LOGINShare
Chapter 77: The First Blow
Last Updated:
2025-08-05 23:42:51
Latest chapter
Against all odds Chapter 80: The War Begins
Luca’s POVI watched him walk away, his silhouette swallowed by the golden glow of the chandeliers behind him. Even now, he moves like a man who carries the world’s weight and still refuses to kneel. I hate that I know every twitch of his jaw, every breath he holds when he's hurting. I hate even more that part of me wanted to chase him. To grab his wrist and ask if he ever really loved me. But I don’t. I stay rooted, the ice in my veins too thick now to thaw.My chest burns. Not the kind of fire that fuels love, but the kind that scorches what’s left of it. Elliott Wilde still does this to me—still makes my pulse quicken and my ribs tighten like a vise. But the ache, the longing, it’s buried now. Six feet under. That part of me is dead, and he was the one who killed it.He let me rot in a cell.That truth is the first nail in the coffin. He didn’t call. Didn’t come. Didn’t ask. Just disappeared. While I sat in that freezing cage, stripped of everything—my work, my name, my dignity—he
Against all odds Chapter 79: Face to Face
Elliott’s POVI knew he’d be here. The moment I accepted the invitation to the event, somewhere deep inside me, I knew Luca would show. Still, I convinced myself otherwise. Told myself it was a coincidence. Told myself I could handle it, that I was over it. Over him. But the truth has a way of slamming into you, no matter how carefully you build your walls. And tonight, it hits me like a damn freight train the second I see him.Luca.Looking exactly like I remember and yet somehow more. Taller. Sharper. Effortlessly composed. He’s dressed in a sleek black suit, no tie, collar open, and that same maddening confidence on his face—the one that used to disarm me in seconds. He’s laughing, charming the hell out of everyone around him like he hasn’t been haunting me for months. Like we didn’t burn to the ground and pretend the ashes weren’t still smoldering.The crowd around him parts slowly as I walk closer, as if the universe itself is giving us space. I’m not even sure what I plan to say
Against all odds Chapter 78: Unfinished Business
Cecilia’s POVI’ve seen the signs. Small, subtle changes in Elliott, but they’re there, just beneath the surface, like cracks in a porcelain mask. He’s distant again. Not the cold, indifferent distance he wore when we first met, but something deeper, more familiar. It’s as if he's there with me, but not truly present. His mind is elsewhere, always somewhere far off, and I’ve come to realize that place is always Luca.The first time I noticed it was in the way he lingered on Luca’s name in the articles. It wasn’t just a passing glance. His eyes would narrow, just for a moment, as if reading the name hurt him, but he couldn't look away. And then there was the night I heard him whisper it in his sleep, a name that had no right to slip past his lips, not in this bed, not in our life. It was so soft, so painful, like a secret he couldn’t keep from escaping.I tell myself that it doesn’t matter. That he is here with me now. That soon, we’ll have a baby and a life together. But it gnaws at m
Against all odds Chapter 77: The First Blow
Luca’s POVI don’t need anyone to tell me how well it’s going. I can feel it in my bones, in the way people are suddenly talking about my brand, my name. The release of the new movie line I’ve launched under a rebranded name has taken off in a way I couldn’t have predicted. It’s everywhere. Social media is flooded with the buzz, influencers can’t stop posting about it, and the press is already calling it the next big thing in the industry. They say it’s revolutionary. They say it’s the future.I don’t care about their praise, though. I don’t need validation from strangers who know nothing about me. What matters is that the world is paying attention again. What matters is that I’m back. Back in the game. Back where I belong.I didn’t expect the firestorm that would follow. The ripple effect is more powerful than I imagined. I knew Elliott’s company would feel the impact, but not like this. Cecilia’s brand, the one that’s been trying so hard to climb out of its own shadow, is reeling. I
Against all odds Chapter 76: Echoes of the Past
Elliott’s POVTime passes in strange ways now. Some days blur like watercolor under rain, others drag like an endless funeral. Months have slipped through my fingers, but the ache in my chest hasn't faded. If anything, it's sharpened—cutting deeper every time I hear his name in my mind, every time I see a face that almost resembles his in a crowd and my breath catches before I remember.Cecilia moves through the house like a ghost. Or maybe I’m the ghost, haunting a life I never asked for. We speak when necessary, always in soft, polite tones. Like colleagues. Strangers with rings on their fingers and secrets in their chests. Her belly swells more each day, the only sign that time is moving at all. Our child. The one tether between us. And yet, even that doesn’t feel like salvation—just another responsibility I’m failing to carry with joy.She’s kind, I’ll give her that. Kind in a way I don’t deserve. She tries. Leaves tea on my desk. Updates me on the baby’s progress. Shows me ultras
Against all odds Chapter 75: Gilded Cage
Elliott’s POVThe champagne tastes like ash in my mouth.It fizzes against my tongue, cold and bitter, and I force a smile for the hundredth time that night. Everyone's watching—everyone always is. The ballroom glitters with gold and glass, laughter echoing off marble walls, but none of it touches me. My skin feels too tight, my suit like armor. I stand beside Cecilia, her hand looped through mine like a brand, and I feel like a stranger at my own celebration.Our wedding was the event of the season. Perfect. Immaculate. I saw the headlines this morning—Love Wins: Vale Heir Marries Longtime Fiancée in Fairytale Ceremony. The photos are flawless. My smile, practiced. Her veil, delicate. My eyes, empty. I wonder if anyone noticed.I barely remember the vows. I said them with precision, like reading a statement to the press. I remember her eyes flickering with something—hope, maybe—but I couldn’t meet them for long. All I could think about was Luca. All I could feel was the absence of hi
You may also like
Wild and Untamed
Jane Knight68.8K viewsThe Love of a Werewolf
Willow25.5K viewsThreesome With The Billionaire Twins
stellakmary21.3K viewsThe Forbidden Mate
FluffyFatCat41.8K viewsMy Model (BL)
Noor992 viewsMr. Darcy Jr.
Fitzwilliam4.7K viewsHis Disguise Secretary (BL)
Pseudonym3.1K viewsThe Promise
jzeyroses3.0K views
