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."

but to settle for second best.She would need more time to plan

He nodded in agreement.

what

took Ayla to the

Group was indeed super-efficient.The dresses

do you think? Do they meet

the dresses on the mannequins

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

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

it worth his while to spoil her so much? Ayla and Lucas had grown close over the past two years.She was a very seductive woman so it was impossible that she

she spotted Brian on the sofa, observing

too good

days, all the dresses were

any of her designs? Had anyone else

help but

had handed Ayla's designs over to him earlier, then there would have

deliberately created difficulties between them to keep them apart,

allow Ayla to ruin her relationship

Ayla raised her head, she

distraction caused her to accidentally prick her finger with the needle she

sudden pain made

and said, "Come on

was as

really going to do this?"

two years that they had been 'together', he had not reciprocated

fact that he still nurtured a

resembled Ayla

against this infatuation and would even

she knew that deep in her heart, he would

admire their resemblance to Ayla from afar all

that he

was a dream

could forget Ayla, she mysteriously reappeared, ruining

opinion? Do you find anything wrong?" Brian asked with