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2026-05-01 15:56:42
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Falling For My Father's Best Friend 164
EpilogueThe mirror in the bridal suite of the Mateo's mansion didn’t reflect a ghost anymore. The woman who stared back at me was no longer the lost and broken girl who had arrived more than a year ago, burdened by secrets and haunted by the past. Eight months had passed since the chaos of childbirth, the harrowing experience that had brought my precious twins into the world, and as I stood in my silk-and-lace gown, the exquisite fabric shimmering in the soft light, I saw a woman who finally knew where she stood, a woman who had found her strength, her purpose, her place in the world. "I look amazing" I almost giggled.My hair was swept up in an elegant updo, held in place by a delicate diamond comb, its sparkling brilliance mirroring the joy in my eyes, and the pear-cut sapphire on my finger, casting a dazzling array of blue hues across the room. "Girlll," Olga whispered, stepping up behind me, her voice filled with emotion, her eyes sparkling with tears. Her strawberry-blonde bob
Falling For My Father's Best Friend 163
The drive home was quiet, the hum of the SUV's engine a soothing contrast to the chaotic roar of the Gala. I leaned my head against the cool glass, watching the London rain start to smear the streetlights into streaks of gold."You're very quiet," Mateo murmured, his hand finding mine in the dark."Just processing," I whispered. "Isabella Cortez... business owner... mother of twins. It's a lot to happen in one night.""It's only the beginning," he promised.When the car pulled up to the estate, the house was ablaze with light. I expected the quiet stillness of a late night, but as the front doors opened, music and laughter spilled out onto the gravel.I stepped into the foyer and froze."SURPRISE!"The room was filled with the people who had kept me sane when my life was a wreckage in Berlin. My heart skipped a beat as a blur of energy slammed into me."GIRLLLL!" Olga shrieked, tapping my backside with a playful grin before pulling me into a bone-crushing hug. "Look at you! A whole ic
Falling For My Father's Best Friend 162
The London Gala was a sea of black ties, shimmering diamonds, and the low, expensive hum of the elite. Tonight wasn't just a foundation event; it was my twenty-fifth birthday-the day I was supposed to be a "mistake" in an alleyway. Instead, I stood in front of a mirror in the vanity room, draped in a gown that felt more like armor than silk.Lucian was right about the light hitting differently on the metallic teal dress."You look ready," Mateo whispered, appearing behind me. He looked lethal in his dark teal and black tuxedo, his hand sliding firmly onto the small of my back."I feel like an imposter," I admitted, my heart racing."You aren't," he said, his voice dropping to that low, possessive rumble. "You're the guest of honor."The moment we stepped into the ballroom, the atmosphere shifted. The whispers didn't feel like thorns anymore. They felt like curiosity. I was no longer the "disgrace" Isabella Hartley. I was being introduced as **Isabella Cortez**.The spotlight hit the s
Falling For My Father's Best Friend 161
**ISABELLA'S POV**The London sun was surprisingly warm, spilling across the duvet as I sat propped up against the headboard. For the first time in days, my chest didn't feel tight. The "ghost" of the Hartley name was fading, replaced by the weight of the envelope on my nightstand containing my real birth certificate.I was on the phone with Olga, the familiar rasp of her Berlin accent grounded me."I'm telling you, Izzy, you're a legend," Olga laughed on the other end. "A British citizen by blood? That's some movie-level plot twist. I'm just happy the 'creeps' didn't win." She paused for a few seconds "They got bars too. Does that make you the heir of your family because or?" She asked what I have been thinking "Is this real?" The heir? Well, they are old and unless they got Valentina, I don't get it but it wasn't my problem.I smiled, leaning back. "It feels real now, Olga. Like I'm finally standing on solid ground.""Good. You deserve every bit of it," she said, though I heard a b
Falling For My Father's Best Friend 160
The bedroom was a whirlwind of metallic teal silk. I leaned against the doorframe, watching Isabella spin, the fabric catching the afternoon light and shimmering like the surface of the Thames. She looked radiant, her movements light, almost ethereal.I couldn't wrap my head around it. Four days ago, she was a broken mess in the back of my SUV, her world leveled by the filth Nathan and Valentina had spat out. Today, she was humming a pop song and debating necklines."Too much?" she asked, stopping mid-spin. She frowned at her reflection, smoothing the silk over her stomach. "I don't like this one. It makes me look fat.""It makes you look like a goddess," I countered, pulling out my phone. Before she could protest, I snapped a photo. She was mid-laugh, her hair caught in the motion, her eyes finally bright again."Hey!" She pointed a finger at me, a playful scowl on her face. "You're under arrest. Taking unauthorized photos of a pregnant woman in a dress she hates is a federal offens
Falling For My Father's Best Friend 159
The morning air at my parents' estate was crisp, a sharp contrast to the suffocating stench of the hotel room I’d left hours ago. I was in my father’s study, the scent of old leather and expensive bourbon grounding me as we looked over the files Ayisha had compiled on the Cortez family."The parents are old-school, Mateo," my father said, his eyes scanning the map of the Cortez estate in the countryside. "They live for their reputation. Finding out Valentina has been playing house with her high school mistake in a hotel you paid for? It’ll crush them again after her " supposedly visit to a family" when they sent her away.""That’s the point," I muttered, my fingers tapping rhythmically on the mahogany desk. "I want the original birth records. I want the hospital files. I want every piece of leverage they have over Isabella."The door swung open, and the sharp click of heels announced my mother’s arrival before she even spoke. She stood in the doorway, an amused smirk playing on he
Falling For My Father's Best Friend CH 14
Three days without seeing Mateo felt like slow suffocation. I should have been relieved—no intense stares, no commanding voice making my thighs clench, no risk of him noticing the fading green-yellow bruise around my left eye or the scabbed cut on my lip. But relief never came. Instead I caught
Falling For My Father's Best Friend CH 13
Monday morning arrived like a punishment I already earned. I stood in front of the mirror for twenty minutes debating whether to call in sick. The bruises had darkened overnight-left eye socket a deep violet-black, lid so swollen I could barely open it, lip scabbed and cracked, jaw mottled purple.
Falling For My Father's Best Friend CH 12
**Isabella's POV**The elevator doors slid shut and I pressed myself against the wall, breathing through my mouth so the metallic taste of blood wouldn't make me gag again. My reflection in the polished steel was a stranger: left eye swollen almost shut, purple blooming across the cheekbone like sp
Falling For My Father's Best Friend CH 10
**Isabella's POV**The spa smelled like eucalyptus and expensive candles. Soft music played somewhere overhead while a woman with gentle hands massaged warm oil into my face, neck, and shoulders. Mateo had booked the full facial without asking-had simply told the receptionist "everything for her" a
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