The Christmas Captive
I woke up in a penthouse dressed up for Christmas, having no memory of how I got here. With a stranger sitted beside my hospital bed, his dark eyes watching me like I was something precious he was afraid to lose. He says his name is Damien Cross, my husband. He says we were in an accident two weeks before Christmas, and that I've forgotten everything about our perfect life together.
But nothing felt right. The staff won't meet my eyes. My phone had no history. And when I found a journal hidden behind wrapped gifts in my dressing room, the handwriting is mine, but the words were a warning: Do not trust him. Leave before Christmas. You know what he did.
Damien surrounded me with holiday magic, kisses under the mistletoe, and planned romantic surprises beneath twinkling lights. He's everything a husband should be: protective, tender, devoted. Yet his love felt like a cage decorated with ribbons and bows. The closer we got to Christmas Eve, the more I remember fragments of another life. Arguments,Fear,Betrayal. One night I tried to run from him in the snow and never made it out.
Now I have until Christmas Day to uncover the truth about my past before Damien's version of our love story becomes the only one that matters. Because the man who saved me might be the same man I was trying to escape.
Lire
Chapter: THE JOURNAL Ava's POV The penthouse is too quiet at night. During the day, there are staffs moving around, phones ringing, the city noise filtering through the windows. But after midnight, when Damien thinks I'm asleep, the silence is suffocating. I've been awake for hours, lying in the dark, listening to footsteps in the hallway. Damien paces when he can't sleep. Back and forth, back and forth, like a predator circling prey. Sometimes he stops outside my door. I held my breath until I heard him move . Tonight, he's been in his study for the past two hours. I know because I've been counting the minutes, waiting for my chance. Dr. Chen's words from this morning keep replaying in my mind: "Sometimes physical activity can help trigger memories. Walking around familiar spaces might help." Damien immediately said I should rest, not push myself. But the way he said it felt less like concern and more like a command. Like he doesn't want me walking around, doesn't want me exploring, doesn't want m
Dernière mise à jour: 2026-01-21
Chapter: CONTROLDamien's POV I Watched her sleep from the doorway, the way I've watched her every night since she came home. Ava doesn't know about the monitors in her room, the cameras I had removed whose footage I still review obsessively, trying to understand what she's thinking. Trying to predict what she'll do next.She looks peaceful now, curled on her side, dark hair spread across the white pillow. Like the girl I first met two years ago, before everything got complicated. Before she became my wife and then my enemy and now... something I don't have words for.I shouldn't be standing here like some lovesick fool. I have a company to run, deals to close, problems that require my attention. But I can't seem to walk away from her, can't stop checking that she's still here, still safe, still mine.The accident was supposed to fix everything. That's a terrible thought, the kind that proves I'm exactly the monster she accused me of being. But it's true. When the doctors told me about the amnesi
Dernière mise à jour: 2026-01-21
Chapter: THE PERFECT HUSBANDAva's POV I woke up to the smell of fresh coffee and cinnamon rolls. Morning light streams through floor-to-ceiling windows, showing a view of Central Park covered in snow. The sight is beautiful enough to hurt. For a moment, I forget where I was. Then I remember. The accident. Amnesia. The stranger who says he's my husband.Damien enters carrying a breakfast tray. He's dressed in a dark suit that probably costs more than a car, but his tie is loose and his hair slightly messy, like he tried to look casual but couldn't quite manage it. When he sees I'm awake, his face lights up."Good morning," he says softly. "I wasn't sure what you'd want, so I had the kitchen make a bit of everything."The tray holds coffee, juice, pastries, fruit, and scrambled eggs. It's too much food for one person but I didnt say that. Instead, I sat up carefully, my head still aching but better than yesterday."Thank you," I say, because I was raised to be polite even when I'm terrified.He sets the tray
Dernière mise à jour: 2026-01-21
Chapter: WAKE UP CALLAva's POV The first thing I feel is cold. Not the cold of winter air or snow, but the cold of fear, sharp and deep in my bones. My eyes won't open. My head pounds like something inside is trying to break free. Voices float around me, low and serious. Medical equipment beeps somewhere close. Everything smells like antiseptic and pine needles, a strange mix that makes no sense.I force my eyes open. The light hurts. White ceiling. White walls. A Christmas tree in the corner, tall and perfect, covered in crystal ornaments that catch the light like frozen tears. Where am I?"Ava." The voice is soft, careful, like speaking to someone who might break. "Ava, can you hear me?"I turn my head, slow because moving hurts. A man sits beside my bed. He's beautiful in a way that feels dangerous, all sharp edges and dark hair and eyes the color of storm clouds. Those eyes watch me with such intensity that I want to look away but can't. Something about his face feels familiar, like a dream I can't
