Burning Desire:A Tale of Love and Betrayal

Dear Reader,

What you are about to step into is not just a love story. It's a tangled web of passion, betrayal, secrets, and the quiet ache of discovering the truth behind the people we think we know.

Jacqueline's journey is one many of us know too well, the journey of holding on when we should let go, of chasing stability while craving fire, of mistaking comfort for love. Her story unfolds in layers: through the haunting grip of her dreams, the unraveling of a once-promising engagement, and the magnetic pull of a man who exists both in her subconscious and in the shadows of her waking life.

This book explores the power of instinct, the destruction that lies in deceit, and the healing that only truth, however painful,can bring.

You may find pieces of yourself in Jacqueline. In her strength. In her silence. In the storm she learns to survive.

This is a story about second chances, about trusting the unknown, and about the dangerous beauty of a love that finds you when you least expect it, and refuses to let go.

With heart,

[Dee-Jay]

Jacqueline's POV

"Ugh!"

By the time I finished reading the chapter, a warm flush surged through me. My pulse beat slowly and steady between my thighs, and I could feel the ache spreading like wildfire.

I reached for my phone, fingers trembling, and dialed Derek. No answer. I tried again. Still nothing.

"Why aren't you picking up?" I whispered, breathless the embers of longing, I rested my head on the desk. The warmth between my legs was unbearable, my body alight with a hunger only he could soothe.

Sleep found me fast.

And in that dreamworld, he stood there. A faceless man in a black game suit, his body built like temptation, his aura thick and magnetic. He didn't need a face; his energy alone undressed my sanity.

"Hey," I breathed, fingers finding his chest. My touch drifted to his nipples, watching the rhythm of his breath falter. As if responding to a secret chord in my body, his hand found my thigh, sliding upward beneath my silk-black mini gown.

The air vibrated with need. My breath hitched. I was seconds from surrendering completely

A blaring ringtone shattered the moment. My eyes snapped open.

Damn. Just a dream.

I exhaled sharply and picked up. "Hello?"

"Hi, Ms. Jacqueline, this is Sophie's Bridals. Just calling to confirm your final wedding fitting this weekend. Will you be available?"

"Yes. Yes, I'll be there," I said, voice scratchy.

"Great. Goodbye."

Even after the call ended, my body still buzzed with the ghost of that dream. The ache hadn't gone, if anything, it had grown worse.

I was lost in thought, still drenched in the remnants of my dream, when I was jolted by the feeling of warm hands slipping around my neck, followed by a soft kiss pressed to my left cheek.

"I called," I said, realizing it was Derek.

"Yeah, sorry. Didn't realize my phone was on silent," he replied, his voice distant, cold.

His tone stung more than I cared to admit. I should be used to this by now, his indifference, his detachment. But still, a small part of me clung to hope. That one day, Derek would look past my skin and see the woman inside. The one who craves not just his body, but his heart.

"I'm sorry. The meeting took longer than I thought," he added, this time with a flicker of remorse in his voice.

"Uhh...it's okay," I murmured, though the last word never quite left my lips, it was swallowed by his mouth as he leaned in to kiss me.

We kissed deeply, our lips moving in sync, tasting each other with slow, hungry pulls.

"De...Derek," I whispered between kisses, trying to speak, to pause, to breathe, but he held me tighter, his grip firm, commanding.

A part of me wanted to resist, to ask for connection beyond the physical. But the heat in his touch melted my restraint. My body betrayed me, aching for him, yearning for something fierce and raw.

I shivered beneath his hands, every nerve ending alive and electric. My breasts tingle with anticipation, nipples hardened, silently begging for his touch.

He lifted me effortlessly, his hands gripping the back of my thighs. I wrapped myself around him, clinging to the only closeness he ever gave me. Pressed to his chest, I felt the strong, steady rhythm of his heartbeat, a rhythm I wanted to believe was for me.

Still battling with my strong but doubtful feeling, the moment took a better part of me.

Ah...

I moaned softly as he slipped his tender arousal inside me.

We both let out quiet moans as he moved slowly, rhythmically, but I craved more, something deeper, more passionate, something that felt real.

After just a few seconds of moving inside me, he let out a soft, "Fu...fuck," and released what he got down.

That's it? Not again, I thought, my heart sinking quietly.

"Derek, we need to talk," I said, though I wasn't sure how to say what I truly felt, without being judged.

How do I tell him for the thousandth time that I need intimacy that's more than just him climaxing?

How do I tell him I want to be touched there, that I want to be sucked down there, without him looking disgusted, like he always does?

What words can I use this time that will land any differently than before?

"Sit up," he said abruptly.

"Look what I got for you," he added, pulling out a small wrapped gift box.

