Chapter: Chapter 60I woke up feeling like my emotions had been scattered all over. Sound reached me before my eyes opened up fully. I heard voices drifting in and out, blurred at the edges, as if I were underwater and the world was speaking from the surface. I didn’t open my eyes right away. I wasn’t sure I could. I wasn’t sure I wanted to. My head pulsed with a dull, steady ache and my body felt like it had been pressed into the mattress, weighted down, pinned.“…blood pressure stabilised,” a man wearing an all-white coat said somewhere near my left. His voice was calm with each word that left his lips. “She fainted due to emotional shock. Likely dehydration and exhaustion played a role as well.”Another joined the conversation even though I couldn’t see his face. But it was familiar enough that my chest twinged before I knew why.“If you don’t mind me asking, doc. What was the cause of Mr Derek’s death?” I frowned faintly, my brow tightening without my permission.“The kidneys were the primary
Last Updated: 2026-02-05
Chapter: Chapter 59I turned sharply toward the voice at the reception desk, my body reacting before my mind could catch up.“Brian?” The name tore out of me, like an animal filled with disbelief.The waiting room noise dulled instantly, like someone had pressed a hand over the world. I stepped closer, my shoes striking the floor louder than they should have. “What are you doing here?” My voice rose despite myself. “Why are you asking questions about my father?”Brian stared at me like I was the last person he expected to see. His brows pulled together, surprise flickering quickly into something guarded. “Chloe?” He straightened. “How did you even know Derek was here?”The question immediately struck me as wrong.My shoulders squared. “Why wouldn’t I know?” I snapped. “He’s my father. Why are you here?”“I came to see my father-in-law,” Brian said, his tone calm but firm, like he was bracing for impact.I laughed after hearing those same untrue words again. “No. You didn’t.” I stepped closer,
Last Updated: 2026-02-05
Chapter: Chapter 58The hospital was larger than I thought it be.I parked crookedly, killed the engine without really registering it, and sat there for a beat with both hands locked around the steering wheel. The building’s lights glared back at me through the windshield, they were too bright, too white, too final. My phone buzzed in my pocket, probably Lois, but I ignored it. I opened the car door and stepped out, the night air sharp against my skin.Each step toward the entrance felt more difficult than the previous one. The automatic doors slid open with a quiet hiss, releasing the sterile scent of disinfectant layered with something sharper beneath it. The emergency lobby buzzed with contained motion. Voices stayed low. Footsteps moved fast. A child whimpered somewhere to my left. A man argued quietly into his phone near the wall.I stopped just inside the doors.I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth and breathed in slowly. Once. Twice. My shoulders dropped a fraction.Then I walked to
Last Updated: 2026-02-03
Chapter: Chapter 57The quiet hit me the moment I shut the door behind me. I locked it the same way I did every day, whenever I returned. They proceeded to do my usual ritual of resting my forehead against the wood. My bag slipped from my shoulder and dropped to the floor with a dull thud I didn’t bother reacting to. My heels followed immediately, kicked off without care, one of them skidding toward the wall.I stayed there longer than necessary.When I finally pushed away from the door, my body protested immediately. My lower back was tight, my neck stiff, my jaw aching from hours of clenching. I rolled my shoulders once and winced, then exhaled slowly through my nose like I was trying to teach myself how to breathe again.“Okay,” I murmured to the empty apartment. “Okay, let’s do this.”Those words didn’t convince anyone.I fished my phone out of my coat pocket and scrolled without really looking, muscle memory taking over. When I saw Lois’s name, I didn’t hesitate. I hit call before I could sec
Last Updated: 2026-02-03
Chapter: Chapter 56Martin’s lawyer was the first to move.He cleared his throat once, sharply, then placed a firm hand on Martin’s arm. “We need a moment,” he said, not asking. “Privately if you don’t mind.”Martin jerked his arm slightly but didn’t pull away. His eyes landed on Alex, filled with visible anguish and hatred.Alex didn’t object. He didn’t even say a word or give a damn. He gestured toward the door with two fingers, relaxed, already done with the argument.I stayed seated by his side.My back was already hurting, my hands flat on the table now, fingertips pressing into the polished wood. I stared down at the grain, at a faint scratch near the edge, anywhere but at Martin as he shoved his chair back. The scrape was loud and violent.Martin stood abruptly, jaw tight, face flushed. He didn’t look at me as he stormed toward the door. His lawyer followed quickly, murmuring something low and urgent as he steered him into the hallway.The door shut behind them and no one around me flinched
