On Friday afternoon, Anna inserted the key into the lock of her former Montebello residence and strolled inside with a cardboard box in tow. The home smelled chilly and abandoned, as if no one had lived there in a long time. As expected, given that David had been away for the holidays, and she had only made a few brief visits.She discarded her jacket and made one more circuit of the empty rooms. After tossing and turning in the king-size bed all night thinking about David, she made up her mind on Tuesday morning. Anna had taken a good, long look in the mirror, and she wasn't happy with what she saw. She had married for the promise of a child and excellent sex but had avoided deeper commitment. She'd been so determined not to become involved with David on anything other than a surface level that she hadn't even realized it was his birthday. She felt bad since she knew she should have asked him when it was.When had she become so terrified of emotional involvement? She was able to trac

After three exhausting days in New York, it hit him last night He had given Anna everything and yearned for her affection, but he had never told her he loved her. He had hired an aircraft and flown to Los Angeles to tell her how he felt. He was hoping that she would throw herself into his arms and feel the same way.He knew as soon as Marvie told him Anna was in Montebello, but he chose to ignore the information. He had fully lost it when he saw her sobbing over her husband's memories in the bedroom. Love had previously turned him into a raving idiot, but not anymore. Aside from his relationship with Anna, his life was a resounding success. After that, he avoided being near her at all costs. He had no choice but to end their relationship since his weakness for her was becoming too great to bear.A week later, Anna sat in a restaurant with Sara, pretending to enjoy a meal she had no stomach for.Anna, don't be down. Sara beamed, “David will be returning on

No, my goodness. A hushed scream escaped from some dark corner of her being. She was sad to leave this safe haven that was the hospital and this room in particular. Still, she couldn't remain forever.Felt a small lump form in her throat, which made her swallow. In an act of abstracted agitation, her fingers started to pleat the hem of the sheet. “Am I to be set free?” His features were relaxed and his mouth curled into a warm smile as she studied him intently, trying to decipher something more from his face.“There is no reason why it should not be this afternoon,” the obstetrician and neurologist have both told me.How quickly. It ought to have been tomorrow or the day after that, right? Then she could adjust to the notion more easily.She felt an overwhelming, unexplainable fear whenever she considered returning to the house, she had supposedly shared with him. Her hesitation was hard to pin down. This man is a stranger to her b

He walked the short distance to her side and put his hand under her elbow. We can enter the lounge now. Amy will have brewed some tea and baked treats to whet your taste buds. Amy does the cooking and takes care of the house, he whispered, responding to the silent question reflected in her eyes. Jacob, her spouse, is a general handyman who also tends to the lawn and the cars. Beautiful Chinese rugs spread across the marble floor served as a sophisticated backdrop to the expensive artworks scattered at regular intervals on the silk-covered walls. Large rugs, mostly in a light blue color with patterns that included a subtle combination of cream and the lightest pink, complemented the cream-upholstered furniture, rosewood accents, and an abundance of glass-topped side tables. Just as Anna was getting into her padded chair, a middle-aged woman with a lovely figure rolled into the room, pushing a trolley that held two pots of steaming milk, sugar, and cream as well as several plates with

As he started unbuttoning his shirt, the retort she was going to say to him slipped out of her mouth. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. She watched as his fingers skillfully undid the remaining buttons on his shirt and then proceeded to release the belt around his waist. In a matter of seconds, both his pants and shirt were thrown over a chair that was nearby. His vast shoulders, narrow waist, long, powerful thighs, thin hips, and tapering chest were all features of his magnificently muscular physique. At the sight of his chest, which was covered in whorls of dark hair that disappeared over a muscular waist behind black silk briefs, something deep inside her stirred and then slowly unfurled. “Are you planning to jump in the shower with me?” He must have been kidding! As Anna's eyes widened and her focus moved to a spot beyond his right shoulder, a faint flush of color spread across her cheeks, and she felt unable to control her wild imagination. She