Take My Breath Away

Debbie thought that kissing was only appropriate for adults, so she had rebuffed Hayden's requests all the time when they were dating.

Once, he attempted to forcibly kiss her on the lips and promptly found himself on his back with the wind knocked out of him. She had thrown him over her shoulder. Afterwards they gave each other the silent treatment for months.

It was Debbie who caved. She started to make up for what she did, but their relationship was a shadow of what it was previously.

"Deb, we live in the 21st century, for crying out loud." Hayden was at a loss for words.

Debbie felt she was maybe in the wrong about that, so she changed the subject. "That's in the past. We've been apart for a long time. And I've found my true love, so let's move on."

Hayden's heart ached when she said she had found the one. "If he really loved you, he would have announced your marriage and told everyone that you are his wife. But he didn't. He doesn't love you, Deb. Open your eyes!"

"Wrong! I'm the one who wants it kept under wraps," she told him. Her face betrayed no emotion.

Hayden was so shocked he couldn't even speak. "Deb, you know I love you. But Carlos Huo? In the circles I run in, he's known to be cold, distant, and calculating. Don't get taken in by him. There is no such thing as the modern Cinderella. So be realistic, okay?"

Debbie withdrew her gaze from outside the window to look at him. "You don't know me. You don't know us. How can you be so judgmental?"

Hayden was reduced to silence again. After a while, he stood up, came to her, pulled her to her feet, and embraced her tightly. "Did you know I was so worried about you when I learned you married Carlos Huo I immediately booked a ticket to New York? Do you really think he can manage a big company like ZL Group without being underhanded and scheming? Impossible. He's kn

he wants."

Debbie pulled Carlos' arm and whispered in his ear on tiptoe, "I knew about the Maldives, but H and A? When did you decide on those?"

He turned towards her, just a bit. "Just now," he answered.

Debbie was dumbstruck.

Seeing them together, Hayden smiled resignedly. "Awesome! Take care."

When Carlos passed by the cashier's desk, he released Debbie's hand and took care of the bill.

Before they walked out of the coffee house, he wrapped Debbie's scarf around her neck and zipped up her down jacket. Everything he did seemed so natural and gentle it worried Debbie even more. What was going on in his head?

She followed Carlos to a spacious, bright, and well-equipped minivan.

He sat on the couch, and then forcefully pulled Debbie into the seat next to him. "Drive," he told the driver.

Debbie sensed the coldness around him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and explained, "I... He... We were just catching up."

"Catching up?" She felt he was about to explode with rage. When he spoke, it felt as if the carriage were a missile silo.

Since Carlos had seen Hayden holding her in his arms, Debbie understood why he was mad. "I don't love him anymore. So tell me, Mr. Handsome, why were you there?"