Dernière mise à jour: 2026-01-21
Chapter: EPILOGUE XAVIER'S POV Months later, Melissa gave birth to a bouncing baby boy—our blue jet finally arrived. The first time I held him in my arms, it felt as though the world stilled just to watch that moment with me. His little fingers curled around mine, fragile yet full of promise. My chest tightened, not in pain, but in overwhelming joy. This child, this tiny miracle, was more than blood and name; he was a symbol of redemption. A reminder that love, even when bruised, can bloom again. Melissa, exhausted but radiant, leaned against her pillows with a tired smile. She whispered, “He looks just like you.” And truly, he did. From the shape of his nose to the faint curl of his lips, he was a miniature version of me. My mini-me. The hospital room was filled with laughter, blessings, and emotions so high they felt tangible. I remembered kissing Melissa’s forehead and silently thanking God for a second chance—not just with her, but with the family I thought I would never have. *** A month la
Dernière mise à jour: 2025-10-13
Chapter: JUST THE BEGINING XAVIER'S POVWEEKS LATER... Filing that case against Louis and Marco wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. Too many lines had been crossed, too many scars left behind, and I couldn’t just sit back and let them continue tormenting Melissa and i. They thought they could manipulate the media, twist the truth, and bury us under scandals. They thought intimidation and lies were enough to shatter us.They were wrong.When I walked into the courthouse that first morning, the weight of everything pressed down on me. The tall marble columns, the echo of shoes against the polished floor, the sharp scent of paper and ink from the clerk’s desk—it all hit me at once. This wasn’t just another day. This was justice in motion.Melissa was by my side, her hand lightly resting in mine. She had insisted on coming, even though I told her the stress wasn’t good for her. But Melissa was strong-willed. “If I don’t stand beside you now, Xavier, when will I? This fight is ours,” she had said.And she was right
Dernière mise à jour: 2025-10-13
Chapter: FIGHTING A LOSING WAR KATRINA'S POV After I saw Xavier’s post—from the media frenzy at the airport to the photographs of his proposal to Melissa—I realized I had lost this battle. There was no denying it anymore. Xavier’s love for Melissa was real. It had always been real, whether I wanted to accept it or not.For weeks I had fooled myself into believing that I could somehow win, that I could outshine my sister, that Xavier would see me differently. But watching the way he held her hand in those photographs, watching the way he looked at her as though she was the only woman in the entire world, crushed every last ounce of denial in me.I scrolled through the comments under the viral posts.“Finally, he’s acknowledging her.”“True love always wins.”“Look at her glow—she’s definitely pregnant!”“She’s carrying his child. The Kesh heir!”The rumors were true. Melissa was pregnant, and Xavier was responsible.It should have been me, a bitter voice whispered inside me. But another part of me, the part I had
Dernière mise à jour: 2025-10-13
Chapter: I CAME TO SEE YOU
XAVIER'S POV Everything felt like it was finally back to normal—or at least as close to normal as it could get in my world. Melissa was back in my life. For the first time in months, I didn’t feel that gaping hole in my chest. She was here, in my arms, in my bed, in my apartment, carrying my child. The noise online had died down. The internet trolls who once branded Melissa with cruel names had shut their mouths, forced into silence after I made my declaration at the airport and followed it with something bigger—our engagement photo. The picture of me on one knee, sliding the ring onto Melissa’s finger, had gone viral. It wasn’t just gossip anymore; it was evidence of a man in love, ready to fight for the woman he nearly lost. That morning, I woke up earlier than Melissa. The sunlight was just peeking through the blinds, spilling across her face. She looked peaceful, her lips slightly parted, one hand resting protectively over her stomach. That image alone—my fiancée, glowing wit
Dernière mise à jour: 2025-09-29
Chapter: BACK HOME
