All Chapters of CLAIMED BY HIS RIVAL FRIEND.: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

If there was one thing I could do right now, it would be to reach into Maya’s eyes and pull out all the pain I saw there, then carry it on my own shoulders instead. Her eyes had reddened, and I couldn't forgive myself for it. The car felt too small, too quiet, and too heavy with everything that had just happened in the parking lot. I kept glancing at her from the side. Her face stayed straight ahead, staring at the windshield like the road could give her answers. Her foot tapped restlessly on the carpeted floor of the back seat, each tap went straight to my heart, pulling on every vein. Anger and hurt rolled off her in waves I could almost feel.Maybe I should have told her earlier about the pills and the miscarriages. Maybe I should have found the right moment when I first discovered what Gabriel had done. But would she just let me explain? The car wasn’t the right place anyway, not with Jeff sitting right in front. I just hoped she would at least look at me, even for a second, so

My phone wouldn’t stop vibrating. Tons of messages displayed across the screen. Patra's name still above the notification bar, buzzing my phone insistently.It sat there in my hand, buzzing, pausing, buzzing again like it had a mind of its own. I stood there for a second, staring at it, my fingers twitching at my side, too scared to slide a finger across the screen. I waited till the call ended the second time.I wasn't ready to speak to her, or anyone else. If Evelyn could do this evil to me, who the hell was Patra and what was this so-called friendship she was proposing? I darted my eyes out the window before me, my throat gulped for a second.The screen lit up again, this time it was a message. Another message.Evelyn❤️I saw the name, and the emoji I had added to it, my bones creased. We had saved each other's names the same way; each time I see her name on the screen, the betrayal cuts even deeper.Message after message, popping up like they were fighting over which came first. A

I shouldn't feel the way I was feeling. I shouldn't be here fighting back tears for a man who couldn't do more than just a message.But as I slipped into the backseat of the cab and rested my head against the cool window, the brown envelope stayed clasped tight against my chest like a shield, all my mind could come up with was him.Tall buildings swept past outside, their glass windows flashing in the rising sunlight. I wished the heavy knot in my chest could be swept away just as easily. I wished it could melt and disappear. But the more I tried, the heavier the spell he had cast on me became. All I could think of was him. All I could see was Williams. Patra’s words kept echoing in my head, he had been away from the office for two whole days because he was sick.Did this man really mean it when he said he wouldn’t survive a day without me in that office? How was that even possible? It was an office he had grown up in. I knew the story well. Everyone does. His grandfather had start

Williams’ hand stayed on my arm, warm and steady. He didn’t let go. Instead, he gently pulled me closer, my knees wobbled as I turned to face him fully. “And Beth Anderson?” I asked. I didn't know why I asked but I did. I watched his jaw tighten further.“She’d let you handle this… We are not trading good concepts over years of employment… This is huge, Maya.” His eyes softened even more.My back pressed lightly against the door as the space between us disappeared. Eyelids batting inconsistently. I could feel the heat coming off his body, he smelled manly in every possible way, the familiar smell of cedarwood mixed with the faint smell of whiskey. My heart beat so hard it felt like it might jump out of my chest.“Maya,” he said, his voice low and rough, like the words had been waiting too long to come out. “I can’t do this without you. These past two days… Everywhere felt empty. Everything feels empty. I kept thinking about that rainy night, about you in my shirt, about how you looke

I watched her. She moved, heels clicking softly as she approached me. I gulped harder, getting my insides ready for whatever poison she was dishing out next. The gap between us now was small, just a foot apart. Her heavy cologne filled my nostrils, rumbling my stomach, I hated the smell. I twitched lightly on my nose. She scoffed, as that had infuriated her. The steam rose between us like a warning. Warming my face a little. So, I took a step back.“You've got some nerves, you know,” she slurred, tilting the mug in her hand a little. I didn't say a word. I didn't flinch. I knew what this was all about. She was trying to get me pissed, to get even for whatever it was that Williams said to her about the almost-ruined project. She waited for an answer but none came.“Back so soon? I thought you’d run away for good after that little disaster with the UrbanAxis presentation.” Her voice dripped with fake sweetness. “Or did Mr. Banks personally beg you to return? I see the way he looked