Sure! Here's Chapter 278, up to 1500 words, continuing the story:---Chapter 278 - The Pieces Begin to FallSophia stood by the wide glass window of her penthouse suite, arms crossed tightly over her chest. The city below was still alive, lights glittering like stars that had fallen to earth. But inside her chest, it was anything but bright. It was quiet—unbearably so. The kind of quiet that screamed louder than chaos.She hadn’t spoken to Roman since the court hearing. Not even a message. The way he had walked past her, eyes hardened, mouth set in a thin line—it echoed louder than any words could. But tonight, something felt different. A shift. A disturbance in the air. It was as if the past few weeks had led them here—into this night where truths couldn’t stay buried anymore.Her phone vibrated. A single message from someone she never expected: Steve.> “We need to talk. Come to the old house. Roman will be there too. No more games.”She didn’t respond. She didn’t need to. A moment
Sophia stood quietly at the window of Roman’s study, her arms crossed and her gaze fixed on the glowing horizon. The city below buzzed with life, but inside the estate, everything felt still — as if time itself was holding its breath. Roman had been out for hours. He hadn’t told her where he was going, and she hadn’t asked. She was trying to respect his space… but her heart was heavy with uncertainty.She pressed her palm to the glass, watching the shadows lengthen. So much had changed — between her and Roman, between her and herself. She wasn’t the same woman who had walked into this mansion as a housekeeper. She had fallen for a man who had once paid her for her body, a man whose son now called her "Mom."It was all so twisted, and yet, it felt painfully real.A soft knock on the door broke the silence.Sophia turned. “Come in.”Lena stepped in, her face drawn. “He’s back.”Sophia's heart leapt, but Lena’s expression halted her before she could say anything.“There’s something you s
Roman’s POVThe night air was thick with unease.Roman sat at the edge of the bed, the dim light from the hallway casting long shadows across the room. Jenner was asleep beside him, her breathing soft, her body curled protectively under the sheets. He had watched her fall asleep, observed the way her lips parted slightly, her brows twitching now and then like she was fighting off bad dreams. She looked peaceful now. But he knew it wouldn’t last. Not with what lay ahead.His phone buzzed in his hand again. Another message from Frank.Frank: “We need to talk. I found something. It’s about Eleanor.”Roman's jaw tightened. He hadn't heard that name in years. Eleanor. The one woman who had once held his heart before Jenner. The woman who had destroyed him without even trying.He didn’t respond.Instead, Roman stood and stepped out into the hallway, careful not to wake Jenner. His mind was spinning. Frank wouldn’t text him this late if it weren’t urgent. And Eleanor? Why now?Downstairs, th
Sophia’s POVThe Weight of ForgivenessI stared out the window of the guest bedroom, watching as the raindrops raced each other down the glass. The mansion was eerily quiet, and despite the warmth of the room, I felt cold—numb, almost.Everything had changed.Roman’s confession last night still rang in my ears. The pain in his voice, the weight of his regret—it had shaken something in me. I had expected rage or denial from him. But he didn’t fight. He didn’t make excuses. He just… confessed.He told me the truth about everything.The setup. The lies. The manipulation.He had wanted to destroy me in the beginning. And he had succeeded in ways he didn’t even realize. But then, somewhere along the line, he had fallen for me—and I had fallen for him too.A bitter laugh escaped me. Love. What a cruel trick.I wrapped the blanket tighter around myself and stepped away from the window, pacing the floor. My mind raced with memories. Roman holding me after a nightmare. Roman protecting me fro
Chapter 274 – Whispers Beneath the SurfaceThe silence in the study was thick. Roman stood by the window, a glass of scotch in his hand, untouched. He watched the darkening sky, where clouds rolled in like silent conspirators, masking the moonlight and casting shadows over the estate. Behind him, the fireplace crackled, but its warmth did nothing to melt the ice in his chest.Jenner’s absence lingered like a ghost in every corner of the mansion.He hadn’t seen her since the confrontation with Steve. The memory of her eyes—teary, angry, broken—haunted him more than he cared to admit. She hadn’t yelled. She hadn’t begged. She had just… left.Steve, ever the rational one, had tried to play mediator. But Roman had seen the truth in his friend’s gaze. Steve loved Jenner.And that was the hardest pill to swallow.Roman took a deep breath and turned away from the window, the weight of too many sleepless nights pulling on his shoulders. His phone buzzed on the desk, its screen lighting up wit
Sophia's POVThe hospital hallway was silent except for the rhythmic beeping of the machines inside Elijah's room. I sat curled in the corner chair, my arms folded around my knees. The scent of antiseptic clung to my skin, and even though I hadn’t slept all night, my mind refused to shut off.I watched him through the glass window. He looked peaceful—too peaceful. It was the kind of peace that didn’t belong in a place where life and death hung in balance. I swallowed hard.I thought I had cried all the tears I had left, but every time I saw him like this, hooked up to monitors, barely breathing on his own, my heart cracked open again."Mrs. Lancaster," a nurse said softly behind me. "You should rest."I shook my head. “I’m okay. I’ll rest when he wakes up.”The nurse gave me a sympathetic smile before walking away, her shoes clicking softly against the tiled floor.My fingers trembled as I reached into my bag and pulled out Elijah’s wedding ring. I had taken it from his hand when the