Richard POV I stop my car in front of the townhouse and take a deep breath as I grip the steering wheel. I get out of the car, and as I reach the door, it bursts open, and a man walks out of the house while he is shouting inside. “Get out,” I hear Pamela shouting from inside the house, and as soon as I reach the door, it flies open, and a man walks out shouting inside. I don’t think he saw me. “You are fucking crazy,” he shouts, and I raise an eyebrow trying to look inside, but he faces me, and then Pamela appears at the door. Her face is bright red, and her eyes are puffy. I might not get along with my ex-wife, but I sure as hell won’t allow a man to shout at her, especially in front of me or near my daughter. “She told you to leave,” I say, stepping between them, and I can hear the soft cry coming from Pamela’s mouth. I get really uncomfortable with women crying, especially if it is my child's mother, a woman I learned to hate.

Layla POV “I won’t be home for dinner,” I let out, and both Jo and Leo raise their heads from the couch to look at me. Jo stands up almost immediately and walks to me.  “You’ve got a date?” she asks, raising her eyebrows at me, and I can’t help but laugh at Leo, that is behind her hugging himself with his back turned to me as if he is making out with someone. “Guys, come on, no, it’s a work dinner,” I say, and Jo nods with a smirk on her face. I don’t know if I am trying to convince them or myself. I thought I saw something yesterday. But I guess I was wrong because he kept me busy all day yesterday and barely spoke to me. I guess I thought wrong when I thought he was jealous.  I bring the coffee to my lips and take a small sip. I still don’t have a dress. I am wearing a black pants suit with a jacket and a red blouse underneath. I look at my reflection in

Richard POV "Dylan," I hear Pamela say as she approaches the table, and Dylan looks stunned, like he has seen a ghost. I have never seen him like this before. His eyes rise, and he smiles, standing up. "Pamela, lovely to see you," he says, kissing her cheek, and then she looks at me and smiles. Dylan looks like he is about to puke, and if the situation weren't fucked up already, this would be kind of funny.  "Richard," she says, and I nod toward her when her eyes land on Layla. Her facial expression changes from a smile to a frown. "Who is this?" she asks, waving her hand in front of Layla. Rude much? How did I ever like this woman? "That's," Dylan says, and I rest one hand on Layla's leg smiling. "This is my date," I say without thinking twice. Layla's eyes go wide, and Dylan almost chokes on his drink. Pamela looks at me with the most shocked look ever, and I smile, "Pamela, this is Layla," I say, and Pamela s

Layla POV “I’m sorry, what?” I ask, and he gets even closer. The car stopped abruptly, and his arms wrapped around my body, keeping me in place, and I realized I didn’t put my seatbelt on. I am now almost lying on top of him while the driver shouts out of the window. All I can hear is noise, background noise, and it feels like the world has stopped moving, and there’s only me and this beautiful specimen of a man.  My eyes are locked on his, and I lose my will to move. I stay still as his hands move slightly down, and he touches the bare skin on my back. I feel a chill down my spine, and the entire world disappears. All I see is the blue from his eyes, staring back at me as if he is reading my soul. With no warning, his mouth collapses on mine, and I let out a small moan. His hands move to my hair as he rests one hand on the back of my neck and the other one he places on my ass as he lays back down on the back se

Layla POV “Miss, you really should let us examine your head,” the nurse says for the thousandth time since we got to the hospital, but I shake it. I don’t need anyone to check on me; I need them to keep Jo safe. I close my eyes as I rest my head back on the chair they brought into the room for me.  I try to push away the memories of how my night went from splendid, dreamy even to my worst nightmare. I couldn’t fight Leo off, he was a lot stronger than me, and he managed to get to Jo. I really hope the police get to him. I feel so bad for her.  “Layla?” Jo whispers, and I lean towards her and grab her hand. Her bruised eye locks on mine, and she offers me a small smile. She tries to move but immediately groans in pain. “I am sorry,” she says, and I smile, shaking my head as I feel a single tear stream down my face. “What are you apologizing about?” I ask, an