LOGINHey besties. Who else things Cheryl is a spoiler? She ruined the moment. I hope they kiss again 😉
AIDEN’S POVThe sun was up, but it felt like the world hadn’t woken.Maybe because I hadn’t slept.Charlotte’s scent still clung to my shirt, soft, sweet, calm, but everything in my life wasn’t.She’d fallen asleep in my arms last night, and I’d held her like she’d disappear if I let go.I didn't want her to be alone all through the night. I wanted her close to me. So I could hold her and console her.Maybe because I needed my wife close or maybe it's for her.She told me everything.Her mother, Barry, lies, and their betrayal.And I could still hear her voice breaking when she said, “I don’t even know who I am anymore.”I’d promised her I’d fix it.Now I was about to keep that promise, in my own little way.I got up and got ready for work. I checked the time. It was already past 6 am. I got dressed and I walked to where Charlotte was still sleeping. I kissed her forehead and she woke up.“Aiden…” I so much love the way my name sounded so sweet from her lips.“Shhhhhh. Just go bark to
CHARLOTTE’S POVIt was already past noon when I finally opened my eyes. The morning had slipped by without me noticing it, swallowed by the silence that hung over my room like a heavy fog. My head ached, my eyes were swollen from crying all night, and my heart felt like it had been wrung dry.Aiden hadn’t called.Not a text, not even a voice note.For hours, I’d sat by the window waiting for my phone to light up, replaying every word from last night’s conversation in my head, the secrets Barry had spilled, the betrayal buried deep in my family’s past. I still couldn’t process it all. My mother. My stepfather. My biological father. The lies that had shaped my entire life.At my age, I don't have a single clue who my biological father is.I should have reported them. I could have. But something in me hesitated, maybe the part that still couldn’t accept that my own mother could be capable of such darkness.I sighed and wiped my face with my trembling hand, glancing at the clock on the
CHARLOTTE’S POVThe silence in the car felt heavier than the car itself. Marcus didn’t speak a word, and I didn’t want him to. My head was pressed against the window, my eyes red and swollen from the storm of tears I’d held back all night. The city blurred as we drove past tall buildings, flashing lights, and faces that didn’t care that my whole world had just fallen apart.By the time we reached home, the ache in my chest had settled deep, like it had decided to live there. Marcus slowed into the compound, glancing at me through the rearview mirror.“Ma’am… are you sure you’re okay?” he asked softly.I didn’t answer. I opened the door, stepped out, and walked straight into the house like the world owed me silence.The house was quiet when I walked into it, just what I wanted. My chest was tightening as if my heart had turned into glass ready to crack. I didn’t wait for anyone to help me. I didn’t care. My head felt like it was filled with smoke, thick and choking.Elsie rushed out t
CHARLOTTE’S POVI didn’t sleep all night.Not even for a minute.The moment Barry’s call ended, I just sat on the floor beside my bed, staring at nothing. The city outside went from dark to dawn, and I didn’t even notice when the light changed. My head throbbed from crying. My heart felt like it had been ripped open.Every word Barry said kept replaying in my head.She got pregnant.We made it look like an accident.Whose daughter do you think you are?I wanted to believe he was drunk, that everything he said was nonsense. But deep down, I knew Barry wasn’t making things up. His voice, even when drunk, had carried a kind of truth that terrified me.By morning, I felt sick, angry, betrayed, used, and lied to. I needed answers, and only one person could give them to me.My mother.I skipped breakfast. I didn’t even look at the food Petra had set on the table. Elsie tried to ask if I was okay, but I ignored her. Lila came into the room looking worried, her hands shaking.“Ma’am, are you
CHARLOTTE’S POVThe next evening felt strangely heavier than usual. The sky had dimmed into a washed gray-blue, and the sky was darker than usual, as if it was going to rain. Everywhere was extremely calm, and for the first time in a long while, I didn’t have the energy to care about dinner or anyone knocking at my door.Petra, Elsie, and Lila had taken turns knocking on my door. I only went downstairs for lunch, and since then I have been in my room.I sat cross-legged on my bed, the faint hum of the air conditioner filling the silence. My laptop was open, but I hadn’t typed a single word in hours. I couldn’t focus, not after last night’s call with Aiden.He’d said he wanted to tell me the truth. And he did. But his version of the truth didn’t sit neatly inside me. It twisted there like something sharp.He’d said he took over Parker Industries, my family’s company. That Barry had been stealing from it for years, hiding debts, misusing funds. He said he started the takeover out of rev
CHARLOTTE’S POVThe entire day had passed through like a blur. I spent the entire day in my study working on my book. There I hades I needed I got a call from a movie director. Who wanted to turn my book into a movie? I was super excited, but I needed to think things through, so I told him we could talk about it sometime next week.I had my laptop balanced on my thighs, waiting for the screen to light up with his face. It was past 10 p.m. in New York, morning in China, and I’d been glancing at the clock for the past hour, counting the minutes like a lovesick teenager.I wore my favorite nightwear, a peach shirt with matching shorts. I like the nightwear because it was super comfy, and my mother got it from me. I haven't heard from my mom in a long while, I'll call her once I finish with my dear husband. When Aiden’s name finally appeared on the screen, my chest lifted with so much joy and a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.“Hey, stranger,” I murmured, trying to sound casua







