All Chapters of Sweet Temptation: Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

(Anna's POV)I had called Alex eleven times before midnight.Sitting on the edge of the guest room bed, still in my burgundy gown because I couldn't make myself move far enough to change, I listened to his phone ring and ring and ring.Voicemail. Every time.*You've reached Alex Anderson. Please leave a message.*I didn't leave one the first time. Or the second. Or the third.By the seventh call, I was leaving barely coherent messages that I'd probably be embarrassed about later.*Alex, I need you to call me back. Something happened. Richard knows. Not everything, but he's suspicious and I need to talk to you tonight.**Alex, please. I know we're fighting. I know I've made a mess of everything. But please just pick up.**He threatened to find out who it is. He said he'd make the person pay. Alex, please call me back.*By the eleventh call, just after midnight, I accepted that he wasn't going to answer.My chest felt heavy.I didn't know what hurt more... The fact that Richard knew some

(Richard's POV)My father looked very terrible coming down the stairs.Pale skin, careful movements, eyes that were working harder than usual just to stay focused and the particular hollowness of a man who'd spent the previous night trying to empty himself of something.I recognized it because I'd seen it before. Many times, during the worst years after my mother died.Claire had called me very early in the morning.At first, I thought something serious had happened.She had sounded worried."Richard, you need to come to your father's place. Something is wrong.""What happened?" I had immediately asked.She had hesitated before answering."He's yet to wake up. He drank too much last night, and I don't know who else to call."I wasn't surprised. This wasn't the first time such thing has happened.After my mother died, drinking had almost destroyed him.He had lost the one person who meant the entire world to him, and he didn't know how to handle the pain.For months, he never left the

(Alex's POV)After Richard left, the condo felt like a place that had just survived a storm.A heavy silence filled the room.It was the kind of silence that came after something big happened. Anna sat across from me, her eyes fixed somewhere far away, as if she was replaying every moment that had brought us to this point.Neither of us spoke for a long time.I watched her quietly.The way she held herself carefully, like she would fall apart if she let go.My head still hurt from the drinking the night before and the quarrel with Richard few minutes ago.My mouth was dry, and my body wanted nothing more than to sleep for several more hours.But none of that mattered at this moment.I sat there, staring at Anna.Neither of us spoke.There were too many things left unsaid.For the first time in a long time, I didn't know what to say to her.Usually, I always had an answer. A solution.But this time, I had nothing.We had reached a point where words alone couldn't fix things."Are you o

(Isabella's POV)Richard Anderson was heavier than he looked.This was not something I ever expected to discover personally, but here I was, struggling under his weight.One of his arms was around my shoulder while Anna held the other side. Together, we tried to move him up the stairs. It was difficult carrying a grown man who was drunk and barely able to control his own movements."Be careful with the step," I warned."I see it," Anna replied from the other side of him.Richard mumbled something I could not understand. "Almost there," I said, mostly to encourage myself.After a lot of effort, we finally reached the master bedroom.Anna pulled back the blanket, and together we guided Richard onto the bed.The moment his body touched the mattress, he completely relaxed. He looked like someone who had been waiting for a place to finally collapse.He was still wearing his full work clothes.Anna immediately loosened his ties, jacket and then his shoes.Watching her, I wondered how man

(Alex's POV)The smell of fresh coffee filled the kitchen before I even finished cracking the second egg into the pan.Morning sunlight poured through the large windows, warming every corner of the condo. It was quiet. Peaceful.For the first time in days, I felt like I could breathe.I heard soft footsteps behind me.I smiled before I even turned around."I knew you'd come early," I said."You missed me that much?"I laughed quietly. "I did."Before I could say another word, Anna walked straight toward me and wrapped both arms around me.I hugged her back instinctively.For several long seconds neither of us spoke.Just holding each other felt enough."I missed you too," she whispered.I rested my chin lightly on her head. "I counted every hour."She pulled back just enough to smile at me.bl "You sound dramatic.""I am serious. I missed you so much."She laughed, and the sound instantly made the last few difficult days seem lighter.That laugh...It was becoming my favorite sound in