Chapter 29Alex's POV:I had forced Chloe to give me this tape years ago, she made me promise that I won't breathe a word about her to Reyna, and I didn't.Not because I wanted to protect her—but because I wasn't ready to face the truth and admit what my father had done.When my father died, I had lost all the zeal to bring up the topic. And now? Now, I was just waiting for something—anything—to prove that I wasn't a complete fool.Hours passed. The video played over and over again. My eyes burned from exhaustion, and my body begged for rest, but my mind refused to stop.There had to be something. A glitch, or a sign that I didn't ruin everything for nothing.But there was nothing.Nothing but the same gut-wrenching images I had seen three years ago.Suddenly, the door creaked open.Maddox walked in, rubbing his tired eyes. “Oh my God, Alex, were you up all night?” He looked around, groaning when he saw the empty coffee cups. “Did you seriously drink all this just to stay awake?”I s
Chapter 30 Reyna's POV: I sat on my bed, my back resting against the headboard, as fingers moved across my laptop keyboard. But my mind wasn’t entirely on my work, it was on Alex. I hated how, despite everything, my thoughts still drifted back to him. After what happened at the gala, I had sworn to be done with him, to keep him out of my mind. But over the past few days, he had shown up countless times, calling me repeatedly just to apologize and insist that he had finally learned the truth. He kept talking about how much he wanted us to work things out and how foolish he had been. Yet, I ignored him every time, acting as if I didn’t care. But here I was, unable to ignore the one question in my head: ‘How did everything circle back to me when it was Chloe who had an affair with his father?’ Sighing, I shook my head. ‘Enough, I need to move on.’ I said to myself. The sudden chime of the doorbell pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. I frowned, glancing at the time on my lapt
Chapter 31Reyna's POV:He cupped my face gently, his thumb tracing my cheek as he leaned in. But then, he suddenly pulled back and looked at me quizzically. Smiling, I leaned down and kissed him deeply. We pressed our tongues against one another, feeling each other's soft lips, then pulled back just a centimeter and let the tension between us build.And then we kiss again, more fervently, but still slowly. In the past, we were madly passionate and our lovemaking was energetic and wild. But tonight, I wanted to slow down and feel everything strongly.Gradually, we had a slow-burn night of sex and confessions. What I could last remember was Alex's last words to me before he passed out—"I love you, Reyna." He murmured with his eyes shut, cuddling me in his arms."I love you too, Alex," I confessed before I knew it and his eyes flew wide open.**** Alex's POV:I stirred, groaning slightly as my body felt oddly light. Then, I felt the softness of the sheets against my bare skin.Wait
Chapter 32Reyna's POV:"Theo hasn’t even been gone a year, so why are you making headlines with another man when you should be mourning my son?" I read the first message for the second time.Then the second message followed: “Come over, we need to talk.” Grandpa Roberto texted and my heart skipped a beat.Mr. Hudson never called or texted me. In the months I had been married to Theo, our interactions had been minimal, it was mostly a short conversation during business dinners. But now he wanted to see me?I turned to Alex, and I could see his mouth moving, but I couldn't hear him. I saw his lips moving, but the words never reached me. ‘Fuck.’ I muttered under my breath, as I shot up from the bed.“Reyna?” Alex’s voice rang out, but I didn’t stop.I rushed into the bathroom, and in less than a second, the sound of running water filled the place as I turned on the shower. My hands trembled as I tried to calm my breathing, but the heaviness on my chest only grew heavier.A loud bang o
Chapter 33Reyna’s POV:I sat frozen, staring at Mr. Hudson as his words continued to sink in.“I had many enemies,” He explained. “Most of them were waiting for the right moment to strike. They had time… but when they heard that he had a wife—one that could give him an heir—” He exhaled deeply, rubbing his temples. “They took action all at once.”A lump formed in my throat. “I—I didn’t know,” I whispered. “I didn’t know my presence in his life would—” I stopped myself, swallowing the sob threatening to escape. “I’m so sorry. If I had known—”Mr. Hudson smiled. “Reyna, you didn’t force yourself into this situation. I did.” He admitted. “My persistence and my need for Theos to carry on the family legacy pushed him into making such a decision.”"You can't keep blaming yourself for this," I said gently. "Theos wouldn’t want that.""I keep replaying the past in my head," He responded. "If I hadn’t pressured Theos into giving me a grandson...""You wouldn’t have known it would end this wa
Chapter 34Reyna’s POV:It had been a few weeks since I moved in with Alex. Slowly, we had fallen into a rhythm, living together as if the past hadn't happened, as if we were just another happy couple figuring things out. But deep down, I knew we were still rebuilding. Some wounds don’t just vanish overnight.Then, the rumor started.Theos Hudson was alive.At first, I dismissed it as just another wild headline, a media stunt to stir up controversy. But then, a reporter—a close friend of Theos—claimed that he had received a message from Theos himself. A message saying he was being held hostage.I stared at the news in disbelief. "Theos..." I whispered, gripping my phone so tightly my fingers ached.Alex, who was sitting beside me, tensed. "Rey, don’t get your hopes up too fast. Theos' car was found in the ocean. His body never showed up, yes, but that doesn’t mean—"I shot him a look. "It means exactly that. If his body was never found, then there was always a chance he was alive."