I chuckled, still torn, wondering how he could be so blind to my needs, and yet still questioning whether maybe I was the problem. Am I not attractive enough? The worry rose quietly inside me.

Still, I faked a smile as he pinned the delicate golden necklace around my neck.

"I'll be out of town tomorrow, as early as the first crow," he announced casually.

I looked at him, my expression unreadable, but inside, a storm brewed. Are you for real right now?! My face held a thousand unsaid words. I wished he could read them.

"I...I.."

Shh, he interrupted, placing a finger gently on my lips.

"I know. I just got back, and yeah, I'm supposed to spend more time with you. But work calls. What can I do?" He shrugged dramatically, as if that explained everything.

"But I promise you, after this trip, I'll be all yours. Just be ready. Make space for me. Don't get tired of me," he said with a laugh, walking out.

I sighed, helpless, letting his words sink in. It wasn't the first time I'd heard promises like that, and yet, nothing ever changed.

Still, I tried to hold on. I wanted to believe him. I tried, really hard, not to think, even for a second, that Derek might be involved with someone else.

Like Allison, my best friend, had always hinted.

But I shrugged the thought off. Not even the tiniest part of me wanted to give it a moment's space in my mind.

Morning came faster than I wanted it too.

The silence after Derek's departure sat heavy on my shoulders. The hum of the ceiling fan above seemed louder than ever, like a lonely song echoing through the room. I looked at the necklace he'd just given me, gold, delicate, beautiful. But it felt like a bandage over a deep, invisible wound.

Why was it always gifts and silence instead of presence and passion?

I moved toward the mirror and studied myself, my reflection staring back with tired eyes and lips that hadn't smiled for real in weeks. I was still the woman he said he loved, still the one who waited for his return, still the one he kissed like a habit. So why did I feel like a placeholder?

I touched my lips absentmindedly, remembering the faceless man from my dream. How strange, that a ghost made of fantasy could leave me feeling more desired than the man I shared my bed with every night.

Maybe I was losing myself, slowly, painfully, like a house whose foundation was beginning to crack.

The next morning, I woke to silence again. Derek was gone, just like he said he'd be. His side of the bed was cold. His scent had already begun to fade.

I rolled out of bed and reached for my phone, scrolling aimlessly. A message popped up from Allison: Still up for coffee later? I miss your chaotic energy. Actually she was replying to the 'I got a gist for you' message, I dropped her last night. Maybe she was screwing one of the many men she met at the club, that explained the late reply.

A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. She always knew how to pull me out of myself. But a small seed of guilt took root, because even though she'd warned me about Derek, I never listened. I never wanted to.

Me: Yeah. is 11 still good?

Allison: Perfect. Spill everything.

I sighed. Today, maybe I would. Maybe I'd let it all out. The sex that left me emptier, the kisses that felt like apologies, the promises that always tasted like dust. Maybe today, I'd say the things I was too afraid to hear myself admit.

I dressed in silence, avoiding anything that smelled like memory. I chose a deep wine-red wrap dress, the one that clung to my curves and made me feel like I mattered, if only to myself.

By the time I arrived at the café, Allison was already seated, stirring her matcha with a kind of elegance I'd always envied. She looked up and gave me that familiar grin, the one that saw through everything.

"Well, if it isn't the woman of the hour," she teased, gesturing to the seat across from her.

"I look like a mess," I muttered, sliding into the chair.

"No. You look like a woman who needs to say things out loud. Start talking," she said, voice softening.

And so I did. I told her about the dream. About the ache. About Derek's coldness, his distracted kisses, his promises that came wrapped in expensive guilt.

By the time I finished, her face had shifted from playful to pained.

"Jacqueline," she said slowly, "I've been trying not to say this again, but you deserve more. You deserve someone who sees you, not just the version of you that makes them comfortable. And honestly? I think Derek is already somewhere else. Maybe not physically, but emotionally...he left a long time ago."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "You think he's cheating?"

Allison didn't answer immediately. She reached across the table and took my hand. "I think you already know. And that's the part that hurts the most."

I blinked hard, trying to keep tears from falling. My phone buzzed on the table between us. A text from Derek: Landed. Talk later. Love you.

Three words that felt like a lie.

I looked at Allison. "What if I walk away and I'm wrong?"

She gave me a sad smile. "And what if you stay, and you lose yourself completely?"

The ache between my thighs was gone now, replaced with a hollowness deeper than desire.

Because it was never really about the sex.

It was about being seen.

Wanted.

Cherished.

...

"Hey, baby," Allison said, squinting into her screen, clearly searching for my face.

"Oops! Holy moly, girl, what's with the look?" she added the moment I appeared.

"Well, that's what you get when you decide to call someone this early," I replied, running my fingers through my tangled hair.

"Hope you don't give Derek a panic attack one day with that face," she laughed.

