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."

to settle for second best.She would need

He nodded in agreement.

exactly what she wanted from this very complicated relationship: a child from

to the

ready for inspection.The Clark Group was indeed super-efficient.The dresses were presented

think? Do they meet

draped the dresses on the mannequins and examined

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

company, she heard that Brian had brought a beautiful woman here.She didn't need to guess twice that that

it worth his while to spoil her so much? Ayla and Lucas had grown close over the past two years.She

Brian on the sofa, observing

too good

all the dresses were

not object to any of her designs? Had anyone else designed the dresses, he would have

help but blame herself

over to him earlier, then there would have been no need for him to go over

keep them apart,

around, she would not allow Ayla to

Ayla raised her

to accidentally prick her finger with the needle

made her drop

and

was as cold as

going

In the past two years that they had been

he still nurtured a space

he saw a woman who resembled Ayla on the

even help him investigate

knew that deep in her heart, he would never

resemblance to Ayla from

that he would

a dream

he could forget Ayla, she mysteriously reappeared, ruining the

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