The Substitute Bride: Making Memories Of Us (Lois Stone)

Haley sneered, "Are you pretending as if nothing has happened? How cruel can you be to say this? How dare you insinuate that nothing has happened? Then what is this?" she asked, pointing at the bruises punctuated all over her body by the previous night's frenzied sex.

'How could he ask me to forget what has happened?' she thought bitterly.

"Lucas, how could you be so cruel to me for the sake of that wretched woman? Can she love you as much as I do? Can she drive you to such levels of ecstasy and passion as I do? She hasn't let you touch her, has she?"

She had done everything in her power to get what she wanted and was determined to win this battle.

"Haley, don't you understand? I always regard you as my sister."

What he meant was that she could only be a sister to him.

Chances of her ever becoming a lover or a wife were nil.

The only woman in his heart was Ayla.

It didn't matter that he could not get her body, but his heart belonged only to her.

"Am I right?"

Haley looked at him and commented, "If a woman doesn't surrender her body to you then it's a clear indication that she doesn't love you!"

"What nonsense! The two of you are like chalk and cheese!"

He liked Ayla's innocence and kindness as much as he disliked Haley's scheming character.

Ayla could shower him with an abundance of warmth that made him long for a home with her.

Haley couldn't offer him anything close to this in a thousand years.

Although Haley had helped him in countless ways when he was suffering in Thailand, that was not the kind of love he sought.

Haley stared at him and said, "I won't force you; but I don't want you to meet that woman now, okay? Please can you stay and accompany me today?"

His heart melted like butter when he saw tears streaming down her cheeks.

She didn't usually break down so easily.

"Are you still hesitant? This is my only condition.I do not expect you to take responsibility for me or to marry me.All I request is that you should spend just one day with me, please."

had no choice but to settle for second best.She would need more time to

He nodded in agreement.

spread across her face.She knew exactly what she wanted from this very complicated relationship: a

to the Clark

dresses she had designed were ready for inspection.The Clark Group was indeed super-efficient.The dresses were presented to her

do you think? Do they meet up to your

the dresses on the mannequins and

and watched in awe as she seriously examined the dresses.He had never imagined that Ayla, who majored in secretarial profession, would blossom into a

Anna arrived at the company, she heard that Brian had brought a beautiful woman

so much? Ayla and Lucas had grown close over the past two years.She was a very seductive

the sofa, observing Ayla as she checked the

was too good

all

to any of her designs? Had anyone else designed the dresses, he would have found a thousand flaws

help but blame

she had handed Ayla's designs over to him earlier, then there would have been no need for him to go over to

between them to keep them apart, but it seemed to

time around, she would not allow Ayla to ruin

raised her head,

her

made her drop the

and said,

as cold

you really going to do this?" Anna

two years

tolerated the fact that he still nurtured a space in his

resembled Ayla on the street, he would run

and would even help him investigate those

knew that deep in her heart, he would never touch

admire their resemblance to Ayla

that he would gradually

that was a dream short

he could forget Ayla, she mysteriously reappeared, ruining the peace they had shared for

a look.What's your opinion? Do you find anything wrong?"