LOGINDamian 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 found a small apartment in a quiet neighborhood across town from the penthouse. It was a one bedroom with barely enough space for me and Nathan but it was mine. My name on the lease. My furniture. My rules. My life.Damian insisted on helping me move in even though I told him I could hire movers. "Let me do this" he said when I tried to refuse. "Let me at least help you get settled."So on Saturday morning he showed up with his car full of boxes and furniture I had been storing. We made trip after trip carrying things up the stairs to my second floor apartment. We didn't talk much. Just the practical communication of moving. Where do you want this. Does this go in the bedroom. Be careful that's heavy.He set up Nathan's crib in the corner of my bedroom without me asking. He put it together carefully and made sure it was stable and safe. He set up the changing table. He organized Nathan's clothes in the small dresser. He worked quietly and efficiently like he was trying to
Damian PovTwo weeks after Bella went to the hotel she finally agreed to meet me. She texted "Can we talk? In person? There's a café on Main Street. Tomorrow at two if you're free."I texted back immediately. "I'll be there."I spent the next twenty four hours anxious and hopeful and terrified. Dr. Williams told me to go into the meeting with no expectations. "Listen to what Bella needs" she said. "Don't try to convince her of anything. Just listen and accept whatever she decides."I showed up at the café fifteen minutes early and ordered coffee I didn't drink. I sat at a corner table and watched the door. At exactly two PM Bella walked in. She looked different. Her hair was shorter. She was wearing jeans and a simple shirt. No makeup. She looked relaxed in a way I hadn't seen in months."Hi" she said. She sat down across from me. "Thanks for meeting me.""Of course" I said. I wanted to reach across the table and hold her hand but I kept my hands wrapped around my coffee cup instead.
Bella PovI was feeding Nathan his lunch when my phone buzzed with a news alert. "Breaking: Damian Roberts Steps Down as CEO Amid Ongoing Scandal." I clicked on the article and read about the board forcing him to resign. About Robert Tyler's statement. About Damian leaving the company he built with a box of personal items.I felt a pang of sympathy that surprised me. Damian loved that company. He poured everything into building it. Losing his position must have destroyed him. Part of me wanted to call and check on him. Part of me wanted to offer comfort even though we were separated and I was still angry and hurt and confused.But I didn't call. I just sat there feeling sad for him and guilty for feeling sad and frustrated with myself for caring when I was supposed to be focused on figuring out my own life.My phone rang. Ethan. I almost didn't answer but I knew he would just keep calling."Hey Ethan" I said. I put the phone on speaker while I wiped Nathan's face."Bella I saw the new
Damian PovBella had been at a hotel for a week and I still didn't know which one. She texted me updates about Nathan twice a day like clockwork. Morning update: Nathan had oatmeal for breakfast and played with his blocks. Evening update: Nathan took two naps today and his fever is completely gone. The texts were informative and cold. No emotion. No indication of how she was feeling or what she was thinking.I respected her request for space even though it was killing me. Every morning I woke up hoping she would text something personal. Every night I went to bed disappointed. I wanted to drive around to every hotel in the city until I found them but I knew that would just push her further away.My therapist Dr. Williams said this was healthy. "Bella needs to process everything without your influence" she explained during our session. "She needs to figure out what she wants independent of your wants. This separation is good for both of you."It didn't feel good. It felt like dying slow
Bella PovI stood at the gate with Nathan in my carrier against my chest. My boarding pass was in my hand. The flight attendant was making the final boarding call. Other passengers were filing onto the plane. In a few minutes the doors would close and we would take off for Miami where Ethan's private plane was waiting to take us to his island.My phone was buzzing constantly with calls from Damian. I put it on airplane mode and slipped it into my pocket. I didn't want to hear his voice. Didn't want to hear him beg. Didn't want to be convinced to stay when every part of me wanted to run.Ethan had been amazing when I called him yesterday. He didn't ask questions. He didn't judge. He just said yes immediately and arranged everything. A commercial flight to Miami today. His private plane waiting there to take us to the island. A house ready for us. Everything I needed to escape."Ma'am" the flight attendant said. She smiled at me. "Are you boarding. We need to close the doors.""Yes" I s
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 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
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 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







