All Chapters of Ricochet My Love: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Fanning myself with one hand, I peeped through the balcony doors and watched as the backyard slowly filled with guests.The rose-gold motifs blended beautifully. The flower arrangements, petals floating lazily on the pool’s surface, the tablecloths, even the red carpet—everything was washed in soft pink hues. It would’ve been perfect if the grass had turned pink too.Sweet Sixteen.That was what was written on the stage.A small smile tugged at my red-painted lips as I watched the crowd grow larger by the minute.Looks like everyone took the "bring your company along" memo way too seriously.“Mom!”The agitating shriek from inside the room yanked me out of my moment of silent pride. Just one minute alone to appreciate my work, and I couldn't get it.I’d been stressed all week preparing for this very event. I planned everything and every detail even in every corner. And it still wasn’t over. Not until it was done.“Mom!”I rolled my eyes and turned toward the hardest responsibility I’d

Arrogant, mother-freaking ass always carrying his shoulders high like he was permanently short of breath, standing ten feet tall on nothing but ego, and guts thicker than a vault door.After I slapped it straight to his face that I didn’t need someone like him, he had the nerve to smile, totally unbothered, as if my words bounced off his skin without leaving a mark.What did I even expect from a thick-faced, numb bastard? Nothing I ever said mattered to him. It never did.“Ma’am, your card isn’t working,” the cashier winced, sliding my credit card back toward me like it carried bad luck.And just like that, my world began to crumble.Why? Why now?Out of all the times I struggled with money, this freaking card chose this exact moment to humiliate me?“What?!” I exclaimed, stealing a few curious stares from nearby shoppers.“I’m afraid that—”“Try it again,” I cut in, shoving the card back across the counter. “It was working this morning.”My fingers trembled. Another mental breakdown

The guests clapped in unison after my daughter’s speech. She spared me a solid ten seconds of gratitude, and then spent the remaining three minutes praising her father—the man who, in the first place, was never there for her.Bitter? That was for coffee. I’d quit every form of caffeine at least two years ago, but I could practically taste it flooding my mouth as I held that forced, obedient dog smile in place while the applause died down.I bet that jackass was enjoying every second of it.He barely lifted a finger to raise my child, and yet he had the audacity to show up here, acting like he’d paid for everything with his blood, sweat, or even his saliva.“Asshole,” I muttered, narrowing my eyes as I glanced at the table where he sat, laughing with my little girl like he actually knew what missing her felt like.Last I checked, his real baby was his building. His daughter was his career. His family was his money.Never Adriana Rosewood.And definitely not Diana Flora.From across my

“Mom, what is that thing doing here in my house?!” I exclaimed, throwing both hands toward the man I had cursed to the moon, the stars, and in every constellation.“Hey, Dee,” she greeted cheerfully, as if I wasn’t standing there one breath away from spontaneous combustion."Your Ricky boy dropped by with his attorney, but he left just before you arrived. Very handsome man, actually,” Mom giggled like a teenager, covering her mouth, proudly flashing her newly painted fake nails.My teeth ground together as I shifted my glare to Ricochet.He was still sitting pretty, legs crossed, one arm lazily draped along the backrest of the sofa, looking offensively gorgeous in a simple white polo and brown trousers. Like he didn’t just walk back into my life and flip it upside down.“He was a godsend,” Mom continued. “You won’t have to stress about your debts, Addie’s school expenses, and he even opened a trust fund for your daughter. Your towed car will be here later. Oh! And he fully paid my tra

There must be something in the air.Love? Pft. Not a chance.Probably just the cologne of the man who had the audacity to call me a freaking “friend.”It wasn’t exactly disappointment—no, it was something uglier. I couldn’t quite name it, and that somehow pissed me off more.Friend? How dare he label us like that. We weren’t strangers. Not acquaintances either. We were just… unlabeled.“Drink?” the devil spoke, flashing a bottle of vodka.“I don’t take alcohol,” I declined, straightening as I sat up in the middle of the velvet-red camelback.“Juice?” He raised an orange instead.“High blood sugar,” I replied quickly.“Don’t tell me you’re going to say no to water as well,” he retorted, still holding the fruit while standing behind the bar tucked beneath the staircase of his ‘temporary’ shelter.“I quit water recently. So yes. No to water.” I rolled my eyes. “What the hell am I even doing here? I have places to be. I have... schedules.” A lie but a convenient one. I kept my gaze off hi