ログインBella PovI managed to avoid the reporters for two days by staying inside my apartment. Tanya brought groceries. My mom took Nathan to the park through the back entrance of the building. I worked from home and ignored the constant buzzing of my phone with interview requests and messages from people I hadn't talked to in years suddenly interested in my drama.On the third day Karen posted a video. Tanya called me crying angry tears to warn me but I had already seen it. The video was Karen sitting in her apartment talking directly to the camera like she was doing an interview."I know there's been a lot of speculation about me and Damian" Karen said in the video. She smiled softly like she was shy about admitting something personal. "The truth is we've been talking. Reconnecting. Exploring the possibility of giving our relationship another chance now that I've done my time and worked on myself."My stomach dropped. I watched the rest of the video in horror."Damian reached out to me a f
Damian PovI spent three hours trying to reach Karen's lawyer and the prison warden before I gave up and decided to handle it myself. My lawyer Marcus said it was a bad idea to confront her in person but I didn't care. Someone needed to make her stop and clearly the legal system wasn't going to do it.I looked up Karen's address from the court documents. She was living with her mother in a small apartment across town. Technically she was still supposed to be in prison but apparently she got released early for good behavior. The system failed again. Let a woman who tried to poison my ex wife and unborn child walk free after barely a year.I drove to her apartment and sat in my car for ten minutes trying to calm down. Dr. Sarah Williams would be disappointed that I was doing this. She would say I was letting my anger control me instead of using my coping mechanisms. But I was tired of coping. I was tired of counting to ten while Karen destroyed Bella's life. Someone needed to actually d
Bella PovI was feeding Nathan breakfast when Tanya called at eight in the morning. She never called that early unless something was wrong."Don't look at social media" Tanya said as soon as I answered. "Just don't look.""What happened" I asked. I put down Nathan's spoon and felt my stomach drop. "Is it about Damian.""It's about Karen" Tanya said. She sounded angry. "She's posting old photos of her and Damian on Instagram. Photos from when they were having the affair. With captions like 'first love never dies' and 'some people are worth the wait' and other garbage like that.""She's still in prison" I said. "How is she posting anything.""Contraband phone probably" Tanya said. "But Bella it's getting picked up by the tabloids. They're running stories about whether Damian is getting back with his former mistress. It's everywhere."I hung up and immediately opened Instagram. Karen's account was public and the posts were right there. Photo after photo of her and Damian. Some I recogniz
Damian PovI was making breakfast when my phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number. I almost ignored it but something made me check. The message said "Congratulations on your new beginning. Sometimes losing everything is the best thing that can happen. It forces you to rebuild better. I hope you're doing well. -Karen"My stomach dropped. Karen was texting me. From prison. Or maybe not from prison. Maybe she was out. Maybe the system failed and released her early. Maybe she was somewhere close watching me.I immediately screenshot the message and called my lawyer Marcus. He answered on the second ring."Damian what's wrong" he asked. "It's seven in the morning.""Karen is texting me" I said. I sent him the screenshot. "Is she out. Did they release her.""Let me check" Marcus said. I heard typing on his computer. "According to the prison records she's still serving her sentence. She's not scheduled for release for another six months.""Then how is she texting me" I asked."Con
Bella PovNathan and I fell into a routine at the apartment. Wake up. Breakfast. Play time. Nap. Lunch. More play. Dinner. Bath. Bed. The days blurred together but they were peaceful. No drama. No fighting. No waiting for the next crisis. Just me and my son building a simple quiet life.On the weeks Damian had Nathan I threw myself into building my modeling agency. I worked from home turning the tiny living room into an office. I made calls and sent emails and pitched potential clients. I designed a website. I created a business plan. I did everything I could to make this dream into reality.Tanya helped when she could. She introduced me to contacts in the fashion industry. She gave me advice on contracts and negotiations. She reminded me to eat and sleep when I got too focused on work."You're doing amazing" Tanya said one night over takeout. "I'm really proud of you Bella. You're building something real.""Thanks" I said. "It feels good to focus on something that's mine. Something D
Damian Pov The penthouse felt like a museum after Bella and Nathan left. Everything was exactly where it had always been but none of it felt like mine anymore. The nursery sat empty with Nathan's mobile hanging over the crib that would only get used every other week. The kitchen had food for one person instead of a family. The bedroom echoed with silence instead of Bella's breathing or Nathan's baby sounds through the monitor.I lived alone for the first time in months and the quiet was suffocating. I used to crave silence when Nathan was crying or Bella was upset or the chaos was too much. Now I would give anything to hear Nathan's laugh or Bella humming while she cooked or any sound that proved I wasn't completely alone.Dr. Sarah Williams increased my therapy sessions to three times a week. She said I needed the extra support during the separation. She also started making me journal every single day about my feelings. "Write whatever comes to mind" she instructed during our sessio
Bella PovI stood in front of a small apartment building. The building was old and the paint was peeling. It was nothing like the luxury penthouse I used to live in. But it was mine. And it was far away from Damian and everything that reminded me of him.I unlocked the door and walked into my new a
Damian PovI crouched behind a parked car across the street from Bella's modeling agency. My heart pounded so hard in my chest I could hear it in my ears like a drum.I had been waiting here for two hours. Hiding like some kind of criminal. But I needed to see her. I needed to talk to her face to f
Bella PovI woke up in the motel room and forgot where I was for a second. Then everything came rushing back. Damian. Karen. The bed. The betrayal.I sat up and looked around the small room. Sunlight came through the thin curtains. My phone was on the nightstand. I picked it up and checked the time
Damian PovI sat at my desk staring at my computer. I could not focus on work. I had not focused on anything for days. All I could think about was Bella.Someone knocked on my office door. I ignored it. The knocking got louder."Go away" I yelled."Sir it is Karen" a voice said through the door. "I