MELISSA'S POV The flight felt endless. The hours in the air dragged on, weighed down by silence so heavy it seemed to press against my chest. I sat by the window, staring at the vast clouds that blurred into each other like brushstrokes on a cold canvas. Beside me, Xavier was a statue. His shoulders were tense, his gaze fixed on nothing, his jaw tight. He would only look at me periodically, smile and pat my head. He didn't even want to say anything. There were too many unspoken words between us, too many ghosts lingering in the space that separated our seats. My heart kept hammering with every little movement he made. I wanted to ask him why—why he looked like he was carrying the weight of the world, why he had dragged me back here, why his joy when I agreed to return had been replaced by this cold silence. But the words stuck in my throat. So I pressed my forehead against the window, pretending to sleep, pretending the distance didn’t matter when it mattered more than anything.
Dernière mise à jour: 2025-09-29
Chapter: TIME TO SAY GOODBYE
MELISSA'S POV Xavier looked like a child who had just been handed his favorite candy on Halloween. His entire face lit up the second I said I’d go back with him. For a brief moment, I forgot the heaviness in my chest. His joy was contagious, so pure and unrestrained that a small smile crept onto my lips despite everything. But then the reality struck—he had said the flight was this morning. That meant there was barely any time to prepare myself mentally or emotionally. I glanced around my small apartment, my safe haven for months. My chest tightened. Could I really leave this place behind? It was modest, yes, but it had been mine. Every corner carried memories—late nights curled on the couch, mornings spent staring out the window with coffee in hand, silent tears shed when the loneliness became too much. This apartment had held my grief, my healing, and now it was about to witness my next chapter. “Mel,” Xavier’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. He was already rolling up his
Dernière mise à jour: 2025-09-29
Chapter: A Step to the finaleARIA My apartment was completely silent, the kind of heavy, insulated quiet that only money could buy in a city like New York. Rain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling windows, distorting the glittering skyline into a blurred, angry painting. I stood by the kitchen island, nursing a cup of black coffee that had gone cold twenty minutes ago. I didn't drink it. I just liked the weight of the ceramic mug in my hands. It gave me something to hold onto while my mind raced a million miles a minute. I tapped the screen of my phone, waiting for the video call to connect. Maya’s face popped up a second later. She looks exhausted. The blue light from her dual monitors cast a pale glow over her features. "Tell me you have good news," Maya groaned, rubbing her eyes. "Because looking at these restructured shipping manifests is making me want to jump out a window." I allowed a slow, genuine smile to spread across my face. It was a rare expression these days, but the sheer gravity of what I w
Dernière mise à jour: 2026-04-26
Chapter: Get Out!MARK "Yes, I am sterile," I repeated, my voice dropping to a harsh, ragged whisper that cut through the silence like broken glass. I took a step forward, closing the distance between us until I was towering over the two people who had just dismantled my life. "And that means I can't father a child. Which means the bastard growing in your womb is definitely not mine." I looked down at Zane. She was still pressed against the wall, clutching the duvet to her chest, her face drained of all color. The shock had paralyzed her. The master manipulator, the woman who thought she was so clever, had just realized her entire foundation was built on quicksand. "But Zane... how could you do this to me?" The question clawed its way out of my throat, thick with a betrayal so deep it felt physical. I wasn't acting anymore. The pain was real. "I gave you everything. I elevated you from a nobody fetching coffee to the fiancée of a CEO. I bought you diamonds. I protected you and this is how you rep
Dernière mise à jour: 2026-04-24
Chapter: BetrayalMARK I’m at the hotel. Jason’s words echoed in the cramped, freezing cabin of the Honda. They bounced off the cheap plastic dashboard, mocking me, suffocating me. This couldn't be happening. It simply defied every law of logic and survival I had built my life upon. Zane, my submissive, quiet, dependent, carefully managed wife, having an affair with my elder brother? The realization didn't just dawn on me; it crashed into me like a wrecking ball. It pulverized the air in my lungs. I kicked the car door open and stumbled out onto the icy pavement, desperate for oxygen. The New York winter wind bit into my face, sharp and unforgiving, but it did absolutely nothing to cool the boiling acid churning in my gut. I leaned heavily against the roof of the car, gripping the metal frame until my fingers ached. This is pure, unadulterated betrayal. It was one thing to be cheated on. It was an entirely different kind of hell to be made a complete, absolute fool by your own flesh and blood.
