INICIAR SESIÓNBELLE Gone. Gone where? I stared at Zalden's mouth but whatever he was saying after that didn't reach me. His words replayed in my ear over and over again until they began to hurt.What did he mean Jordan was gone? My boy is lying right here, sleeping peacefully. He was just cold and needed a blanket.My stomach churned as I shot the nurse a look. “Aren't you supposed to be a professional? Do something! We can't allow my son to remain this cold.”I held his cold hands in mine, rubbing them between my palms to keep him warm when Kara broke down in tears. “If you're going to cry then get out of here!” I snapped. “Jordan is sleeping and we cannot wake him up.”“Belle…” Zalden stepped closer to me and I swear if he mentioned anything about Jordan again, I'd kick him out and make sure he never set his eyes on my children ever again.“My son is sleeping,” I said through gritted teeth, wiping his face with the sleeve of my shirt.“They need to take him… away,” Zalden’s throat bobbed as he
BELLE Zalden didn't meet my gaze. His eyes darted to Jordan who was fast asleep on the hospital bed, then to the machine beside him and finally anywhere else in the room that wasn't me.My jaw clenched as I studied his face. His eyes were bloodshot as if he had been crying even though he seemed pretty much composed, his hair was rough like he had run his hand in it at least a thousand times but what seemed to gain my attention was his clenched fist. His knuckles were white from how tightly he was clenching them as I shook my head. “Tell me it's not what I'm thinking,” I gasped, staggering backwards, but he held me before I could trip.I slapped his hands away from my body as tears stung my vision. “Say something, Zalden. My baby is going to be fine, right?” My lips quivered as I searched his eyes for at least a glimmer of hope. Something I could hold onto to reassure me that I'm not losing my son anytime soon.“Right?” A lump formed in my throat but Zalden still wouldn't meet my eye
ZALDENBelle’s legs buckled and if it weren’t for my support, she’d have crashed onto the floor. Her body was trembling so badly that I could see how broken she was with just a glance. My chest tightened but I refused to welcome any negative thought until the doctor told me exactly what was going on with our son.“Speak at once,” I said through gritted teeth. “What do you mean he was brought in too late? Jordan will be fine, right? He has to be. That is my son we’re talking about,” I forced my voice to be steady despite the chills that ran down my spine.Belle’s nails dug into my skin, pinching me hard and I didn’t think she was even aware of what she was doing.“I'm sorry but there's nothing we can do to help him,” the doctor shook his head as he avoided my gaze. “We ran the scans, and... the collapse was caused by a tumor in his brainstem. It’s called DIPG. It’s really aggressive, and because of where it’s located, we can't operate.”I swallowed the lumps that formed in my throat a
BELLE“You can't have it all, Zalden. I'll give you a chance to be in our children's lives, but that is it. Don't expect too much from me.”Disappointment settled in his face, but he didn't argue with me. I called my secretary to cancel my plans for the rest of the day, while Zalden drove me home.We were going to tell the kids the truth. My heart skipped a beat as he pulled up in my driveway, and for a split second, I wanted to change my mind.Jamie and Jordan are all I have. If Zalden were to come into their lives now, everything would change. I wasn't sure if that was what I wanted, but I had been selfish for far too long, I needed to make things right.I pushed the door open, and my body froze. Jamie choked on her sob as she sighted me, and the maids rushed down the stairs in panic.“Jamie?” I rushed to her side in panic. “What is going on? Where is your brother”Tears streamed down her cheeks and Zalden bent to her level, patting her back to help her relax. “Take a deep breath,”
BELLEZalden drove us to a restaurant down the road, and I honestly didn’t know why he was doing this. He has Valarie now. Whether a fake relationship or not, she was perfect for him. I just hoped he’d stop showing up whenever he wanted and make things harder for me.I kept my gaze on the road, watching the city blur past as the silence lingered in the air. The car came to a halt, and I didn’t wait for him to open my door before stepping out of his car. I made my way into the restaurant, pulled out my own seat and glared at Zalden.“We both know your ten minutes have passed, so how about you make this quick?” For a restaurant you have to make a reservation weeks before coming, it was awfully quiet today. Not a single person was in sight aside from their staff, which left me wondering if this had anything to do with Zalden.“Did you book the entire place?” I raised my eyes in suspicion, looking at the empty seats, and he shrugged.“I thought we’d need privacy.”“There is no ‘we’ Zalde
BELLE “There’s a man here to see you, ma’am,” my assistant said nervously. I didn’t bother to look up from the documents on my desk. We were in the middle of a meeting, and even without saying a word, she ought to know what to do. “Tell him to make an appointment if it's important,” I said dismissively.The man presenting continued with his presentation, but my assistant lingered.“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I have already told him that. He just won’t listen.”I lifted my head slowly, irritation prickling beneath my skin.“Do you want me to do your job now?” I asked coldly. “If he's being a nuisance, get the security to deal with him. Why are you even reporting this to me?” She fiddled with her hands, shifting her weight from one leg to another. “We would have done that if he were an ordinary man,” she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.I tossed the file in my hands onto the desk, and the room fell silent. “Is this you telling me you’re incompetent?” I arched my brows.Her f
BELLE I don’t remember walking out of his office. All I remember was how his words clung to my skin like frostbite.“She looks like someone who'd sleep around to climb the social ladder.” My chest tightened. It felt like a part of me was being ripped apart.As if that wasn't enough, my brain kept
ZALDEN And just like that, my weekend was ruined. I am probably the busiest man alive, but I can’t even focus on anything aside from her. The tension between us. It felt surreal. It wasn't supposed to be there. Shouldn't exist, but the moment she's next to me, I lose my damn mind, and all I wante
BELLE “Mommy, you promised to take us to the park today,” Jordan whined.“Yes Mommy! I want ice cream,” Jamie added with a pout, and I knew there was no way I'd win against these kids.“Fine!” I laughed softly. “But promise Mommy you'll stay put and be the good kids I raised.”“We promise!” They s
Zalden's POVAndrew called at the last minute to bail on today's meeting. As if that wasn't enough, he asked Belle to come in his stead.“Why didn't you tell me earlier?” I hissed for the hundred time on the phone. I have been trying to get her out of my head for the last few days, and he just had