Last Updated: 2026-02-02
Chapter: Chapter 55I knew there was something wrong with the conference room the moment I stepped inside it.For some strange reason I had been summoned yet again and ask to me in the conference which was too quiet that I could hear my own breathing in my ears. The long table in the room looked like it had just been polished a few minutes ago. It looked like the scene of a crime with how things were wiped down.Alex walked in beside me a few minutes later, his presence steady but restrained. He said nothing to me, not even a good morning and that was enough to let me know that he was still annoyed with how things had turned out. Our lawyer, Mr. Hart, moved ahead of us, before gesturing for all of us to sit “Good morning everyone,” Martin’s lawyer said after about an hour of waiting for him and Martin to arrive. “Forgive our tardiness.” “We’re here in the interest of resolving this matter privately, without unnecessary escalation.”“Privately,” Martin echoed, his eyes never leaving me. “Which is m
Last Updated: 2026-02-02
Chapter: Chapter 191The office had emptied out early that evening, most people gone by six, and I lingered a little longer than usual finishing a report before heading down to the parking garage, my mind still half on numbers and deadlines rather than anything happening around me. The building had that particular hollow quiet it got after hours, elevators humming down empty shafts, the cleaning crew's cart squeaking somewhere on another floor.The evening air was cool when I finally stepped outside, the kind of early autumn chill that made me wish I'd grabbed my jacket from my desk instead of leaving it draped over my chair. I pulled out my phone to text Liam that I was heading out, my eyes more on the screen than on the street around me, typing out something ordinary about picking up dinner on my way home.Something made me look up.Across the street, half hidden by the awning of a closed bookstore, a man stood watching the building. Ordinary looking at first glance, hands in his pockets, nothing about
Last Updated: 2026-08-28
Chapter: Chapter 190Neither of us slept much that night, the argument sitting between us on the mattress like a third presence neither of us knew how to address directly. I woke before dawn to find Liam already awake beside me, staring at the ceiling, his hand loosely holding mine like he hadn't quite let go even in the exhaustion of sleep, some instinct keeping the connection alive even unconscious."You're awake," I said quietly."I never really slept," he admitted, turning his head toward me on the pillow. "I kept thinking about what I said. About Elena's question, the one she asked over video chat weeks ago.""I noticed you were still thinking about it. You went quiet after you said it."We lay there for a while longer, neither of us rushing to fill the silence, the gray early light slowly filling the room around us, the city outside just beginning to stir. Eventually Liam sat up, running a hand over his face, and I followed, both of us moving into the kitchen without much conversation, the coffee ma
Last Updated: 2026-08-26
Chapter: Chapter 189It started over something ridiculous, the way these things always seemed to, a minor detail that shouldn't have mattered at all against everything else already piled on top of us these past few weeks."You moved my laptop," Liam said, standing in the middle of the living room, scanning the counter and the coffee table like the missing device might materialize if he looked hard enough, his tie already loosened from a day that clearly hadn't gone well."I put it in the drawer," I said, not looking up from the dishes I was washing, tension already tightening my shoulders even before the conversation had properly begun. "You left it on the counter, and I needed the space for dinner.""I needed it for a call in ten minutes, Nina.""Then it's in the drawer, exactly where I told you it would be if you'd been listening earlier when I mentioned it before you left this morning.""I wasn't listening because I was on the phone with outside counsel at the time, trying to keep us out of a federal i
Last Updated: 2026-08-24
