Chapter: Chapter 162: You’re Not My Husband*Bella POV l* Daniel entered Mum’s room as though Alex were simply another visitor in the corridor. I followed him because remaining outside would have meant acknowledging the strange contest neither man was willing to admit existed. Mum brightened when she saw the flowers. “These are beautiful.” “Bella said you liked peonies,” Daniel replied. I looked at him. “When did I say that?” “A few months ago.” Mum gave me a pleased look. “He listens.” I knew exactly what she was doing. “Mum.” “What?” Daniel hid a smile while arranging the flowers in the vase Sophie had brought earlier. Alex remained near the door. Mum noticed him. “Are you coming in, Alex, or have you decided the corridor is more interesting?” He stepped inside. “I did not want to interrupt.” “You are both here to see me, apparently. I have become very popular.” Daniel sat beside the window. Alex took the chair near the door. I remained standing until Mum frowned at me. “Sit down before you make me nervous.”
Last Updated: 2026-08-17
Chapter: Chapter 161: Hurting Them*Bella's POV* Alex did not send another message. I spent half the night beside Mum pretending I had not read it, while the phone lay face down on my lap like an accusation. At six in the morning, Clara called. “You sound awful,” she said. “Apparently everyone has agreed to greet me that way.” “Then perhaps everyone is right. How is your mum?” “Stable. They are reviewing the scan.” “And you?” “I am functioning.” “That was not the question.” I rubbed my eyes. “Alex knows I was pregnant.” Clara went quiet. Finally, she said. “How?” “I said it.” “You said it?” “Accidentally.” “How does someone accidentally reveal a pregnancy from five years ago?” “It was a complicated conversation.” “Bella.” “We found evidence that his father fabricated the accusations Alex believed about me. I told him he could have asked me, and then I said I could have told him I was pregnant.” “Oh.” “Yes.” “Did you tell him about the children?” “No.” “You didn’t tell him
Last Updated: 2026-08-15
Chapter: Chapter 160: You Need to Tell Him*Bella's POV* I did not remember the drive to the hospital. Alex drove without saying a word again. Chloe sat beside me in the back seat and spoke to Sophie twice, asking the questions I could not form. By the time we reached the hospital, I had forgotten everything except the sound of Sophie speaking. I was out of the car before Alex even finished parking. Sophie met me outside Mum’s room. “What happened?” “She was talking to me, and then she just stopped. Her eyes were open, but she would not answer.” “Where is the doctor?” “Inside.” I pushed through the door. Dr. Patel stood beside the bed while a nurse adjusted Mum’s IV. Her eyes were closed. “Mum?” Dr. Patel turned. “Bella, she is stable.” “What happened?” “We believe she had a brief neurological episode. We are arranging imaging now.” “What does that mean?” “It may be related to the progression of her illness, medication, or reduced oxygenation. I do not want to speculate before the scan.” I h
Last Updated: 2026-08-15
Chapter: Chapter 159: What Did You Say?*Alex’s POV* I had heard children laughing through Bella’s phone yesterday. I had been standing in the corridor for a long time to hear every conversation. Still, the sound followed me all the way to my car. I drove to my father’s house with both hands fixed on the wheel and forced myself to think about the archive. Bella met me there with Chloe. The house had been closed for months. My mother preferred Scotland now, and I avoided the place because every room contained a version of my father who still expected obedience. Bella stopped in the entrance hall. “You changed the paintings.” “My mother did.” “She hated the old ones.” “You remember that?” “She complained about them every time I came here.” I almost smiled. “She still does.” Bella walked ahead before the conversation could become comfortable. The archive was in my father’s study. I unlocked the cabinets while Chloe set up a scanner. “What exactly are we looking for?” she asked. “Anything dated within six months
Last Updated: 2026-08-15
Chapter: Chapter 158: Interrupted*Bella's POV* The email contained eleven words; I read the sentence until the letters stopped behaving like language. Alex stood beside me, close enough that I could hear the unevenness in his breathing. “What photographs are you talking about initially?” I asked again. Alex dragged a hand through his hair. “My father showed me photographs before I ended things with you.” I turned slowly. “What photographs?” He looked at Chloe. I did too. “Give us ten minutes.” Chloe gathered her laptop. “I will be outside.” When the door closed, I faced him. “Start talking.” “Bella—” “Do not use my name to soften this.” His mouth closed. I folded my arms because my hands had begun to shake. “What did your father show you?” “Photographs of you with a man outside a hotel.” My stomach tightened. “What man?” “I never knew his name.” “You ended our engagement over photographs of me standing with someone?” “It was not only that.” “Then what?” “He had messages. Bank statements. He said