Speaking of Derek... "Where is he, by the way? Hope he's resting well from his trip?"

"You foodie," I said instead, eyeing the pack of crispy chips sitting pretty in her hand, partly as a distraction from the Derek talk.

She smiled sheepishly and shoved more chips into her mouth. I recognized that look, her usual tactic when I tried to sidestep any Derek-related conversation.

" girl....." she said, her eyes narrowing at me.

"Wh...what?" I stammered.

She kept her gaze locked on mine, waiting me out.

"Okay, okay... you win," I surrendered, voice tinged with disappointment. "He's away on another business trip."

"Again?!"

I nodded. "Yes, again."

Allison's tone shifted, her voice more serious now. "This is like the tenth business trip in the past two weeks. Why is he suddenly always traveling?"

"There's this contract the company's pursuing," I began, struggling to make the explanation sound convincing even to myself. "Since he's the branch manager, he has to be the one to convince the contractors. And besides... this trip was kind of a last-minute thing, so..."

I trailed off, hoping it sounded more logical out loud than it did in my head.

Allison wasn't convinced. "Jac, are you sure you still want to go ahead with the wedding,with all these impromptu trips?" she asked, her words laced with concern.

I let out a soft sigh. "Yes. The trips are temporary, they won't last forever. And besides... being married might actually be an advantage. Maybe it'll give him fewer excuses to disappear."

Hopefully.

"If you say so," she replied, though her voice was far from convincing.

"Yup... that reminds me. The designer called, and I have a fitting scheduled this weekend. Hopefully the final one. I want you to come with me."

I added quickly, "That is, if you're available."

"Of course I'll be available! Another trip to the wedding dress shop with my gorgeous bride-to-be best friend? Count me in. Who knows, luck might smile on me and my Prince Charming will walk in, slow-motion style."

I laughed. "A Prince Charming in a bridal store?"

Allison always said that on all dress-fitting appointments. As hopeful, and maybe desperate, as it sounded, she wasn't exactly rushing to settle down. If she really wanted to, she could've had any of the men around her. But she turned them all into nothing more than 'sex toys,' as she jokingly called them.

"Since Derek's out of town and it's Friday-TGIF," she said with a wink, fully aware that in her dictionary, Friday meant one thing: club night.

"Let me grab a cup of coffee," I said, pushing to stand.

"I'll get a glass of whiskey," she said. Honestly, it wouldn't even surprise me at this point if she had whiskey and chips for breakfast while the orange-red moon was still trying to decide whether to make room for the sun.

Then came a voice.

"Hey, sugar, Daddy needs you," a man called out from Allison's end.

My eyes widened in disbelief. I stared at her through the screen.

She just winked, slowly curling her tongue around her lips with a seductive grin.

"Who was that?" I mouthed silently.

"Daddy's waiting," the voice came again, deeper this time.

Allison sprang up from the couch like someone had just poked her with a feather. She blew me a kiss. "Morning glory calls," she whispered, cupping her boobs in her hands.

"Go away, silly head," I laughed.

"Get yourself a man," she teased with a wink.

"I have a man," I shot back.

"Naughty girl."

"Have a good day," she waved.

A smile tugged on my lips as I ended the call.

I picked up my phone and typed:

Hey, love. I haven't heard from you, hope you're okay? Please reply as soon as you can. I tried calling, but it went straight to voicemail.

Still staring at the screen, I held on to a fading hope for a reply from my fiancé, one that didn't seem like it was coming.

Then my phone buzzed with a notification. A message from Calvin that reads:

I'll pick you up in an hour.

Huh. I sighed, glancing at the time,6:15 a.m. on a calm yet quietly chaotic Friday morning.

It was almost midday, and I still hadn't heard from Derek. By now, I should've been used to his nonchalant attitude, especially how he barely communicated whenever he was away. But somehow, it still stung.

I stared blankly at the screen in front of me, lost in thought.

"Coffee?" Calvin's voice cut through my silence.

I flinched slightly, then nodded.

Calvin and I had been good friends since his early days at the company. Coincidentally, we were on the same team, finance.

There was a rumor floating around the office that Calvin liked me, a lot. Even Allison had, more than once, hinted at the possibility with that knowing smirk of hers.

To be fair, Calvin is sweet. Smart, thoughtful, and always somehow in tune with me. He has this calming energy that makes me feel safe, something I've rarely felt around men. I trust him. That's not a sentence I throw around lightly.

He has a free spirit and this uncanny ability to notice the things bothering me before I even admit them to myself. A total catch... if only he were a few inches taller.

He returned with two cups, one creamed, one black, and handed me the creamed one before settling into the chair beside me.

"How are you?" he asked, taking a slow sip from his cup.

"I'm fine."

