LOGINTalia’s POV Pain.That was the only thing I could focus on. Everything else, time, space, even my own thoughts blurred into the background. It felt like I was being torn apart from inside out. It came in waves. Relentless and totally overwhelming. The nurses tried to calm me down, but they weren’t going through this pain.And for a moment, I wasn’t sure how much more I could take. I sighed heavily.“Breathe, Talia. Just breathe.” The nurse’s voice sounded distant, like it was coming from somewhere far away.I tried. I really did. I tried with all I had within.But it felt like my body had taken over completely, like I was just along for the ride.Hours passed. Or at least, it felt like hours. I had lost track of time. Time seemed to go by slowly.Lost everything except the pain and the desperate need for it to end. I felt the pain incessantly. And then.It did. A sound broke through everything. Sharp and clear, a cry. A voice I’d eventually come to love.My baby. My breath hitched
Maxton’s POV Five months later.That was how long it took for everything to change. Not slowly. Not subtly. It all changed completely.Dad had given his blessings right there at his office five months ago. We had asked for one thing in unison, and he had accepted. If someone had told me months ago that this would be our life now, I probably wouldn’t have believed them. Back then, everything felt like survival, like we were constantly reacting, constantly trying to stay one step ahead of something waiting to pull us down.Now? We were building something instead. Talia had stepped gracefully into life like she was born for it, and she was.I leaned back slightly in my chair, my phone pressed to my ear as she spoke on the other end, her voice steady, confident, and annoyingly calm for someone who was very pregnant. She was handling it all without much fuss.“No, that’s not sustainable,” she was saying. “If we keep pushing expansion without stabilizing internal operations, we’ll crash b
Talia’s POV The days that followed were nothing short of exhausting. There was no clean break between one event and the next, everything blurred together into a cycle of court appearances, statements, and long, draining hours of answering the same questions in slightly different ways. I was tired out.“What happened that night?”“How certain are you?”“Can you confirm this message?”Over and over again.At some point, it stopped feeling like I was telling my story and started feeling like I was reliving it. And yet, It didn’t break me the way it used to.If anything, it did the opposite. It fueled me.Each time I spoke, each time I confirmed the truth, it felt like I was taking something back. Like I was reclaiming pieces of myself that had been taken from me. It was strange. Yet I was willing to go through it all.Outside of that chaos, things weren’t any less intense.The company was barely holding itself together. News of the scandal had spread faster than anyone could control, an
Talia’s POV I didn’t know what I was expecting when Maxton dragged me out of my room. But it definitely wasn’t this. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much.The television screen flickered as we stepped into the living room, the sharp tone of a news reporter already filling the space. My eyes locked onto the screen instantly, my heartbeat picking up for reasons I couldn’t explain yet. I needed some reassurance, I hoped whatever it was would provide that.“It is alleged that she has attempted to flee the country earlier today……”I froze.The words didn’t fully register at first. I stood stiff, eyes gorged in the direction of the television.“but she was apprehended at the airport before departure……”My breath caught in my throat. I knew what it was before I heard the entirety of the news.“No way!” I whispered. Entirely caught up.The screen shifted to the footage. It was blurred, and a bit chaotic, but still clear enough for me to see.“Bambi. My goodness!” I whispered.Even in the blurre
Talia’s POVI stood quietly at the far end of the room, watching everything unfold in a way I never thought I would witness. Mr. Carter had changed. No, that wasn’t even accurate. It felt like I was finally seeing who he really was beneath everything else. The hesitation I used to associate with him, the distance, the moments where he seemed unsure… all of that was gone. What remained was something far more controlled. Calculated. Dangerous, even. They gave no sense of hesitation any longer. Now he had everything he needed. I saw a decisiveness I didn’t know existed in him.“Reopen the case,” he said, his voice calm but carrying a weight that silenced the entire room. “Every detail. Every report. I want a full reinvestigation into Talia’s abduction.” He spoke. We were at the police station. He made the decision immediately after reviewing the evidence we had brought before him. Hearing my name like that, so formally, so deliberately, sent a chilly feeling running through my spine.
Talia’s POV I paced the room for what felt like the hundredth time tonight. My arms were folded tightly across my chest, my thoughts moving even faster than my steps. Every second that passed without any sign of Maxton only made the unease in my chest grow heavier. What was taking him so long? What if something had gone wrong? What if he had been caught? What if… just what if? The words hung in my head as the door opened, and I turned sharply, and there he was. For a moment, I just stared at him, my breath caught in my throat. Thank the stars he was safe, I said to myself. Relief came first. Then disbelief.“You actually came back,” I said, my voice softer than I had intended. My heart had been edgy throughout. I half expected something to go wrong.Maxton raised a brow slightly. “Was that ever in doubt?” He flashed me his usual overconfident grin.I scoffed lightly, though the tension in me was not fully eased up just yet. “You disappear into something like that and expect me to
Maxton's POV. Talia stood with her lips slightly parting in shock as she gaped at Bambi, her eyes twitched and face contorted. I clenched my hands into a fist, my eyes spiralling at the blond beside her. He had a sharp look and his little movements were tailored to show off his class. Bambi kept
Talia's POV. I prayed heavily for a sudden discourse to occur between father and son, but Eris failed me. They were always at loggerhead but when I needed it the most, Maxton stood speechless, even pulling back as though tired of their countless arguments. “I'll wait for you in the car. We'll go
Talia's POV. Deej went silent for a few seconds after I walked out on Maxton and my mother. The line was silent but Deej seemed to breathe heavily. Controlled. “Deej, come on talk to me. I just want to stuff my face into a pillow right now,” I shrugged. She sniffled through the phone and huffed
Talia's POV. I hated the way they looked at me, the way I left things with Maxton, the way Bambi tried to spite me yet again. I hated everything happening at the moment, but his voice kept replaying in my head. Mr Carter's. The call he had in the garden wasn't so easy to forget. Something inside