Last Updated: 2026-08-14
Chapter: Chapter 157: Waiting For You*Alex’s POV* Bella called me at seven fourteen the next morning. I knew the exact time because I had been awake since four, reading through old company emails and wondering how many years of my life had been built on information other people had chosen for me. “Where is Harding?” she asked without greeting. “At the office, I assume.” “Do not call him.” I sat upright. “Why?” “Can you get to your office within thirty minutes?” “Yes.” “Go directly to your office. Do not tell anyone I am coming.” The line went dead. I stared at the phone for a second before getting dressed. Bella arrived with Chloe thirty-five minutes later. She wore the same composed expression she took into court, but I had begun to notice the details beneath it: the way she held a file tighter when she was angry, the slight flattening of her voice when she was trying not to make a conversation personal. “What happened?” I asked. She placed a printed hotel record on my desk. “Three days before
Last Updated: 2026-08-14
Chapter: Chapter 170: EpilogueThree years later.The house no longer echoed. It breathed. Soft sounds lived in it now—small feet against polished floors, the uneven rhythm of laughter spilling from room to room, the faint clatter of something being dragged where it didn’t belong. Life, uncontained, moving through spaces that had once been too quiet. Mia stood at the kitchen counter, one hand resting against the edge while the other steadied a cup she hadn’t taken a sip from. “Careful—careful—” A burst of giggles cut her off. Too late. Something already toppled. She closed her eyes briefly, her shoulders lifting with a quiet inhale before she turned. Chris stood in the middle of the living room, one hand hovering uselessly in the air as if he could rewind the last two seconds if he just reached far enough. At his feet, wooden blocks lay scattered in all directions. Between them, two small bodies looked entirely pleased with the chaos they’d created. “That was not careful,” Mia said, though the edge never q
Last Updated: 2026-03-26
Chapter: Chapter 169: The WeddingFive months later.The morning arrived quietly. Just a slow unfolding of light through the curtains, pale and soft, settling over everything it touched. Mia sat at the edge of the bed, her hands resting in her lap, fingers loosely intertwined. The room carried the faint scent of pressed fabric and something floral—her grandmother’s doing, no doubt. The dress hung near the window, suspended as if it didn’t quite belong to the world yet. She hadn’t touched it. Not since last night. A knock came, gentle. “Iris?” Grandma Morris’s voice filtered through. Mia turned her head slightly. “I’m awake.” The door opened, carefully, like even the hinges understood what today meant. Grandma Morris stepped in first, her gaze finding Mia immediately, softening in a way that made something tighten behind Mia’s ribs. Grandpa Morris lingered just behind her, one hand resting against the doorframe before he stepped fully inside. For a moment, no one spoke. They just… looked at her. Mia let out a
Last Updated: 2026-03-26
Chapter: Chapter 168: The ProposalThe house was still awake when Mia pushed the door open. That, more than anything, made her pause. The lights in the living room spilled into the hallway in a warm, steady glow. The quiet wasn’t the usual end-of-day quiet either. Mia stepped inside slowly, easing the door shut behind her. Her heels clicked softly against the floor, the sound carrying further than it should have. “Grandma?” she called, her voice low, uncertain. No immediate answer. She took a few more steps forward, shrugging her bag higher on her shoulder, her fingers already loosening around the strap. Then she saw them. Both of them were seated side by side on the couch. Waiting for her. Grandma Morris turned first, her face lighting up in a way that made Mia’s steps falter. “Finally,” she said, her tone warm, threaded with something that felt almost like anticipation. “We were beginning to think you’d sleep at the office tonight.” Mia let out a small breath, though her brows pulled together s
Last Updated: 2026-03-26
Chapter: Chapter 167: First DayAllen sat at his desk, the cursor blinking at him like it expected something he hadn’t yet decided to give. The document on his screen was open. Numbers aligned. Notes structured. Everything where it should be. His pen rested between his fingers, unmoving. The hum of the office drifted in from beyond the glass—phones ringing, low conversations threading through the corridors, footsteps passing in steady intervals. Work happening. He shifted slightly in his chair, drawing in a slow breath, then letting it out through his nose. Focus. The word settled, firm. He lowered his gaze back to the screen, scanning the figures again. Adjusting one. Cross-checking another. It held for a while. The memory slipped in without permission. He stilled. The elevator scene replayed in his head. The way her name had left his mouth before he could catch it. The way it had changed the air between them. Mr. Allen. The correction had been gentle. His grip on the pen tightened, the plastic pressing