His eyes searched my face like he was trying to solve a puzzle.

"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

He smiled slightly. "Nothing. Just thought maybe you had a storm of thoughts running through that pretty head of yours."

I exhaled softly. "I'm fine. It's just... I haven't heard from Derek in a while."

"Ah." He nodded, his tone gentle. "I'm sure he'll reach out, he's probably just caught up in work."

"Yeah. I guess." My reply was laced with a cool indifference I didn't mean to show.

"So..." He glanced over at the corner of my desk. "What's for lunch?"

I gave him a playful look. "You need to get a girlfriend who'll cook for you. Since you prefer homemade meals, I'm tired of feeding a grown-ass man."

He chuckled. "What do I need a girlfriend for when I've got you taking care of me already, huh?"

He walked over and opened my lunch box.

"Whoa! Twist pasta?"

I laughed. His delight was contagious. It was hard to stay moody around him, even when I tried.

He dished the pasta and returned to his seat, barely hiding his excitement. He took a bite and his eyes lit up.

"Have you ever considered opening a restaurant?"

I chuckled, my cheeks flushing. "Nope, but thanks for mentioning."

It was funny. I'd received plenty of compliments on my cooking before, but somehow, his words, simple as they were, always hit differently.

Sometimes, secretly, I wished Derek could be more like Calvin, more attentive, more present. I wished he saw me, really saw me, and not just looked at me.

"So, how's the preparation for the big day going?" he asked, giving me a quick once-over. "You look like you've lost a few kilos. I've heard that wedding anxiety is real, especially when the day starts drawing close. Looks like someone caught a case of it."

"Did I?" I replied, playing innocent.

He leaned back, cradling his cup of coffee. "Personally, I don't really buy into the whole marriage-anxiety thing. I mean, if you're walking down the aisle with someone you love, and they love you just as much, what's there to be anxious about?" he said, his tone sincere. "If anything, I'd call it being scared-scared of stepping into a new phase of life. But if it's with the right person, it should feel exciting, not heavy."

His words lingered in the air longer than they should have.

It was like he could read me, like he knew that the weight loss had less to do with fittings or nerves and more to do with this growing ache inside of me. A quiet truth I was too afraid to say out loud: that something about Derek just... didn't sit right anymore.

And maybe, just maybe, I was refusing to admit that to myself.

I let out a small sigh, careful to keep it soft enough that he wouldn't notice.

"I'm scheduled for what will hopefully be my final bridal fitting this weekend," I said, casually sipping my coffee. "I was thinking you could come with me and Allison."

"Allison?" he repeated, eyebrows raised.

"Yes, Allison," I emphasized with a small grin.

He leaned back slightly. "My weekend's pretty packed, honestly. I've got a lot on my desk, and deadlines breathing down my neck. Sorry."

"It's okay," I said, though I wasn't fully convinced. "But what's with you and Allison, really? I mean, it's obviously not just about work."

He hesitated for a second too long. "Nothing, really, nothing," he insisted.

I gave him that look, the one that waited out half-truths.

Finally, he sighed. "Okay, for the hundredth time... I just think she doesn't like me. And I don't see us vibing, you know?"

I chuckled. "And for the hundredth time, Allison is a lovable person. Sure, she can be a handful, annoying even, but once you get to know her, you'd like her."

He nodded silently, though something about his expression said we'll see.

Just then, my phone rang. I stretched to reach it, a flicker of hope rising in my chest, maybe it was Derek. But as soon as the screen lit up, my heart sank.

"Allison," I announced flatly. "Speak of the devil."

I answered. "Hey."

"Girl, I know it's your break time, so I'm definitely not interrupting anything important," she chirped.

"What do you want?" I asked, already bracing myself.

"I know your chopper-boy is right there," she said, her voice dancing with mischief. "Probably sitting like some hungry mama's boy, gawking at you like a naive high school lover-boy."

I exhaled sharply through my nose, silently grateful I hadn't put her on speaker. I wasn't that reckless, never giving Allison that kind of opportunity.

"What. Do. You. Want?" I repeated, trying not to laugh.

"I just called to remind you about tonight," she said sweetly. "Let's party, babe."

I hesitated.

"Okay," I finally agreed. Truth was, a night out sounded a lot better than spending the evening alone in a house that felt more like a ghost town than a home.

"Yay!! She sounded exhilarated.

Sure, he's here, I'll let him know," I said quickly, cutting into Allison's excitement before she could say anything too outrageous.

"Wait, are you talking to me?" she asked, sounding confused.

"Yes," I replied smoothly, pretending she'd asked about Calvin and was just sending her regards.

Just then, the office phone rang, slicing through the moment.

"I need to take this," I said, ending the call.

I picked up the receiver.

"Come to HR," the voice on the other end said curtly before hanging up.