She nodded slowly. "That's the way it is here." She felt like she was drowning. "Aren't you serious? Again?" "You forgot?" "Rules?" If anything, his sarcastic response strengthened her resolve. "Nothing happened to change them." "Everything changed," he replied, briefly giving her hope. She felt it burning and tried to hold it down, but hope was a powerful force and now it was rolling through her."Have you?" "Of course." He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Look how much we've gotten to know each other, Amelia. When you came into my office and we negotiated that damn contract, you were my—." "A mistake," she interjected. There was a hint of bitterness in his tone. He ignores this. "Now you're my wife." The last word was so possessive and passionate that it made her body startle, but she stood still, holding her ground."What does that mean to you?" His anger was palpable. "We got married, we are a team now. A great team."Her heart was beating wildly with tensi
His eyes met hers for a long moment, changing color as he thought about it. "I'm not going to let it happen." "What if it already happened?" But he was moving away from her. Not physically, but emotionally. She could see it in the tightening of his expression, the tension in his shoulders. This is a battle she cannot win. Childhood shapes you in ways, sometimes irreparably. As a young boy, Victor had seen too much and felt too much in his heart, so he closed it little by little, and there was nothing she could do about it. Not if he dares to try. "You were right from the beginning." He said calmly. "Having sex complicates things unnecessarily. If I knew sleeping together would make you believe you loved me, I wouldn't—She cursed under her breath, interrupting him. "I don't believe I feel it, I do feel it. It's fact, not fiction. As far as allowing us to sleep together, I don't think either of us can stop it from happening. Like I can't help loving you. Honestly, Victor, I wonder
Every moment is painful. He longs for Paraiso. Not just home and the beach and the breeze, but everything out there - so easy and free. He longed to make her laugh, to make her cry with joy, to hold her so close he could feel her breath through his chest wall. His heart aches for her. But he still keeps his distance because his own needs pale in comparison to hers. He won't hurt her anymore.It hurts his heart to know what he suffered all those years ago because of him. He was a jerk to her. Just thinking about it made him feel a deep, mortifying sense of shame. He's mad at himself, but he's mad at her. He punishes her because he wants her so badly. He pushes her away because he knows he betrayed Carlos and needs her to go and understand the end result of what he said, but he ruined her in the process and he will never forgive himself. It's amazing that she can do that. As the weekend wore on, he thought about their original agreement, and the fact that she had agreed to it Saturday-
"I told you, I'm fine," whispered Amy, and things were much better now than before, when Victor burst into the studio midway, and he sent the doctor to draw blood from her arm. "Doctor?" Victor turned his attention to the middle-aged woman with a reassuring tone. "What happened? H—how is she?""Ulcers," the doctor replied without lifting his eyes, pulling out the needle, and pressing the skin with a cotton ball to stop the bleeding. "Other than that, I won't know until I get these results." He held up three vials of blood and stuffed them into the pocket of his lab coat before making eye contact with Victor."But do you suspect something's wrong?" Victor asked, not looking in Amy's direction so she had time to stare at him before she accepted that and got drunk while he was upset his gaze made him promise to remember every detail. She hadn't had a good look at him in weeks, and it had been long since they'd touched. Her heart was beating strangely, and she let out a soft moan.Victo
Here she is now—the only option other than going inside the house is to insist that he fly her back to Cordova, which leaves her with a bag full of cement. "Okay," she agreed rebelliously. "I'm going in." But it's like going back in time. The last time they left, they both thought they'd be back soon, and the house had that feeling - as if they'd left soon and everything was just as it was.Her heart churned in her chest as she stepped into the depths of the living room, memories flooding her, her pulse racing wildly. "You're obviously happy here," he said softly, walking behind her. "And I like to see you happy." She closed her eyes because she heard what he didn't say. He didn't like seeing her hurt. He didn't like knowing he was going to hurt her. He fears becoming like his father, fears that their marriage will spiral into the same horrific merry-go-round of squabbles.She turned to face him, needing to reassure him. "I'm happy in Córdova, too," she lied. "You're avoiding me
Tears glistened in her eyes. "I love you," he added simply, when all the grander expressions seemed unnecessary at the time. "I'll keep you here until you understand this." She smiled. "I think I get it," she blinked, "but I'm happy to pretend I don't, just for tonight." "A couple of nights," he bartered, and then, before she could object, He raised a hand. Put your finger on her lips to calm her down. "At least."She nodded, feeling a pain in her heart. "It sounds like heaven to me." ***Much later, as their feet dipped into the warm waters of the soft sand and the sky was dusky pink and orange, Amy's phone started ringing. She took out her mobile phone from her back pocket, frowned when she saw the unfamiliar number, and swiped the screen to answer it. "Hello?" "Is this Mrs. Amelia Montero?" She smiled at Victor, filled with emotion, because she really was Mrs. Amelia Montero, in every fiber of her body. In the bones, in all the cells of her heart."Indeed it is." "It's Dr.
Book 3 BlurbA Misunderstood Marriage Miranda couldn't possibly have prepared herself for tycoon Jacob Delrama. He proposed to Mira—well, he insisted: "Y—you'll have a wedding ceremony, and in return, you'll receive a big amount of cash and a divorce as soon as I arrange it."Mira agrees to a secret wedding at the behest of her late brother, but she is distressed that Jacob has completely misunderstood her. The longer she spent with him, the more she knew that she couldn't be his temporary wife. Only one thing - her secret must be told!***After the peak, with her heart beating like a drum, Mira climbed into the church and slid to a pew near the back to listen to the memorial service from a safe distance. Dimitri Castor is well known in the city of Córdova. The dimly lit interior was packed with those who wanted to pay their last respects. A black and gold embroidered scarf covered her drooping head, and Mira trembled, lost in the dark abyss of sorrow.She had been alone for as long
At age 10, Jacob Delrama lost his parents in a hiking accident. Dimitri and Clara took Jacob into their home and raised him as their own sibling. It never occurred to Dim that Mira would be displeased with his constant mention of the countless virtues and talents that replaced her brother,It is unwarranted injustice to despise yourself just for such childish impulses. Mira fell silent. She trembled at the sound of her own footsteps. She was supposed to be sober the day Dimitri died, but she was so shocked she literally stopped functioning. Just five weeks ago, he was hospitalized with a mild heart attack. She was first at his bedside,When she realizes that Clara and Jacob are already en route from the airport, she reluctantly separates from Dim. "Stay—ring the bell with all of them!" Dimitri growled recklessly, already irritated by the nurse's attempt to prevent her from entering his private chamber. "You know you don't mean that. You can't do that to your wife," Mira murmured tig