Chapter 35 Reyna's POV:The waiting was unbearable every passing second felt like an eternity. My heart had been on edge, anticipating either a devastating loss or a long-awaited miracle.And then, the call came.“We’ve found him,” The investigator’s voice was breathless. “He’s alive. We have him.”I almost dropped my phone. My knees weakened, but I forced myself to stay upright. “Where is he?” “He’s been taken to Mercy General Hospital.”I exhaled sharply. “Thank you,” I managed. “Thank you for everything. I’ll be there immediately.”I had already called Mr. Hudson earlier, filling him in about the search. Now, with trembling fingers, I dialed his number again. The call barely rang before he picked up.“Reyna?” His voice was anxious.“They found him, Mr. Hudson,” I said, my voice shaking. “He’s been taken to Mercy General.”There was silence, then a shaky breath. “My boy… he’s alive?”“Yes,” I whispered, feeling the sting of tears in my eyes.“I want to come,” He said immediately.
Chapter 36Reyna's POV:I couldn’t breathe.I couldn’t think.Theos’ words echoed in my mind relentlessly. “I fell in love with you, Reyna.”I stared at him, unable to process his words. How was I supposed to respond to that? How could I pretend that those words didn’t shake me to my very core?But before I could gather my thoughts, before I could even blink, Theos suddenly moved. Suddenly, he was on his feet.My eyes widened as he reached for me, his hand gently cupped my face, and his fingers trembled against my skin.“I missed you,” He murmured.And then, before I could stop him, before I could think—his lips descended toward mine.I gasped, frozen for a second as his breath brushed against my skin. It would be so easy to let this happen, but… I couldn’t.I pulled away. “No.”Theos froze. “Reyna?”I swallowed hard, forcing myself to look into his eyes. “I… I can’t do this.”His brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”Tears burned the back of my eyes, but I pushed them down. “I’ve moved
Morgana's POV I never ever thought that I'll see Mary Anne again, who now says she goes by the name Gabriella. Ella for short. She was my best friend when I was in the secondary boarding school. She always had my back then when I was been bullied. She was the only one who stood by me and was my friend then. When we graduated secondary school, we parted ways. She gave me her contact then, but with the parents I had, they did not allow me to have any contact with the outside world. They didn't allow us to have cell phones in the school then, and trust my frigent parents to go by the rules so well. “It's so good to see you again.” I said to her, as we sat at the bar. This particular bar area was a little better than the rest, because the noise reduced. Not drastically, but enough to hear what we are saying without straining our ears. “Yeah. I was not the one that bailed on our friendship though. I totally expected you to call me. But you didn't. And it was as if you vanished into thi
Morgana's POV The days that followed were the best days of my life. I won't even lie about that. I never thought I'd feel so much joy with a man given my past experience. But here I was, loving every moment I had with him. He's given me experiences that I never imagined I'd get to enjoy. He made me feel special and has successfully reeled me into his web. Not that I'm complaining. I'm having the best time of my life here and it's all because of him. And I think I was falling in love with my husband. Normal people fall in love first, have a relationship, then continue to marriage if compatible. Clearly not us though. We got the whole thing wrong. I think I did. I can't say from his side. The only part where he had revealed his feelings to me was that night when he told me how he felt. But, he did not emphatically tell me that he was in love with me. And let's be candid, if he'd told me then, I might have run for the hills. I would not have known how to deal with the situation. I
Xavier's POV Holding a very exhausted Noah in my arms , I used my left hand to swipe the card on the lock and the door opened. Slipping into the suite, I saw Morgana curled up on the couch, sleeping. It was as if she was waiting for us to arrive. One glance at the laptop I saw in front of her, it didn't take anything for me to know that she was working before I came in. Probably slept off. I could bet anything right now that she didn't order anything to eat. I gently walked towards his room and placed him on the bed. He rolled on his side as murmured inaudibly. But I caught on to something he said. “Thank you daddy.” He said, his eyes still closed, obviously asleep. My heart swelled so much that I thought it would burst out. He wasn't even awake and he's pulling in my non existent heart strings. Well, his mother has been doing that for a while now. I kissed the top of his head and stepped out. I've watched the kid grow up and I've come to fall in love with him. Whatever it is th