Chapter: Chapter 188I hung up on Tom Reyes without another word, my hand still trembling as I set the phone down on the counter for the second time that morning, the screen dark and silent now but somehow still feeling dangerous."We heard you have information about the settlement. Care to confirm?" That was what he'd said. Not the company. Not the board. Me, specifically, as though I were a source rather than a bystander caught in the wreckage of someone else's mess entirely.Liam finished his call with Patricia and turned to find me staring at the phone like it might ring again on its own, my expression clearly telling him something had shifted."Nina, what happened?""He asked me to confirm information about the settlement," I said slowly, still working through it in my own mind as I said it out loud, trying to make sense of the details even as I spoke them. "Specific information. About the original buyout terms not matching the public filing.""That's a fairly technical detail for a reporter to guess
Last Updated: 2026-08-24
Chapter: Chapter 187The morning started ordinarily enough, coffee and quiet, Liam more present than he'd been in weeks since our conversation in his office, something visibly repaired between us even if the larger crisis was still far from resolved. He'd made breakfast for the first time in almost a month, nothing elaborate, just eggs and toast, but the gesture itself felt significant after everything.Then Patricia called before either of us had finished our first cup."Turn on the news," she said, no greeting, straight to the point in a way that told me immediately something new had landed on top of everything else already sitting on our plates.Liam grabbed the remote, and within seconds a business anchor's voice filled the kitchen, calm and professional in that particular way that made bad news sound almost routine, almost forgettable."...a lawsuit filed late yesterday by former business partner Charles Renfrew, alleging breach of a prior partnership agreement dating back nearly six years. Renfrew's
Last Updated: 2026-08-23
Chapter: Chapter 186The first missed dinner was easy to forgive. Liam texted an apology, something short and clipped about outside counsel needing another hour, and I told him not to worry about it, that I understood, that Meridian and the board and Sophie Marsh mattered more right now than a reservation at a restaurant we could visit any other night of the week.The second missed dinner came without a text at all. I sat at my own kitchen table with two plates and a candle I'd lit for no particular reason, watching the wax pool and harden while I waited for a message that never came. He walked in near midnight, apologized briefly, barely meeting my eyes, and fell asleep almost immediately, still in his shirt from that morning, his tie draped over the arm of the couch like something he'd forgotten he was wearing.By the end of the first week, it had stopped feeling like an exception and started feeling like a pattern, one I recognized from somewhere deep and old, though I told myself repeatedly it wasn't
Last Updated: 2026-08-23
Chapter: BENDED KNEESThe eggs on Jessica’s plate had gone cold. She kept pushing them around with her fork, unable to bring herself to take a bite. Her eyes were puffy from barely sleeping. Every time she closed them, she heard Avery’s voice again in her head. “Grandpa said I’ll be spending more time here.”Janet reached across the small dining table and lightly touched her daughter’s hand.“Sweetheart… are you alright?”Jessica forced a smile that fooled no one. “I’m fine, Mom. Just tired.”Joseph looked up from his newspaper. “Did Ethan say something yesterday?” His voice was calm. He always knew when something was wrong.Jessica dropped her gaze. “It was… nothing.”Joseph frowned. “That didn’t sound like nothing.”Before she could answer, the doorbell rang.Jessica’s fork froze mid-air. Janet’s head snapped toward the hallway. Joseph stood, walked to the window, and peeked through the side curtain. He inhaled slowly.“It’s Ethan.”Jessica’s heart dropped. She wasn’t ready to socialise with th
Last Updated: 2025-11-26
Chapter: FEAR FILESThe families moved slowly toward the front doors of the Mitchell estate, the night air cool against their skin. The courtyard lights glowed warm and golden, softening the edges of everyone’s strained smiles.Avery clung to Jessica’s hand, swinging it as though the night had been nothing but fun. “Mommy, can we come back again?” she asked, half-asleep, half-excited.“We’ll see, sweetheart,” Jessica murmured, brushing a curl off her daughter’s forehead.Charles stepped forward. “Thank you again for coming, Jessica. It meant a lot to the family.”Jessica forced a polite smile. “Of course. It was… nice.”Eleanor hugged Avery tightly. “Goodbye, darling.”Avery giggled. “Bye Grandma! Bye, Grandpa!”William patted her back gently, leaning on his cane. “Sleep well, little one.”Ethan stood behind them, trying to look relaxed, but his fingers wouldn’t stop tapping against his thigh. Jessica noticed. She didn’t comment.She knelt, fixing Avery’s slightly crooked hair bow. “Say goodbye