Last Updated: 2026-03-26
Chapter: Chapter 166: Keep It ProfessionalMorning came with weight. Not the kind that pressed from the outside, but the sort that settled deep in her limbs, as though sleep had only skimmed the surface of her body and left everything underneath untouched. Mia lay still for a moment longer than she should have. The ceiling above her held steady, pale and indifferent, while her thoughts moved slower than usual—thick, reluctant, as if even they needed convincing to begin the day. A soft sound broke through. One of the twins was shifting. A small, restless whimper followed. Mia turned her head slightly, her gaze softening almost immediately. “Hey…” she murmured, her voice low, still rough at the edges. She pushed herself up, the movement slow, her body resisting before finally giving in. The floor met her feet, cool and grounding, and she walked over, lifting the baby with practiced ease. “Good morning,” she whispered, brushing her lips against soft skin. Noah stirred too, small hands stretching, searching. Mia exhaled
Last Updated: 2026-03-26
Chapter: Chapter 165: I Got The JobThe room couldn’t hold him. Allen moved from one end to the other, steps quick, uneven, like his body hadn’t quite decided what to do with the energy building under his skin. The phone pressed against his ear, then pulled away, then back again as if that might change the outcome. He dragged a hand through his hair, pacing again. “Come on, Zoe…” he muttered under his breath. The call ended. He stared at the screen for a second, thumb hovering, then tapped again. He let out a breath that came out half a laugh, half frustration. “She’s probably busy,” he said to the empty room, as someone had asked. The thought settled just enough to keep him from dialing a third time. He dropped the phone onto the bed, but didn’t move far from it—just in case. Just in case it lit up. For a moment, he stood there, staring at nothing in particular, the reality of it pressing in again, fresh and disorienting. The job. Morris Group. His chest tightened—not painfully, but enough to mak
Last Updated: 2026-03-26
Chapter: Chapter 158Epilogue Three Years Later Ava and Grace have decided to move back to the country. The morning sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Taylor Holdings, washing the executive office in warm light. Ava stood beside the glass wall with a cup of coffee cradled between her palms, watching the city wake beneath her. Cars crawled through the streets below while employees streamed into nearby office buildings, each carrying the quiet determination of another workday. Three years, the number still surprised her. There had been a time when waking up without pain had seemed impossible. Every memory had carried sharp edges; every familiar place had reminded her of everything she had lost. Now the ache had softened into something she could carry. It had become part of her story instead of controlling it. A gentle knock sounded at the door. "Come in." Mr. Martin stepped inside, holding a neatly organized folder. "I thought I would find you standing here." Ava smile
Last Updated: 2026-07-18
Chapter: Chapter 157 Three months had slipped by with a quietness that neither healed every wound nor erased the past. Time had simply done what it always did. It had carried everyone forward, whether they were ready or not. Matthew sat across from his therapist, his fingers loosely wrapped around a paper cup of untouched coffee. The office was warm, lined with bookshelves and large windows that overlooked the city. A fountain outside sent a gentle ripple through the silence between them. Dr. Harris closed the notebook on his lap. "You have been coming here every week without missing a single appointment." Matthew nodded. "I know." "You rarely speak about getting Ava back anymore." Matthew lowered his eyes briefly before lifting them again. "That is because I finally understand something." "What is that?" "I spent a long time believing that apologizing should erase what I did." Dr. Harris remained quiet. Matthew continued. "It doesn't." "No, it doesn't." "I cannot expect one apology to un
Last Updated: 2026-07-15
