MasukCole still refused to let it go, but I couldn't be bothered to keep arguing with him. Just as I turned to leave, Elias suddenly spoke."If you want me to acknowledge you as my mom, I can do that," he said. "But you have to come home with us."I froze for a moment before I understood what he meant."No," I replied, shaking my head with a smile. "That's not necessary."…I thought I had made myself clear that day, but Cole and Elias still refused to leave. Cole even booked out the entire inn next door so he could stay close and keep harassing me. I was frustrated, but there was little I could do. I couldn't exactly force him to leave the neighboring inn and disrupt its other guests. I assumed that, sooner or later, they would give up. I stopped paying them any attention. But before they could give in, something happened at my own inn. …One day, Nicholas had gone to the train station to see off some guests when several large men suddenly burst inside. They didn't ask for
Nicholas and I got married. Three more years passed. We opened a small inn by the sea and had a beautiful daughter together.We named her Stella.Since Elias hadn't wanted to stay by my side, I let Stella become the new light in my life.…By the time Cole found me, Stella had only just learned to walk. He said nothing when he saw her, but Elias' eyes immediately filled with tears. "Who is she?"He rushed forward as if he meant to push Stella over."Elias, what are you doing?"I quickly stepped in front of Stella, shielding her with my body. It was the first time I'd ever raised my voice at Elias. His eyes reddened as he stared at me in disbelief."She's my daughter," I said.Both Cole and Elias went pale. Cole's eyes widened as he looked at Stella, his expression impossible to read. His stare frightened her. Just as she was about to cry, I picked her up and held her close."I'm your son," Elias said, watching Stella warily as he stepped forward. "She isn't your child."
Cole couldn't believe that, because of Jacqueline, he'd nearly caused his own wife's death.When Jacqueline received his call, she was secretly delighted. Ever since the truth about the fire had come out, he'd thrown her out of the house. Now, it seemed those three years had meant something after all. Cole still couldn't let her go. Otherwise, why would he be so eager to call her back?But the moment Jacqueline stepped into the Fanning estate, she froze. Cole sat on the couch facing the front door, while my parents sat on either side of him. Clearly, it was an interrogation.Jacqueline turned to leave, but it was already too late. "This is all your fault!" Cole snarled, throwing a stack of evidence at her. "If it weren't for you, Chloe would never have been separated from us for all those years."Jacqueline was quick to read the situation. Without hesitation, she took all the blame and stepped closer, wrapping her arms around him."Cole, it's all my fault. I only did it beca
The man told me his name was Cole Jarrett, and that he was my husband. The older couple beside him were supposedly my parents, and the boy was my son.But I couldn't bring myself to believe it. Whenever I looked at them, a dull ache stirred inside me. If they truly were my family, why did being near them make me so sad?The doctor said I had temporary amnesia and that my memories might return someday. That made me happy. I wanted to remember them again.But Cole's expression darkened at the doctor's words, as if he didn't want me to remember the past at all.I didn't understand why, but I didn't ask. …After I left the hospital, Cole brought me home. My parents and my son lived there too. Sometimes, they looked at me with strange, complicated expressions. I loved holding Elias, but he was always stiff and distant in my arms, as though I wasn't really his mother. The thought startled me, but Cole always reassured me that I was overthinking it.Still, the house felt familia
My pregnancy with Elias had been difficult from the start. I was on near-total bed rest in my third trimester, terrified of losing him. During delivery, I hemorrhaged so badly I nearly died in the hospital. After he was born, I couldn't produce enough milk. By the end, it felt as though he was feeding on my blood.And yet the child I had brought into this world at such a cost stood before me and told me to get out. I sank to the floor and slowly closed my eyes. "Fine," I whispered. "If that's what you want."Seemingly frightened by my reaction, Elias turned and ran from the room. Once, I might've wanted to expose Jacqueline for who she really was and win my family back. But now, all I wanted was to leave and escape the place that had caused me nothing but pain. I packed the few things I still had left in that house—a photograph of my parents and me after I won a piano competition at seven, the first gift Cole gave me when we were dating, and Elias' tiny footprint from the d
Late that night, I lay awake in the master bedroom, replaying everything my parents and Elias had said to me that day.Tears silently poured down my cheeks. Just then, a knock sounded at my door. It was Jacqueline. "What are you doing here?"She ignored me and sauntered into my room as though she owned it."I hope it's a girl this time," she said, one hand resting on her stomach. "Elias has always wanted a baby sister."As she spoke, she deliberately lifted her hand and revealed a small charm dangling from her wrist. The sight of it made my breath catch.It was a small silver good-luck charm—one Cole had once gone to great lengths to get for me.He'd spent three days at an old chapel, hoping to receive a blessing for my safety. The caretaker, moved by his sincerity, had finally given him the charm. Sometimes, I wondered whether I would've avoided that plane crash if I had worn it that day. But now, Cole had given it to someone else.A smug smile spread across Jacqueline'







