BEN POV I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself. I had always known the truth for a long time; I just didn’t want to admit it. It was always Ambrose. Even in death, he still owned my heart. Somehow, I had convinced myself that Nolan could fill that void, but even after all these years, the thoughts of Ambrose still consumed me. I still remembered every single thing about him. Just like that, I had lost Nolan. The man who put aside his happiness just to make me happy. I felt guilty. I felt guilty for not fighting for our love. For not fighting for our marriage. I had made up my mind. I was going to see Ambrose in Italy no matter what. I wiped my tears away. I couldn’t let Alessia see me this way. I took a deep breath and went back inside. Alessia looked up, meeting my gaze. “Where is Uncle Nolan?” she asked curiously. I forced a smile. “He had an urgent meeting he had to attend.” She frowned. “I heard everything, Mom… I heard the two o
BEN POV I deserved to know the truth. I deserved to know why Nolan chose to keep me in the dark for all these years. It’s been a week since I moved in with my mother, and Alessia Marie was coping with the change of environment. I didn’t want any of this to affect her, but I couldn’t be in the same room with Nolan. This whole time he has been putting on a fake front at my own expense. I was still pissed off. Being in the same space as my mother, I got to witness one of her late date nights. The mere thought made me cringe. “Benny honey, how long are you going to ignore your husband?” I groaned deeply. “Please don’t call him that.” She shrugged carelessly. “He’s been sending you flowers all week, and I’m running out of room in my house. I know you’re still upset with him, honey, but you need to talk to him.” I sighed softly. She had a point. I wanted to know the truth, but at what cost? The truth was going to break me. I nodded quietly, wrapping the com
BEN POVI didn’t remember much after that moment—just the sound of my own heartbeat echoing in my ears, and the feeling of my entire world collapsing.Ambrose.Alive.The name pulsed in my mind like a curse and a prayer at the same time.Nolan didn’t meet my eyes after dropping the bomb. He just sat there, staring at the floor like he’d been waiting for this moment to come—like it was a confession he’d rehearsed a thousand times in his head.I stood there frozen, my voice trembling. “What did you just say?”He exhaled sharply. “He’s alive, Ben. He’s been alive all along.”My knees went weak, and I gripped the edge of the table for support. “You’re lying… this isn’t funny, Nolan.”“I wish I was lying,” he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. “But I’m not. I found out three months ago.”My heart sank. “How? How could you possibly find out something like that?”“Ambrose reached out to me,” Nolan said softly. “He told me he was alive, that he needed time to heal and stay away for your
BEN POV A YEAR LATER Nolan and I had tied the knot a year ago. We were finally happy. My definition of happiness was providing my daughter with a father figure in her life. I was happy too. Nolan was a great partner. What more could I want? He was every girl’s wet dream, yet I always felt like something was missing from my life. Like a piece of me wasn’t there. He noticed it too, more than a couple of times. There was a shift between us. There was distance between us. The fire was slowly dimming, almost extinguished, and it was taking a toll on both of us. I was happy but felt unhappy at the same time. “Mommy?” I turned back to look at Alessia Marie, dazed; I had zoned out and forgotten that I was helping her with her homework. “Are you okay?” she asked in a worried tone, and I gave her a small smile, caressing her cheek. I pulled away and gave a curt nod. “I’m alright, sweetie… just a little stressed about work.” Her face softened. “You should
NOLAN POVIt felt like we had crossed an invisible line, and it took all my self-control to pull away from Ben. I was on the verge of losing my sanity, and it was all because of my father’s mistress. I gently pushed her away. “I’m sorry, but we can’t do this.” She looked up, meeting my gaze, and confusion swam through her eyes. “I thought you were in love with me,” she whispered. I did have feelings for Benedykta, but I wasn’t ready to get my hopes up and experience another heartbreak. “We can't keep going in circles, Ben… I care about you and Alessia Marie, but I won’t let what I feel for you get in the way of that relationship.” She slowly grasped my hand. “It took me years to finally come to terms that Ambrose is gone, and I know that I need to move on and hopefully find love again, and believe me, Nolan, that’s what I’m trying to do.” I gave her a puzzled look. “And you think kissing me is going to help you forget about my father? Deep down, the both of us know that you’
EIGHT YEARS LATER BEN POV It’s been years since I lost him, and even all this time, his death still lingers. Somehow, I feel guilty, like it’s my fault that he’s not even here. I feel like I robbed Alessia Marie of a father she could have had if I had never tampered with fate that night. But Nolan was always here for me. He came up with a solution, which was giving Alessia Marie a sense of having a family, even if it wasn’t perfect. “Benedykta?” Nolan called, and I snapped out of my daze. I was supposed to work on a presentation, but I lost track of time and got lost in the past. I turned to look at him with a nervous laugh. “Yeah.” He cocked a brow at me. “It’s time for the presentation. Are you ready?” he asked in a worried tone. I stared back at my blank laptop. I can’t believe that this was happening. I groaned deeply, running my fingers through my short blonde hair. Yes, I trimmed it because I almost went mad. “I’m sorry, Nolan… I know that this pr