Chapter: Chapter 156Matthew's hand fell slowly to his side after Ava lifted the baby from his arms. He had held on for a heartbeat longer than necessary, not because he wanted to stop her, but because letting go felt painfully symbolic. First, his son, then, in a few hours, Ava herself. She shifted the baby against her shoulder until he settled comfortably, his small face tucked into the curve of her neck. "I need you to understand something before I leave," she repeated quietly. Matthew nodded. "I am listening." Ava held his gaze for a long moment. She had rehearsed this conversation countless times, yet now that it stood between them, the words seemed far heavier than she remembered. "When I came back after your accident, everyone assumed I had returned because I wanted our marriage again." She shook her head gently. "That was never why I came." Matthew did not speak. "I came because you were lying in a hospital bed with no memory of who you were. Your parents were overwhelmed. Clar
Last Updated: 2026-07-14
Chapter: Chapter 155Morning arrived quietly. The apartment had not changed overnight, yet everything inside it carried the unmistakable weight of departure. A suitcase stood beside the front door, neatly zipped. Grace had packed before dawn, moving through the house with the quiet efficiency of someone who had always known this day would come. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee drifted from the kitchen, mingling with the scent of baby lotion that lingered wherever Ava's son had been carried. Ava stood by the nursery window, gently rocking her baby against her shoulder. The little boy yawned, his tiny fingers curling around a strand of her hair before relaxing again. She kissed his forehead. "We are going on a long journey today," she whispered. "I hope one day you understand why your mother had to make this choice." A soft knock sounded against the open door. Grace leaned against the frame with a fond smile. "You have not changed out of your pajamas." Ava laughed under her breath. "I
Last Updated: 2026-07-13
Chapter: Chapter 154 Ava looked across the living room. Sophie stood quietly beside the sofa, the envelope still clutched in her hand, her eyes lowered as though she were afraid of hearing disappointment on the other end of the call. "She wants to speak with you," Ava said softly, holding out the phone. Sophie hesitated before accepting it. "Hello... Mrs. Taylor." There was a brief silence. When Mrs. Taylor finally spoke, her voice carried none of the resentment Sophie had expected. "My dear, how are you feeling?" Sophie's throat tightened. "I have been better." "I imagine you have." A tear escaped before Sophie could stop it. "I am sorry." Mrs. Taylor sighed gently. "I know." "I hurt your son." "You did." "I ruined his marriage." "You played a part in it." Sophie's breathing became uneven. "I do not know whether I deserve anyone's kindness anymore." Mrs. Taylor was quiet for a moment before answering. "My child, every one of us sitting in that house has made mistakes. Some mistakes
Last Updated: 2026-07-09
Chapter: Chapter 153Ava remained rooted to the spot long after Sophie finished speaking. The words settled over the living room like the last light before nightfall, quiet yet impossible to ignore. Sophie stood a few feet away, her hands clasped together as though she needed something to stop them from trembling. Her face was pale from exhaustion, and grief had hollowed her eyes in a way Ava had never seen before. For months, she had imagined this moment differently. She had imagined anger. She had imagined demanding answers. She had imagined closing every door Sophie tried to reopen. Instead, all she could see was her younger sister standing before her with nothing left to defend. Ava crossed the distance between them. Without saying a word, she wrapped her arms around Sophie. The embrace caught Sophie completely off guard. For a heartbeat, her arms remained frozen at her sides. Then they lifted slowly, uncertainly, before tightening around Ava's back. Neither of them spoke. The silence betwee
Last Updated: 2026-07-09
Chapter: Chapter 35: Richard's Secret*Damian's POV* I spent most of the night reading my father's files and found just enough information to make ignorance impossible without finding enough to understand what he had done. Elena's name appeared in trust correspondence. Williams Holdings appeared in financial memoranda. There were references to protection, confidentiality, and a private agreement signed years before our wedding. Every useful name beyond those was redacted. By morning, irritation had hardened into certainty. My father and Elena had hidden something from me. Rosalie found me in the study with documents spread across the desk. "You didn't sleep." "I slept." "Changing shirts doesn't count." I looked at her. "Why are you here this early?" "You ignored sixteen calls. I have been calling you since yesterday. " "I was working." She set coffee beside me and picked up one page. I took it from her. "This is private." Her eyebrows rose. "I have seen you naked, Damian." "That does not grant access to
Last Updated: 2026-08-15