Morgana's POV Italy is hot. Like, I knew I checked for the weather they had right now before I packed my bags. And I used that as a template to pack clothes. But right now, I could not have been more wrong. The place was like hell. Hot like that. “I think I'll go shopping again.” I said. “Why?” My husband asked and I sighed. “The clothes I brought along do not fit the summer they have here. This place is hot. I cannot imagine wearing these clothes everyday here. I'd fry.” I said, picking out the clothes and tucking them back into the traveling box. Getting to the hotel, I knew Xav would do the most and I was not entirely shocked at how extravagant it was. I was just surprised at the beauty. It was an old money kind of hotel. And then again, it was a resort so it kind of had everything. He got us a whole presidential suite and everything is as though made for the president. It screamed money. When I asked him how much everything cost, he jokingly asked if I wanted to pay for i
Morgana's POV I looked at the boxes that have been packed to go. They stayed in the middle of the sitting room. Noah was running around happily and giddily. Immediately I told him we were leaving the house, the excitement he had was over the roof. He's been jumpy ever since I told him about it. And it made me a little sad. Thinking of the life he could have but he was not stuck in the house homeschooling. This has made me think that maybe I'd reconsider him going out. And starting with this vacation. After he's done, he'd start going to school like kids his normal age, so he'd be able to relate well with them. The regret I used to feel anytime he threw tantrums about going out and I scolded him is always over the top. “You ready, wife?” Xav asked and I blushed. Hard. He's made it his mission this past few days to make me blush. I've been always nervous and also giddy around him. “Yup.” I popped the p and called out to Noah. “Hey baby, come on. Let's go.” I motioned for him with
Xavier's POV As soon as I stepped into the house, I could feel the tension. There was something that's going on right now. Or something went down here. The manor was always silent most of the days. When my parents were still alive, the place would always bustle. There was always life inside. If there was no party today, there'd be a dinner tomorrow in which they invited all of their friends. They were always doing one thing or another. I ohkd not wrap my head around the fact that then. But, it was fun. Especially since I was a child then. Since Morgana came in, the house has become calm. Not like the feeling of graveyard it almost always had. It was just calm and homey. The reason I didn't always stay in my apartment in the city was because of my grandpa. He had frankly refused to leave the house. I know he had memories here. But staying with all that bitterness and regret would hurt him. I don't know how he's still alive until now. Given that he blamed himself for the death of m
Morgana's POV I stormed into the house funing and angrily mad. This has to come to an end today. Even if it's not the end, I must see to it that the person behind disclosing the identity of my son is exposed. That was one of the things I had dreaded. I don't know what will happen now that Simon already knows about it. But, I've been a little calm since he left my office. The realization that I was not alone after all resonated within me and I've been conscious of that fact and I like that. It made me feel at peace. But then, whoever the mole in my house is, must leave today. Dropping my bag on the couch, I rang for the bell that was supposed to call for them. Soon enough, they started coming in. And there were about five of them. “Good evening, Miss. Is there a reason why you have called us all here at this time?” The housekeeper, who was a little older, asked. The woman looked strict. She never took rubbish or sucked up to anyone in this house since I joined. Her facial feature
Morgana's POV I'll take a break after all of this. I'm tired from inside and I'd crash soon enough. A small smile made it to my face after remembering what happened yesterday night. We did not go all the way but went far enough to give pleasure. For the first time in my whole life, I had a pleasure from a man and from my own hand. I love every moment that came along with it. How he held me and how we cuddled to sleep. I could get used to that. There was a knock on my door. “Yes?” The door opened and Sasha peered in. “Can I come in?” She asked sheepishly, hiding behind the door, I nodded. My jaw dropped as soon as she stepped in when I saw what was in her hand. I was shocked to say the least. “What the hell?” I whispered. “Why do you have something like that with you?” “A delivery clae in for you.” She smiled and dropped the ridiculously large bouquet on my table. The scent whispered through my lips and I smiled almost immediately. Knowing Xavier, he goes overboard over litera
Morgana's POV We got home later that night. Immediately I stepped into the house, I was a little guilty. I had totally forgotten about Noah who was home alone with the maids. Ones I did not trust and I was planning to fish out later. And I'm sure he would have worn Grandpa Will out. I was surprised he did not call me today though. On a normal day, he would have disturbed my phone with calls if I didn't come home early. Given how silent the house was right now, he has slept. “I'll check on Noah.” I said to Xavier, trying to avoid his all looming presence. He did not say anything and I slipped away, climbing the stairs rapidly. When I got to the front of his room, I hesitated a little bit before opening the door gently. And just as I guessed, he was lying on his side sleeping peacefully. The lamp in the corner of the room is dimly lit. He's the only child I know that does not want to sleep with all the lights on. He prefers to stay in the dim light. I sat gently beside him and st