Last Updated: 2025-11-25
Chapter: EXTENDED ROOTSThe Mitchell estate still had its tall windows glowing against the evening sky. Jessica stepped out of the car, smoothing the front of her dress while Avery clutched her hand tightly. The air smelled faintly of pine and wood polish which gave the environment an elegant, distant, and far too familiar scent. Ethan stood by the grand doorway, his hands tucked in his pockets, trying to look casual but looking every bit as nervous. Behind him stood his parents, Charles and Eleanor, and the man with a walking stick, William Mitchell.Ethan’s smile faltered, then steadied. “Hey, Jess. Thanks for coming.”Jessica felt Avery’s grip tighten. Joseph and Janet flanked her, both standing a little taller than usual.Charles stepped forward first, extending a hand to his friend Joseph. “Joseph, my old friend. It’s been a long time.”Joseph clasped it firmly, his voice low. “A very long time. The last time we met, our kids were tearing each other apart.”Charles’s jaw flexed, but his tone stayed
Last Updated: 2025-10-23
Chapter: LAKE COMOIt was late in the evening, and the house was quiet except for the annoying ticking of the clock in the living room. Avery was already asleep upstairs, after a long day of being a menace. Jessica sat curled on the couch with a mug of tea that had long gone cold, her laptop open but forgotten. The glow from the table lamp cast gentle shadows across the room, brushing over family photos on the shelf.She scrolled absently through old pictures of her and Avery in Italy, bundled in coats, laughing by the canals. Her chest tightened at the memory. The house felt too still, too heavy with what-ifs.Then came a knock at the door.Jessica frowned, glancing at the clock. 9:47 p.m.Her stomach sank knowing that hardly anyone visited at this hour. She reached for her phone, opened the security camera app, and froze.Ethan.He stood on the porch in his work clothes, tie loosened, sleeves rolled to his elbows. His hair was slightly tousled, his expression unreadable. For a brief moment, she
Last Updated: 2025-10-22
Chapter: STORM'S COMINGThe evening light slanted through the half-drawn curtains, drawing gold lines across Jessica’s bedroom wall. She sat on the edge of her bed, the cream envelope resting heavy on her lap like a decision she didn’t want to make. Her thumb kept tracing the raised letters of the Mitchell name, over and over, until the motion felt like punishment.The door creaked softly. Janet, her mother, stepped in, her voice low. “Still thinking about it?”Jessica didn’t look up. “Thinking, regretting, overthinking. It’s one of them or maybe all?”Janet smiled faintly and sat beside her, the mattress dipping slightly. “You’ve been staring at that thing for almost an hour.”Jessica sighed, setting the envelope aside. “I’m scared, Mom.”“Of what?” Janet asked gently.“Not the trip,” Jessica said in a quiet voice. “Of what it means if I say yes.” She picked at the corner of the envelope. “Every time I start trusting him again, he proves and gives me reasons why I shouldn’t.”Janet watched her daugh
Last Updated: 2025-10-09
Chapter: JINGLE BELLSThe hum of orchestral music filled the air in Jessica’s studio, was alive with colour, bolts of silk spilling over tables, the scent of fabric glue and coffee blending in the air. She leaned over her sketchpad, pencil gliding quickly as she murmured to her assistant, “Tell Maya to adjust the hemline by half an inch on this dress.”A knock followed almost instantly.“Ma’am,” her assistant said from the doorway, slightly breathless. “There’s a man here. He says his name is Mr Ethan Mitchell, and he is here to see you.”Jessica froze. Her pencil paused mid-stroke. “Did you say...?”“Yes, ma’am. Mr Mitchell.”A dozen emotions formed in her chest. “Goddamn it. Send him in,” she muttered, her tone cool, clipped.Ethan stepped inside, looking oddly out of place among all the pastels and chiffon hanging around. His suit was dark, his presence heavier than the air itself. “This is a nice setup, Griselda.” he mocked, scanning the mannequins and the photos pinned to the mood board. “You’ve
Last Updated: 2025-10-08
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