LOGINLater that night, Noah drowned himself in liquor, each glass a futile attempt to wash away the pain that had burrowed deep into his bones. He sat hunched over the bar at The Rusty Anchor a place he’d once avoided for being too “common” and looked less like the powerful Noah Miller everyone knew and more like a broken boy whose pieces had scattered too far to ever be put back together. Selin’s word echoed in his mind, slow and deliberate, each letter landing like a hammer on glass D… I… E…He refused to believe it, even as the words burned into his consciousness with every sip of whiskey. His grip on his glass tightened until his knuckles bled white, the crystal threatening to shatter in his palm. His jaw clenched so hard he could feel his molars grinding, the pressure building until he thought his skull might split. With a guttural roar that cut through the bar’s chatter, he drained the last of his drink and hurled the glass across the room.It exploded in a shower of glittering sh
She stopped in her tracks, but she did not flinch, nor did she pull away in haste. She simply stood there, looking down at him with an expression so cold and distant it felt like standing in the middle of winter. There was no softness in her gaze, no flicker of the warmth that used to shine for him, no trace of the woman who had once looked at him with love.“Noah,” she said, and her voice was calm, steady, and as sharp as shards of ice. “There is nothing left between us. Do not fool yourself into thinking there ever could be again.”Her presence was commanding, overwhelming, and the sheer force of her indifference made him want to shrink away, but his guilt kept him rooted in place.“I know I was wrong,” he cried, and before he realized what he was doing, his knees hit the hard pavement. He sank to the ground, still holding onto her arm, then brought her hand to his lips, pressing desperate, trembling kisses against her skin. “I was arrogant. I was blind. I was cruel and heartless.
For Noah, desperation had long since crossed the line into something unrecognizable. At last, he had done what no one ever imagined he would broke off his engagement. The decision came not lightly, but with a finality that felt like tearing out a part of his own chest yet it was a choice he was willing to make, even when it meant going against the very person whose word had once been his law his own mother, Alicia.There had been a time when Noah never dared to disagree with her. He had grown up learning to heed her every advice, follow every instruction, and respect her judgment above all else. His will had always bent to hers his choices were shaped by her expectations, and his life had moved along the path she carefully laid out. But everything shattered the day Selin Orchestrated what appeared to be her own death. That single act had ripped away the old Noah, leaving behind someone unmoored, angry, and completely transformed. Where once he was obedient and controlled, now he
The following day, Fabi arranged a private meeting with Calex Sever. He had been turning the idea over in his mind for days, weighing every possible angle before finally deciding to bring it up. The subject was delicate, yet important he wanted to ask for Calex’s help in assisting Selin with her research into developing a groundbreaking medication for brain tumors.This project was more than just work—it was Selin’s greatest dream. It was the way she intended to prove to the world, and most importantly to herself, that she was far more than just a discarded wife or a woman defined by her past. She wanted to rise on her own merit, to create something meaningful that could change lives. But lately, Fabi had watched her struggle. Day after day, trial after trial, her efforts ended in failure. The formulas did not hold, the results were inconsistent, and the frustration began to show in the dark circles under her eyes and the tight set of her jaw. It pained him to see her push herself so
“Fabi….”Noah’s voice trailed off, the name dying awkwardly on his tongue. It took him a moment to realize just how wrong it sounded Fabi had never once allowed him the familiarity of using his given name. There was no warmth, no brotherly bond left between them only a history of division and the cold reality of who they had become.“I… I’m sorry,” Noah stammered, the words sounding hollow even to his own ears. He cleared his throat, straightening his posture in a feeble attempt to regain some measure of composure, though his eyes betrayed his desperation. “Mr. Grimes, then. I hope you will consider helping me. I know full well that I am far from a good man, and I have made countless mistakes. But believe me when I say I am not entirely vicious, either. There is still some part of me that knows right from wrong, even if I have spent years ignoring it.”Fabi remained silent, his expression unreadable. He swirled the deep red wine in his glass, the liquid catching the light like blood,
Later that night, Ronald and his younger daughter had a fierce, heated argument over the way Jana had behaved. Ronald knew Jana better than anyone, and he could sense she was hiding something dreadful about Rach’s scandal — so he confronted her directly.“Jana, stop lying. I know you’re aware of what happened to Rach,” he said firmly.Jana had never dared to lie to her father, so she finally admitted the truth. “You’re right, Dad. I kidnapped her and made her take sleeping pills. Everything went exactly according to my plan.”Her brother Deb’s eyes went wide with shock — then admiration. “Sister… this is unbelievable. You actually did that? You’re incredible!” he said, sounding proud.Ronald pressed a hand hard against his chest, his heart pounding with fear. For years he had raised her to be sensible and kind he never imagined she could be this cold and ruthless. Without hesitation, he struck Deb’s knee with the tip of his cane.“And you have the nerve to be proud of your sister?”
The next day, Ranz delivered exactly what Selin had ordered Noah Miller’s trusted private investigator, Clyde, dragged into a derelict, abandoned factory on the edge of the city—far from prying eyes, far from any place that would recognize the name Miller or Sever. Clyde had refused every offer, e
Later that same day, Selin sat waiting for Fabi to come home, her heart tangled in a storm of conflicting thoughts. She longed to tell him everything—that Noah had reopened the investigation, that he was digging into the past again. There was nothing she wanted more than to be completely open with
The next day, Noah sat across from a private investigator, his knuckles white where he gripped the edge of the table. He had come with only one request: dig into every detail, verify if the body pulled from that wreckage truly belonged to Selin. Deep down, a fragile, stubborn spark of hope still l
“Hi, I’m Noah Miller, and this is my fiancée, Rach Jayem. We’re here to discuss a collaboration with Grimes Med,” Noah announced to the receptionist, his voice carrying the practiced ease of a man used to being heard.The receptionist didn’t look up from her monitor. “I’m sorry, Mr. Miller, but yo







