LOGINELENA POVI watched Alexander's hand move toward Adrian.For a moment I couldn't breathe. Adrian was awake now, his small eyes following his father as Alexander gently touched his hair."Don't worry," Alexander said softly. "Soon, you'll be able to ride all the wheels you want in the park."Adrian smiled. A real smile. A picture of a father and son. And somehow, that broke something inside me. Tears slipped down my cheeks before I could stop them. I quickly wiped them away. But the guilt had already settled heavily in my chest.I remembered how I had reacted earlier. How I had screamed at Alexander. How I had hit his chest. How I had blamed him for what happened. He hadn't known. He hadn't known about Adrian's heart condition. He had only been trying to give his son a normal day. And I had thrown my fear at him. I quietly stepped out of the room. They needed time together. I needed time to breathe.Liam was already sitting outside. He looked up when I approached and gave me that fami
ALEXANDER POV"Alexander!"I barely had time to turn before Selena reached me. Her hands grabbed my shirt. "Where is my son?" Her voice shattered on the last word. I pointed toward the emergency room. "He's in there." She looked toward the doors, tears already spilling down her face."What happened?"Her fingers tightened around my shirt."What the hell happened to him?""Calm down, please.""Don't fucking tell me to calm down!"Her voice echoed through the hallway."What happened to my son?""It happened so fast," I said, my own voice shaking. "He wanted to ride the Ferris wheel and after that, he just…."She pushed my chest."You let him ride it?"I froze."You let him?""Selena…""I shouldn't have let you go with him!"She hit my chest again."I asked you to look after him!"My throat tightened."You gave me your word!""I know.""Now look what happened!"Tears streamed down her face."I told you!"She hit me again…weaker this time."I told you to be careful with him."I reached fo
ALEXANDER POVI woke up earlier than usual. I didn't need an alarm.. I just opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling for a moment, a smile slowly forming on my face. Today I was going to spend the day with my son.My son. The words still felt strange. Adrian. A miniature version of me in ways I hadn't expected, the eyes, the attitude, the way he looked at me when he was trying to figure something out. I smiled to myself. If only Selena… I stopped. No. Not today. Today wasn't about Selena. It was about Adrian.I got up, showered, dressed, and checked myself in the mirror. For the first time in years I actually looked excited about something that had nothing to do with business. I picked up my phone. Several messages… most of them from Vanessa. I didn't need to open them to know what they were about. She had been apologizing repeatedly since she told me the truth. I sighed. I'd talk to her later. She needed to stop blaming herself for everything. Some things couldn't be undone.I sl
ALEXANDER POVI stood outside the door for several seconds before knocking.It was ridiculous. I had walked into boardrooms where billions of dollars were on the line without the slightest nervousness. Yet here I was, standing outside Selena's house, staring at a door like it was the most intimidating thing I had ever faced. Because behind it was my son. My five-year-old son. A child I didn't know existed. A child I had spent six years believing I had lost along with his mother.I took a slow breath and knocked.The door opened. Selena stood there. For a second neither of us spoke. Her eyes flickered over my face before dropping. Something lived in that brief look that I couldn't name. She stepped aside. "Come in." I nodded and walked inside.My eyes searched the room immediately. And then I saw him. Adrian was sitting on the couch… small, yet somehow carrying himself like someone twice his age. My chest tightened. That was my son. I wanted to walk straight to him. Touch him. Hold h
ELENA POVI didn't say a word during the drive home. My eyes stayed fixed on the road ahead but my mind was nowhere near it. I had just told Alexander the truth, after six years of hiding it, after six years of convincing myself that keeping Adrian away from him was the only way to protect my son. And now I had agreed to let him into Adrian's life.Was I ready for this? I wasn't sure.I glanced at the back seat through the mirror. Adrian was already asleep, his head tilted against the window. He looked so peaceful. So innocent. He had no idea how much his life was about to change. I sighed."You good?" Liam's voice pulled me back.I looked at him. "I don't know." My voice came out quieter than I expected. "I don't even know why I said yes."Liam kept his eyes on the road. "You were overwhelmed.""I was." I rubbed my palms together. "I just..." I swallowed. "How do I tell him?""Adrian?"I nodded. "He's five.""He's a mature boy."I gave him a look. Liam chuckled. "Seriously, Elena. H
ALEXANDER POVI needed clothes. Normally I would have called the hotel and had someone bring everything to me. But today I couldn't sit in that room anymore. My head was too crowded. Selena. Her face. Her voice. The way she had looked at me before walking away. Maybe a walk would clear my head.Greg followed beside me as we entered the mall. "Sir, are you sure you don't want me to handle this?""I'm fine."He didn't argue. We walked toward the men's section and an attendant immediately approached. "Good afternoon, sir. Welcome." I nodded and glanced over the racks without really seeing them. My mind was somewhere else entirely.Then I heard a familiar young voice. "Excuse me, where is the announcement room?" I turned. The voice was coming from somewhere behind me. I don't know why I looked. But the moment I did, my breath caught.Him. That boy. Adrian. He stood beside an attendant, looking around with that same composed expression I remembered from the academy. Our eyes met. He recog
SELENA POV I stood frozen. Tears poured down my cheeks, my body shaking violently. I wanted to go there, to tear them apart with my bare hands, to scream until my lungs gave out, but I couldn’t move. My husband… fucking my best friend. My best friend… I could barely breathe. I turned to leave,
SELENA POV“Congratulations, Mrs. Hale. You’re two weeks pregnant.”The doctor’s voice stretched forward with a smile, hands reaching out as if expecting joy. But my body refused to follow. My temple throbbed, sweat prickling against my skin. My hands trembled, my legs vibrating under me. No. No,
SELENA'S POV "Do I know you from somewhere?" My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. For one terrifying second, I thought I had been caught, that he had remembered, that he would suddenly recognize the woman who had shared a night with him and disappeared without a word. I forced my face to rema
SELENA'S POV "Let's go." Kelvin didn't wait for my response before turning away, but I didn't bother replying either. Something inside me had already gone quiet, A quietness that comes after the last thread finally snaps. I knew it was over. Completely. The desperate wife of Mr. Hale was gone. I







