(Natalie’s POV)The atmosphere in the hospital room seemed thick, as if any moment a storm could erupt. We had stayed in that room surrounded by silence, guilt, and betrayal for days. Alexander's father hardly uttered a word, Eleanor was in tears, and Alexander carried the weight of both their suffering on his shoulders.I observed him more intently than any one else. He was worn out, he had hollow eyes, tense shoulders, his spirit was pulled two opposite directions. Each time he gazed at his father, I noticed the rage and disappointment consuming him. Each time his eyes looked towards his mother, I noticed the struggle between love and betrayal tearing him apart.I had made a promise to myself that no matter how bad it got, I would never abandon him. But now, more than anything, I understood that to stand next to him was not sufficient. He desperately needed direction. He needed someone to help him see the pain for what it really was and to face it instead of running from it.It was
Natalie’s POVThe hospital rooms seemed to close in around me with each passing hour. The smell of antiseptic, the gentle beeping of machines, the intermittent sounds of nurses shoes, all of these seemed like reminders that Alexander's world had just cracked open, and none of us were sure if it might ever be mended.Never in my life had I ever seen him this broken. He was standing next to his father's bed, stiff as stone, looking at the person who was once his beacon of strength. And next to him, like a shadow choking in humiliation, was Eleanor, his mother.Her hands quivered, her face was pale, her eyes were red from constant weeping. She desperately wanted to talk, but her voice choked in her throat every time and I understood why. This wasn't just about betrayal. This was about years, decades of silence, deception, and choices that could never be undone.The moment Alexander went outside to pick up a phone call, the silence in the room became unbearable. Eleanor then moved closer
(Alexander's POV)The night was heavier than it normally was, as if the world itself had decided it was going to press its weight against my shoulders. I couldn't even think straight after finding out the truth, that Victor, the man that had dedicated his entire life to ruining me, wasn't just a rival. He was my brother. My blood.That single realization kept echoing in my mind. I had battled him with everything I had, cursed his name, despised his very existence….yet we shared something more deep than business conflicts. My rage was no longer solely against him, it stretched over toward my mother, toward the secrets she was keeping, toward the lies she allowed to grow roots in our lives.But what I did not expect was how far the truth would reach. It was not only my burden, It belonged to my dad too and when the truth reached him, it shattered him in a manner I never thought possible.It happened the next morning. I was in my room when my father burst in. His face was pale, his lips
(Alexander's POV)The days following that night at my house felt like chains around my feet. Every corner of the walls held silence. My mother spoke little, she was often absorbed in her thoughts, while I struggled with anger and bewilderment. Natalie had attempted to contact me, but even her voice reminded me of the storm we were stuck in.However, the silence didn't mean there was peace, it was the calm before the storm grew more intense. And I sensed something bigger was coming.I couldn’t shake the memory of my mother calling her father Jacob. That one name carried more weight than I wanted to admit. I had never seen her appear so vibrant and shattered simultaneously. It seemed as if the past had walked right into our home.But that wasn't the only thing that was haunting me. Victor, my so-called competitor. The guy who had made it his mission to overtake me in business, to snatch every deal I worked for, every client I landed. His presence had always loomed behind me. I had hated
Natasha's POVThe tension between us was thicker than it had ever been since that evening at Alexander's house. What should have been a confrontation had become a storm of secrets, a storm no one was prepared for. My father's silence after being referred to as Jacob by Alexander's mother had spoken louder than any word. It was the silence of a man suppressing something long buried.But that silence didn't end at Alexander's doorstep. It accompanied us home. It joined us in the living room, stayed with me in the kitchen while I prepared food, and hung between my father's eyes when my father and I locked eyes. It was there, always there, pressing down on me like a weight I couldn’t shake off.I had not heard from Alexander since that evening. No calls. No messages. Nothing. The distance between him and me was growing wilder, but for some reason I wasn't able to forget all that had happened. I was again reliving it in my head, the surprise in his face, the confusion in my father's eyes,
(Natalie POV)The air in Alexander’s living room was so heavy it felt like it was weighing down on my chest. My heart thumped repeatedly, echoing loudly in my ears. The silence was deafening and yet, beneath the silence, tension roared like a hidden storm.I couldn't believe what had just happened.Alexander's mother had stared at my father with wide, terrified eyes and, with a voice full of disbelief, she had called him by a name that was not his own."Jacob?" She whispered, as if she had seen a ghost.The moment the word came out of her lips, the entire room went silent.My body stiffened, and without even thinking, I shook my head. “No,” I said quickly, my voice a little too sharp, too panicked. “That’s not his name. His name is Thompson.Thompson Harper. You must be mistaken.”I tried to laugh lightly, but the sound that came out was broken, almost fragile. My mother shifted uncomfortably beside me, her hands twisting together. She opened her mouth as if to say something but stoppe