Chapter 34: Back to Reality

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• His Secret Heir, His Deepest Regret   Special Chapter 9: Double Trouble

  EVANThey always say pregnancy is a beautiful journey. I agreed to it—to some extent.However, it was also chaos. Pure, raging, hormonal chaos.Sarah and Julia were pregnant at the same time. That alone sounded absurd. We were happy, of course, but then, the disasters came.“I think I’m craving sour mangoes dipped in soy sauce and also maybe bubblegum,” Julia said one night as she lay on the couch, glaring at the ceiling.The worst part was that Rui got dragged into it too. Sarah had even worse cravings.So there we were—me and Rui—sitting in the car at 1:43 a.m., waiting for a drive-thru employee to hand us two of the weirdest snack combos anyone’s ever imagined.Rui let out a low laugh, completely delirious. “We’ve been out every night this week. I’m starting to think we’re the ones nesting.”I passed him his bag of pickle-flavored chips and peanut M&Ms. “You think?”He sighed, looking out the window. “It was supposed to be a happy time.”I nodded. “And instead, it’s a war zone.”We

• His Secret Heir, His Deepest Regret   Special Chapter 8: Sarah and Rui (2)

  SARAHThe beeping was the first thing I heard. Then the smell of the hospital invaded my senses.My eyes fluttered open slowly. The ceiling was unfamiliar. I tried to sit up but felt the tug of something in my arm. It was an IV.With that, I turned my head and saw Rui sitting by my bedside. His hair was messy, and he looked like he hadn’t slept. There were faint shadows under his eyes, and he was wearing the same shirt from yesterday, now wrinkled.His eyes widened the moment he saw me awake.“Sarah,” he breathed, leaning in quickly. “Hey, hey—thank goodness.”I blinked, still dazed. “What… happened?”“You fainted, my love. You scared the hell out of me.” He reached out, brushing hair from my forehead with shaking fingers. “They said you were dehydrated, stressed, and…”I closed my eyes for a second. He must have known about it already.Rui hesitated. Then, softly, “You’re pregnant.”I didn’t answer. Instead, I looked away, focusing on the IV line in my arm.“Sarah,” he said again, vo

• His Secret Heir, His Deepest Regret   Special Chapter 7: Sarah and Rui (1)

  SARAHI lit the last candle on the dining table and stepped back to look at everything one final time. The roast was done. The vegetables were warm. The wine opener was next to the fresh bottle of wine. And the soft music in the background made our apartment very romantic.We had moved here just this year, and Rui shouldered every cost even though I got promoted to Heath’s position. I never thought it would come to this, but here I was—living a very comfortable life.Everything felt perfect, except, nothing ever was. And in our four years of being together, it was impossible for everything to be smooth sailing.I look at my reflection in the mirror in the living room. I even wore the dress he liked—the navy blue one with the low back.The door clicked open. I turned, my heart racing, but the moment I saw him, it fell just a little.Rui looked exhausted.His tie was half undone, his blazer slung over one arm, and his hair was a mess—he must’ve run his hands through it too many times. H

• His Secret Heir, His Deepest Regret   Special Chapter 6: Heath and Ellie (2)

  HEATHI woke up to the sharp, punishing headache that only came after drinking things you don’t remember drinking and doing things you definitely don’t remember agreeing to.My mouth still tasted like whiskey, making me sigh in annoyance. I groaned and rolled over before freezing.There was someone in my bed.No, not just someone.Ellie.I paused for a while, unable to comprehend the situation. I pinched myself to see if it was a dream, but it wasn’t. It definitely wasn’t.I rolled the other way and smacked my face into a pillow. Maybe suffocating myself would undo the night.Crap. Crap. Crap.I peeked again, hoping this time, it was a dream. Maybe I had fallen asleep watching an erotica and my subconscious invented the entire thing.Nope.She was still there. Still asleep. Still very much Ellie.“Shit,” I whispered to no one in particular, clutching the pillow like it was the last bit of dignity I had left.Of all the people in the universe—of all the planets, galaxies, alternate time

• His Secret Heir, His Deepest Regret   Special Chapter 5: Heath and Ellie

  HEATHA party at our age sounded ridiculous.I had already traded neon lights for a heater lamp, loud bass for classical music, and vodka shots for overpriced coffee. But here I was, past my supposed bedtime in a too-loud club with Liam grinning like the happiest man in the world.“Just come in, man. You need this,” he said.I didn’t need this. What I needed was a quiet night and maybe a decent book. But Liam was the groom-to-be, and I owed him too many late-night calls and rides home not to show up for his last hurrah.So, here I was.My blazer was too stiff for this kind of scene. I stuck out like a sore thumb, but Liam had insisted I looked the most handsome out of every guest.“There’s someone I want you to meet,” he’d said earlier. “She’s single, sweet, and you, my friend, need to stop living like a prude.”I rolled my eyes and sat at the bar.Maybe this was good. I dreamed of Julia last night.It wasn’t a sad dream. She just... appeared. Her laugh and the way she tucked her hair

• His Secret Heir, His Deepest Regret   Special Chapter 4: Will You?

  JULIA The day of my first art exhibition had finally come. After the successful launch of our clothing line with Mr. Miyagi, my name had begun circulating in the art world. A year had passed since then, and while I had worked on many projects, this was the first time I was putting my heart and soul on full display.I was a nervous wreck. It was the opening day, and although a lot of people had promised to show up, I felt like it would be an empty exhibition. I stood outside our house and waited for Sarah to pick me up. Evan said he had something to do at his office but would meet me at the exhibition before it opened to the public. After a few moments, Sarah arrived in her brand-new car. She whistled dramatically as she stepped out, running a hand over the hood. "Can you believe it?" she asked, shaking her head in amusement. "Just a year ago, my poor car was on its last breath. Now, look at this beauty. Rui really outdid himself."I chuckled, recalling how stubborn she had been a