Chapter 1
Annabelle Winslow had been in a secret relationship with Nathan Caldwell, her best friend’s younger brother, for five years. Despite his young age, he was well-endowed.
Because of his youth, he always coaxed her into indulging in passion in various places—in his Maybach, on the couch, and in the clubs they gathered at.
Annabelle had just gone to the restroom for a short while when he pulled her back and bent her over the basin. Lifting her skirt, he entered her with a look of satisfaction on his face. Rocking against her, he softly panted into her ears.
Annabelle’s eyes were clouded over as she said, “Nate, slow down…”
Nathan smiled ever so slightly as he leaned down to bite on her earlobe. His voice dripped with seduction. “Can’t take it anymore, Bells? But we’re just getting started.”
Then, a sudden wave of pleasure crashed over Annabelle. She fell silent and lost herself in it.
Over the years, she’d accompanied Nathan in countless passionate encounters—at home, in the car, even in the wilderness. Still, she could never quite keep up with his endless stamina.
Now, she finally understood what other people meant when they said that younger men were full of vigor and always eager to try new things out.
Sore all over, Annabelle could only cling onto Nathan for dear life to steady herself.
His eyes were narrowed in pleasure as he caressed her waist, unwilling to let her go.
“Why is your waist so supple to the touch, Bells? It feels so amazing to touch you like this. It’s like you have me under a spell or something. No other man is allowed to touch you, you hear me? Only me.”
Annabelle had always known that he had a possessive streak, so she smiled and kissed him. “I belong to you. You know that.”
After several rounds of passion, Nathan was finally satiated. He fastened his belt and regained his usual carefree demeanor.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Annabelle grabbed his hand.
“Nate, I’ll be turning 30 next year, and my parents have been pressuring me to get married. I know that you don’t want things between us to go public, so I never told them that I have a boyfriend. They’ve arranged several marriage prospects for me. What do you think about that?”
Nathan stopped in his steps and turned around to plant a light kiss on the corner of her lips. His voice was soothing as he cajoled, “Wait a little longer, Bells. I’m already preparing to propose.”
Annabelle’s heart was finally set at ease.
Watching his retreating figure disappear down the corridor, she gathered her clothes, which were scattered on the ground, and put them back on.
Then, she picked up her bag and slowly returned to their private room to rejoin the gathering, which was still ongoing.
Just as she reached the door, she heard a burst of laughter inside.
“My, my, Nate! You’re something else! You were so loud that we all heard it. It’s thrilling doing it with an older woman, isn’t it? Damn! Her moans nearly made our knees go weak!”
Then, another voice said, “With Annabelle’s figure and that lithe waist of hers, how could he not be addicted to her? There are so many men in our circle who have their eyes on her, but she keeps her distance from men. Nate is the only one charismatic enough to charm her.
“But honestly, Nate, it’s been so many years. Shouldn’t you have gained all the experience you need by now?”
Experience? What experience?
Annabelle felt her body run cold. She couldn’t understand what they were saying.
Fortunately, it seemed that someone in there was unaware of the full story and asked about it too.
“What experience do you think it could be? It’s that junior Nate had a crush on back in high school. All of us urged him to woo her. I mean, with his looks, there isn’t any lady he can’t win over! But he treasures her to no end.
“He claimed that he has no experience of wooing others, no prior experience of having been in a relationship, and most importantly, no experience in bed! And because he needed that junior of his to have the best of everything, he found someone to train himself with all these years.
“Now that she’s coming back from abroad, isn’t it about time you break things off with Annabelle? You’ve had years of practice with her, Nate. Why did you hook up with her again just now? You haven’t actually fallen for her, have you?”
Under everyone’s questioning looks, Nathan lazily set his wine glass down.
“Fall for her? Would you ever fall for a toy you use for practice?”
His indifferent tone stabbed right into Annabelle’s heart like a sharp blade. In a split second, her blood seemed to run cold as a heart-wrenching pain spread through her chest, almost making her collapse.
But she didn’t even have the time to wallow in her misery because someone inside laughed and talked about coming out. She was afraid she’d be seen, so she hurriedly stumbled to her feet and propped herself against the wall for support before scurrying away.
It was pretty embarrassing to be seen crying when she was almost 30. But at that moment, Annabelle was wandering aimlessly in the pouring rain as her thoughts spiraled uncontrollably.
Annabelle had first met Nathan during her freshman year at college. She’d just moved to Vexford for college and met Daphne Caldwell, who’d later become her best friend during her college years.
As Annabelle had often visited Daphne’s house to play with her, she’d eventually gotten to know Daphne’s brother, Nathan. Her first impression of him was that he was handsome, and strikingly so.
But beyond that, she’d had no other thoughts. After all, she was four years older than him, and he was Daphne’s brother. So she’d seen him as nothing more than a younger brother too.
Annabelle hadn’t returned home after she’d graduated. In an effort to break free from her family’s support and test whether she could stand on her own two feet, she’d found a job in Vexford.
She often attracted unwanted attention from men due to her beauty. Once, during a business social event, she’d gotten drugged. She’d snuck into a hotel, intending to call Daphne to come and get her. But somehow, she’d made a mistake and called Nathan instead.
When Nathan had arrived, she’d wanted to get him to call a doctor. But he’d simply looked at her with those attractive eyes of his and taken off his T-shirt.
That night, Nathan, who’d barely been of legal age, had become her antidote.
The next day, she’d flushed a crimson red—not from embarrassment, but from guilt.
She’d hurriedly gotten ready to leave, fully intending to pretend that nothing had ever happened. But Nathan had hugged her from behind and kissed her gently.
“Are you going to run away after sleeping with me, Bells? Aren’t you going to take responsibility for what you’ve done?”
After that day, she’d avoided him like the plague, but he’d pursued her relentlessly. In the end, he’d managed to win her over, and they’d started a secret relationship, hiding things from everyone.
In the five years they’d been together, they’d seemed compatible in every way. Their love seemed as fervent as the day they’d started.
Annabelle had always believed that they would find their happily ever after, so she’d eagerly looked forward to his proposal. But that day had never come.
She could only tentatively ask him about it when her family pressured her. Little had she known that he’d intended to have a future with her.
He had someone he loved, and all along, Annabelle had been nothing more than a practice dummy.
She returned home in a daze and proceeded to curl up in a corner as she hugged herself and spaced out.
After what seemed like an eternity, the sudden ringing of her phone broke the silence. She fumbled for it, picked up the call, and heard the earnest voices of her parents.
“Anna, it’s been two weeks. Have you given the arranged marriage any thought?”
Annabelle took a deep breath as she looked at the photo on the table—it was one she’d taken with Nathan on their fifth anniversary.
“Yeah, I’ve thought about it. I’ll do it.”
From that moment on, Annabelle would start her new life, and Nathan would go on to pursue his first love. Their paths would never cross again.