Chapter: Chapter 34: Questions Without Answers*Elena's POV* Nadia's call followed me all the way home. By the time I stepped into the apartment, I had repeated the stranger's questions so many times that each one sounded worse. Michael was on the phone near the windows. He ended the call when he saw my face. "You're back? What happened?" I placed my portfolio on the table. "Someone contacted Nadia." His expression sharpened. "The production studio? When" "Yesterday." "What did they want?" "Information about me." He came closer. "What information?" "He was asking for my name and other things." When I reached the question about my name, he stopped moving. "Exactly how did she phrase it?" "She said the man asked whether Elena Williams was my real name." "Did she get his number?" "He called the studio line. She said it showed as private." "Voice?" "She said he is a man." "Accent?" "I didn't interrogate her, so I have no idea." "I know." His hand went to his pocket, already reaching for his phone. "Michael." "I
Last Updated: 2026-08-15
Chapter: Chapter 33: Digging Into the Past*Damian's POV*Martin Whitmore refused me twice before I stopped asking politely.We were in his office, surrounded by files that had belonged to my father, and the old lawyer dared to look bored by my anger."You represent the Cross family," I said."I represented your father. I represent you. Neither fact gives you unrestricted access to documents Richard deliberately sealed.""He is dead.""His instructions are not.""I am the executor of portions of his estate.""Portions."I leaned forward. "Cross Group is losing access to financing arranged during his lifetime. An anonymous investor has withdrawn support immediately after my divorce, and records show the arrangement began days after my wedding. If my father created this problem, I need to know."Martin removed his glasses and cleaned them with a handkerchief."Your father created many arrangements you never bothered to understand while he was alive.""I was running the company.""You were fighting with him.""Those are not mutua
Last Updated: 2026-08-14
Chapter: Chapter 32: Building Something Mine*Elena's POV*By the end of the week, my dining table had disappeared beneath fabric swatches, invoices, sketches, and a production calendar covered in enough corrections to make me question whether I had ever run a fashion company before.I was comparing two supplier quotations when Michael walked in and placed a paper bag beside my laptop."Eat.""I already ate.""When?""This morning.""It is almost six."I kept reading. "I had crackers.""That is not lunch.""It is if you eat enough of them."He pulled out the chair opposite me. "How much is the shortfall?"I looked up. "What shortfall?""The one you have been calculating for the last twenty minutes.""I am calculating costs.""With the expression you use when numbers offend you personally."I closed the spreadsheet. "The fabric I want is more expensive than the one in the original projection.""How much more?""Very much.""That is not a number.""It is also not your problem."His mouth curved slightly. "There she is.""Who?""Th
Last Updated: 2026-08-14
Chapter: Chapter 31: The Missing Investor*Damian's POV* The reconstructed investment report covered almost five years and made me angrier with every page. Ethan sat across from my desk while I read the figures. He had stopped trying to explain them after the third interruption. "Say it again," I told him. He rubbed a hand over his forehead. "Which part?" "The total." "Over five years, the private investment network injected approximately one point eight billion dollars into Cross Group through direct equity support, bridge financing, debt guarantees, and emergency liquidity facilities." I closed the folder. "One point eight billion dollars entered my company, and nobody thought I should know who controlled it?" "You knew we had private financing." "I knew my father had established financing relationships. That is not the same as knowing one anonymous party had been keeping us alive." Ethan shifted in his chair. "Richard negotiated the arrangement personally." "My father has been dead for years." "The confidentia
Last Updated: 2026-08-13
Chapter: Chapter 30: Someone Is Watching*Michael's POV* Elena handed me her phone without saying anything. I read the message once, then again, although there was nothing complicated about it. Congratulations on the contract, Elena. The sender had managed to turn an ordinary sentence into a threat simply by knowing something they should not have known. "Did you reply?" I asked. "No." "Good." She folded her arms. "You said that yesterday about Damian." "And I was right yesterday too." "This isn't funny." "I know." I copied the number into my phone and sent it to the security consultant I had hired after the missing four minutes appeared in the building footage. Elena watched me from the other side of the kitchen island. "Who are you sending it to?" "Someone who can check where it came from." "Can they do that legally?" "They can find out what is publicly traceable." "That sounded carefully worded." "It was." She rubbed her palm over the sleeve of her robe. "Only a handful of people knew about the contract
Last Updated: 2026-08-13
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