เข้าสู่ระบบLena’s POVPregnancy feels different this time, and not because my body changed in some dramatic new way but because this time I was supposed to experience it with Ethan beside me from the beginning instead of carrying everything alone.When I was pregnant with Eli, Ethan had already walked away before I could even tell him about the baby and by the time he came back into my life properly, I was already close to giving birth, which meant he missed the cravings, the morning sickness, the fear, and all the tiny moments that slowly turn a pregnancy into something real.He missed everything except the end.This baby was supposed to be different.This time Ethan would have been there from the start.He would have attended every appointment even if he pretended to hate hospitals. He would have hovered over me every time I felt nauseous. He would have touched my stomach every night before falling asleep because lately he looked at me like losing me once had changed something permanent inside
Ethan’s POVThe human body heals faster than the mind does which means every day inside this villa feels divided into two separate battles one physical and one psychological and while my injuries improve steadily enough that the doctors seem satisfied with my recovery the growing sense that something is deeply wrong becomes harder to ignore with every passing day.The mornings are the worst every time I wake up there is a brief moment before full awareness settles in where confusion hits hardest because for a few seconds I forget where I am forget the explosion forget the strange emptiness inside my head and then reality returns all at once Italy, the recovery, missing memories and Maya.I stand inside the private gym connected to the lower level of the villa while rain falls steadily outside the enormous windows overlooking the lake and although my shoulder still protests sharply during certain movements I push through the discomfort anyway because movement gives me something else to
Lena’s POVThe problem with becoming responsible for an empire overnight is that grief does not pause long enough for you to learn how to carry it properly.Every morning begins before I feel ready for it and every night ends with exhaustion so heavy that sometimes I fall asleep without even remembering closing my eyes but despite how overwhelmed I constantly feel the company continues moving forward because businesses do not stop simply because someone important died and unfortunately neither does the rest of life.By the second week of officially taking over Carter Enterprises the pressure surrounding me has become almost unbearable the media follows everything I do, investors analyze every public statement I make, executives question every decision behind carefully polite smiles and somewhere beneath all of that I am still a grieving widow trying to raise a baby while carrying another child alone.The only thing keeping me functioning most days is routine like wake up, feed Eli, tr
Ethan’s POVThere is something deeply unsettling about knowing your own name but still feeling disconnected from yourself in ways you cannot explain because every morning I wake up inside this villa with the same awareness settling through me all over again the awareness that pieces of my life exist somewhere beyond my reach while everyone around me pretends that is normal.The doctors call it trauma recovery and Maya calls it healing but to me it feels more like standing inside a room filled with locked doors while hearing voices behind them that I cannot fully reach.The frustration of it settles heavier every day. I stand near the balcony overlooking the lake with one hand braced lightly against the railing while cool morning air moves through the open doors behind me, and despite the beauty surrounding this place, despite the silence and luxury and carefully controlled calm something about being here continues to feel wrong in ways I cannot properly define.My body healed faster t
Lena’s POVThe house never truly feels quiet anymore because silence inside grief sounds different from ordinary silence, carrying weight in every room like something important is missing from the air itself and some mornings the emptiness feels so sharp that even breathing inside this mansion hurts.Today is one of those mornings sunlight spills softly through the bedroom curtains while I sit against the headboard still wearing one of Ethan’s old shirts my swollen eyes fixed on the small gold ring resting on the nightstand beside me.His wedding ring.The only thing they brought back the engraving inside catches the light every time I look at it.Lena forever.The words feel cruel now beautiful but cruel.Eli crawls across the bed toward me with determined little movements while soft baby sounds leave him every few seconds, and despite the heaviness crushing my chest the sight of him still manages to pull something warm through me.He looks more like Ethan every day the same eyes and
Maya’s POVThe villa overlooks Lake Como in a way that almost feels unreal with enormous windows stretching from floor to ceiling while pale morning light spreads slowly across the water below turning everything silver and gold beneath the quiet Italian sunrise and most people would probably look at this place and see peace.I see something entirely different when I look at it I see control, I see privacy and I see the reward for months of planning that nearly fell apart the night of the explosion.The villa had been prepared long before Ethan was brought here because I knew from the beginning that if I wanted him separated completely from the life he built with Lena I would need somewhere isolated enough to bury him without anyone asking questions. America would have been too obvious and staying anywhere remotely connected to his old world would have been dangerous which made Italy perfect because places like this protect wealthy secrets better than any locked room ever could.The a
Ethan’s POVI don’t sleep much anymore. I lie in that guesthouse by the beach staring at a ceiling thinking about the Millers.That is what sits in my head when I close my eyes. Samuel and Chanel Miller.Names that look perfect on paper too perfect.I sit at the small desk in the guesthouse with my
Lena’s POVI din’t hear them arrive that is the part that still messes with me when I think about it later it was judta knock three soft taps on the front door like they are asking to borrow sugar. I’m in the kitchen with Keenan, chopping tomatoes badly because my hands won’t stop shaking and I kee
Lena’s POVI told myself I was just going to loo that is what I said when I walked into the baby store just looking at the pastel blankets and tiny socks but the truth is from the second I stepped inside I knew I was lying to myself.The place smelled like new fabric faintly sweet and clean mixed w
Ethan’s POVLos Angeles feels louder than I remember or maybe that’s just me.I drive without music just my thoughts, and they are not kind.My hands grip the steering wheel so tight my knuckles ache, my shoulders locked in a tension that refuses to loosen no matter how many deep breaths I take. I







