*****************CHAPTER 132~Kaia’s POV~“Did you break anything in there?” he asked without looking up.I didn’t answer. Just dropped onto the opposite armchair and pulled my knees up, curling into myself.Then, I saw his face shift.Blaze stilled.His jaw clenched slightly, and the light glow of the screen reflected in his eyes. Whatever he was reading, it wasn’t good.I sat up straighter. “What is it?”He didn’t respond immediately. Just stared at the screen a few more seconds before finally locking the tablet and setting it down on the table.“Blaze?” I pressed.He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, running both hands down his face. For a long beat, he didn’t move. Then, finally, he looked at me. The humor, the teasing, even the exhaustion—it was all gone from his face.“I just got an email,” he said quietly.I waited, tension wrapping around my chest.“It’s from Sam. Dr. Sam Allen—he’s been treating Grandma for years.”My stomach dropped.“What… what did it say?”He looked aw
*****************~Kaia's POV~I hadn’t planned to be at the gala that night.Not after the confrontation with my adoptive parents. Not after everything I learned—everything I remembered. The images were still burned into my mind: the hospital record, my photo in a nurse’s arms, my mother’s tearful confession that I wasn’t Kaia Gold—I was Isla Silver.The lost girl. The heiress.The one who was supposed to be dead.But here I was, standing under the weight of another chandelier, another room full of eyes that sparkled with curiosity, envy, or scrutiny. And somewhere in that crowded hall was Blaze.I hadn’t told him yet. I wanted to. God, I needed to. But how do you tell the man you married out of desperation that your entire identity is a lie neither of you saw coming?I was walking toward him when I heard it.“Everyone, I have something to say.”The microphone's shrill feedback cut through the soft melody the orchestra had been playing. Conversations died instantly. Heads turned. My
*****************CHAPTER 136~Kaia's POV~I hadn’t planned to be at the gala that night.Not after the confrontation with my adoptive parents. Not after everything I learned—everything I remembered. The images were still burned into my mind: the hospital record, my photo in a nurse’s arms, my mother’s tearful confession that I wasn’t Kaia Gold—I was Isla Silver.The lost girl. The heiress.The one who was supposed to be dead.But here I was, standing under the weight of another chandelier, another room full of eyes that sparkled with curiosity, envy, or scrutiny. And somewhere in that crowded hall was Blaze.I hadn’t told him yet. I wanted to. God, I needed to. But how do you tell the man you married out of desperation that your entire identity is a lie neither of you saw coming?I was walking toward him when I heard it.“Everyone, I have something to say.”The microphone's shrill feedback cut through the soft melody the orchestra had been playing. Conversations died instantly. Heads
*****************CHAPTER 136~Kaia's POV~I hadn’t planned to be at the gala that night.Not after the confrontation with my adoptive parents. Not after everything I learned—everything I remembered. The images were still burned into my mind: the hospital record, my photo in a nurse’s arms, my mother’s tearful confession that I wasn’t Kaia Gold—I was Isla Silver.The lost girl. The heiress.The one who was supposed to be dead.But here I was, standing under the weight of another chandelier, another room full of eyes that sparkled with curiosity, envy, or scrutiny. And somewhere in that crowded hall was Blaze.I hadn’t told him yet. I wanted to. God, I needed to. But how do you tell the man you married out of desperation that your entire identity is a lie neither of you saw coming?I was walking toward him when I heard it.“Everyone, I have something to say.”The microphone's shrill feedback cut through the soft melody the orchestra had been playing. Conversations died instantly. Heads
*****************CHAPTER 135~Blaze’s POV~I didn’t open the envelope right away.It had been sitting on my desk for hours, a thick cream folder sealed and stamped CONFIDENTIAL in red. The investigator I’d hired weeks ago—quietly, privately—had finally sent me the results. And I couldn’t bring myself to rip the damn thing open.This wasn’t supposed to be about distrust. It wasn’t betrayal. It was survival. Mine.Because falling for Kaia hadn’t been part of the plan. She was supposed to be temporary. A clever, convenient detour. But the more I tried to hold the line, the more she’d blurred it with her honesty, her fire, and that maddening way she made me forget every rule I’d lived by.But something hadn’t added up.The missing childhood memories. The way she flinched when family came up. The guarded expression every time someone asked about her past.I didn’t want to doubt her—but I also didn’t want to drown in another heartbreak.So, I did what I always did when my emotions spun out
*****************CHAPTER 134~Kaia’s POV~The sky had already darkened by the time I turned onto the quiet street where my old apartment stood. The city lights flickered in the distance, casting a golden hue on the cracked sidewalk. I hadn’t been here in weeks—maybe even months. Not since everything started spiraling. Not since Blaze.I told him I had errands to run, but in truth, I needed something. Not just any file or financial document—I needed clarity.There was a thick, nagging weight in my chest that wouldn’t leave me alone, something I hadn’t been able to shake off since that gala. Since the whispers. Since Blaze’s parents looked at me like they’d seen a ghost.I parked and walked up the familiar steps to the second floor. My key slid into the lock smoothly, and the door creaked open with a tired groan. The scent of old wood and faint vanilla greeted me like an old friend, and for a moment, I stood there, staring into the dark apartment, feeling both comforted and unsettled.