I guided Louisa into the car with my heart racing. My fingers subconsciously wrinkled the hem of my clothes.Raindrops still clung to the short strands of hair at Ewan's forehead, but he grabbed a towel and handed it to me. "Don't let your girl catch a cold."I was still taken aback when Louisa took the towel, thanking him politely.Ewan's expression eased quite a bit. His gaze drifted to my dazed face, and he frowned again. "Did you take the day off just to get soaked in the rain?"As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized they sounded rather harsh. He rubbed his furrowed brows and asked, "Where are you headed?""Prime Hospital," Louisa said, rushing to defend me. "Mommy took me out for my birthday today. I've been in the hospital for so long; I haven't gone anywhere in ages."Ewan paused, looking down at her, who clearly wasn't shy at all. Her face was thin and a little pale in a sickly way, making her eyes look e

Chapter 3

My blood seemed to freeze for a moment, and my clenched palms turned slick from my nerves."Are you changing the subject, Mr. Rivera? Is it because what I said was too on-point to refute?" I held my head high, trying to cut off Ewan's absurd line of thought with a sharp jab.He was silent for a few seconds. Those few seconds stretched my heart taut."You're not wrong. I am." He let out a soft snort, sounding like he was mocking himself. With that, he turned and walked away.The next day, everything at work ran as usual. When Ewan showed up, he didn't spare me a single look, as if nothing had happened.Near the end of the day, his secretary, Adam Johnson, came out of his office, looking troubled. He muttered, "What's with Mr. Rivera? Why does he suddenly want me to look up a college classmate?"The words "college classmate" drifted into my ears, making my heart surge like a tsunami.I forced myself to speak. "Mr. Johnson, who's Mr. Rivera asking you to check on? Maybe I know them

Chapter 4

That one sentence made my blood run cold, leaving me frozen in place. Ewan stood up, and with him came that sharp, wintry scent of his cologne. It wrapped around me like wings; I could barely breathe.He loomed over me and looked at me with a gaze that was almost solid and a little searing. It felt like reliving the moment I'd thrown cash at him and told him to be my slave. Only this time, I was the one humiliated.What he hurled at me now were silent accusations and fury in his eyes."I'm sorry, Mr. Rivera." My throat was constricted, and I had to force my voice to stay steady. "You've got the wrong person."I shook off his hand and, as fast as I could, tossed my resignation letter onto his desk. In that moment, nothing else mattered. I bolted from the office like I was fleeing.After that day, I was on edge, afraid Ewan would come after me again. I was even prepared to move away with Louisa. But after some thought, I figured that everything was in the past. I wouldn't interfere

Chapter 5

The afternoon sun was blazing, and sunlight streamed in like a waterfall. It washed Ewan's face in a harsh, blinding light.I couldn't make out his expression; all I could hear was my own heartbeat swelling in my ears like bombs were being detonated.He strode over to me, stopping me from leaving. I couldn't help but look at the paternity test in his hand, feeling frantic. What exactly was he investigating? How did he move so quickly?I thought he wouldn't be able to do anything to me if I refused to admit that I was Rowena, but I didn't expect that he would even go as far as to find out who exactly Louisa was."Rowena." His familiar voice pulled me back to my senses.Ewan stood close to me, his dark gaze trained on me. A storm seemed to brew in his eyes. "Don't you owe me an explanation?"His voice was hoarse and carried a slight tremor. His usual calmness was nowhere to be found.I instinctively wanted to hide from him, but he locked me in with his arms, keeping me in place. W

Chapter 6

"I'm married, and you're at that age, too. Don't worry—let's just pretend today never happened. Lulu only has me as her mom. From now on, we won't show up in your life again," I said.Ewan's breath caught. It felt like wind had punched straight through his chest. His breathing quickened as he forced down a tremor in his voice. "Was it fun playing me for a fool? Are you really that scared I'll cling to you?" His fingers tightened around my forearm, locking down harder and harder."It's true. The marriage certificate is at home. If you want it, I'll take a picture for you."I wasn't lying to him. Back when I was overseas, being a single mother had drawn plenty of judgment. My neighbor, a fellow Danarian, had been terminally ill. He'd wanted to give his elderly mother some peace of mind, so he'd given me some money, and we'd registered our marriage.Before his death, he'd left me half his assets and asked me to take care of his mother. She'd passed only a year ago, after which I'd f

Chapter 7

The corridor was silent. Sunlight, sliced by panes of glass, fell across the marble floor. Even the fine dust in the air looked like diamonds.Ewan strode over to me and wordlessly grabbed my wrist, squeezing it hard enough to make it hurt. His breathing was a little heavy. He parted his lips several times, but the words didn't come."So?" I lifted my eyes to his, keeping my voice flat. "How I am has nothing to do with you anymore."Back then, I'd shamelessly dragged the untouchable golden boy down from his pedestal. I'd never believed that Ewan loved me. He'd only bent to my will and yielded to an ugly woman like me because of my money and power. If it were me, I'd want that whole past buried, too.Or if my health hadn't been so horrible back then that I couldn't even carry out a termination, I wouldn't have given birth to Louisa at all. Our doomed entanglement wouldn't have continued."I'm sorry. Everything back then was my fault. I shouldn't have tainted your life and tied you

Chapter 8

As soon as Ewan received the call, he was already on his way to the hospital. His fingers clamped the steering wheel tight, his knuckles rigid from the force. His body trembled uncontrollably.He forced himself to calm down as he sped to the hospital. When he arrived, he immediately saw me shaking in the crowd. His steps were quick. He reached me in no time.My legs moved on their own. Before I knew it, I had thrown myself into his arms.His palm was broad. He pressed one to my waist and pulled me closer. A weird sense of security wrapped around me.I couldn't tell if his chest was too warm or whether he smelled too familiar. Maybe it was even the strength of that hand at my waist that held up my trembling body."Lulu… she's gone. I've already asked the doctor to pull the security footage." I tilted my head up, tears blurring my vision. They kept streaming down my face."Don't be afraid. Lulu will be okay. I'll look for her with you." Ewan's arms tightened around me as he stroked

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