One year, one love by Aurora Miller

Chapter 59

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Leia’s fingers traced over Ryan with practiced ease. She slid from behind him to face him, her hands draping around his neck as her eyes sparkled with mischief. Leaning in, she pressed her lips boldly to his.

Leia was daring and passionate, a stark contrast to Doris, whose distant and reserved demeanor had left Ryan bitterly unsatisfied. Leia’s eager affection stroked his ego, filling a void Doris never covered.

He succumbed to Leia’s invitation, their bodies entwining in a moment of fiery abandon.

Afterward, as Ryan got up and reached for his robe, Leia clung to him once again.

“Ryan, I want more,” she purred, her fingers gliding lightly across his shoulders.

Ryan removed her hand without hesitation and stood. Leia’s hand hovered awkwardly in the air before falling limply to her side.

“You should go back to your room,” he said flatly, tying the belt of his robe.

Leia felt as though a bucket of icy water had been poured over her, freezing her in place. Forcing a smile, she tried again. “Ryan, let me stay tonight. Please.”

“Leia, I’ve already given you what you wanted,” Ryan said, his tone sharp and dismissive. “Don’t push your luck.”

Her lips trembled as she fought back her humiliation. “Ryan, we’ve been living together for a month now.”

Indeed, she had been under his roof for a month, but Ryan had never allowed her to share his bed unless he was in the mood.

For Leia, fleeting moments of pleasure weren’t enough. She wanted to be his partner, his love in every sense.

But the reality stung. Leia wasn’t pregnant. The announcement had been a fabrication by Ryan’s parents, intended solely to provoke Doris.

Leia knew her only hope of securing her position was to conceive quickly. Yet Ryan always made her take contraceptives, insisting he wasn’t ready for a child.

“This engagement is just a convenience,” Ryan said coldly, his gaze piercing. “We’re not really a couple. Letting you stay here is the biggest compromise I’ve made. If you need a man, go find one elsewhere.”

Leia’s face drained of color, his words cutting her like a blade. “Ryan, I agreed to this engagement because I love you. And now you’re telling me to go to someone else?”

“Love me?” Ryan sneered. “Leia, what about Jake? Where does he fit into your little story?”

your attention! I’ve only ever wanted to

voice laced with disdain. “You didn’t care about Jake’s feelings but strung

you think the trap you and my parents set is anything

his gaze cold and unyielding. “I’ll only marry the

cracked. “And you think Doris is that woman?” she

surface.

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3 Mar

Chapter 59

dark shadow to

for you to decide,” he said icily.

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I love you. You’re such an incredible man, and yet she didn’t appreciate you,” Leia said softly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I’ll cherish you, Ryan. I’ll never

she refused to believe she

a second that just because Doris and I are apart,

flinched, the pain in

with hatred. If she could,

**

was

while watching TV, only for Lewis

He carried her directly into his bedroom. That night marked

Doris could still recall the intensity of his scent, something that seemed to pierce straight through to her

was away on a business trip. Doris spent the day cooking, walking the dog, and watching

for a quieter life on her own, but now that she was experiencing it, the solitude felt unbearable. Over the past month, they

and warmth, and Doris had grown accustomed to Lewis‘ presence

of her, his head slightly lowered, gazing at

reached out to stroke his head. “Are you

to understand, barking twice in response.

realized that, deep down, she had

dismiss the dangerous notion. “This kind of thinking is far too risky. It

clear her mind, she got up and went back to her

morning, Doris was startled awake by the sound of her phone ringing urgently. She fumbled

six in the morning. For Peyton to call this early, something serious must have happened.

answered groggily, “Mom, what’s going on?”