Dernière mise à jour: 2026-04-24
Chapter: Something is not rightMARK I sat frozen in the driver's seat of the beat-up Honda sedan. Outside, the New York winter was brutal. Frost clung to the edges of the windshield, and my breath plumed in the freezing air of the cabin. I was shivering just ten minutes ago. But suddenly, the cramped space felt like a furnace. A prickle of sweat broke out along my hairline. I reached up and forcefully loosened my tie, yanking at the stiff collar of my dress shirt. The air in the car had grown inexplicably thin. I felt like I was suffocating. I reached over and cracked the window an inch just to get some oxygen, taking in sharp, jagged breaths that burned my throat.Why was I sweating? What the hell could Jason possibly be doing here?He didn't call nor texted me he was coming. He didn't even drop a casual hint that he was coming by the city today, let alone dropping by my personal residence.My brain kicked into overdrive, scrambling to build a bridge of logic over a massive, gaping canyon of paranoia. I tried
Dernière mise à jour: 2026-04-23
Chapter: Why Now?MARK Whole, agonizing months slipped through my fingers like sand, and I had absolutely nothing to show for it.I couldn't find any evidence, not even a single clue.I monitored Zane's bank accounts, her emails, and her social media. I hired a guy to watch her when she went shopping. Nothing. She spent her days buying cashmere baby blankets, complaining about swollen ankles, and having lunch at expensive restaurants by herself.She seems to be a ghost because every move is flawless.I found it incredibly hard to believe that Zane—the quiet, needy woman who used to fetch my dry cleaning—was this smart. It defied logic. But there is an old saying that I kept repeating to myself in the dark, staring at the ceiling while she slept beside me: Every day is for the thief, but one day is for the owner.She is going to slip up. It was human nature. Arrogance breeds carelessness. She thought she had won, and comfortable people always make mistakes.I decided to stop playing defense. If she wa
Dernière mise à jour: 2026-04-22
Chapter: Time will Tell.ARIA Things have been moving so well lately.I sat behind my mahogany desk, staring blindly at the financial projections glowing on my laptop screen. The numbers were practically singing. I don't know why, but reshaping my father’s empire was getting easier than I had ever thought. I have been able to achieve almost everything on my initial checklist, and the reality was undeniable: Vance Logistics was almost stable.I tapped my pen against the edge of the desk, listening to the quiet hum of the building. I have been running everything without a single interruption. There were no arrogant outbursts from the CEO’s suite down the hall. No petty arguments over budget cuts. Mark was keeping out of my way, and that made things so easy for me. I continued keeping him isolated from the core operations because it was working entirely in my favor. In just three months, I have managed to settle eighty percent of the toxic debt he had racked up. I had renegotiated with the shipping uni
Dernière mise à jour: 2026-04-11
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