Mag-log inTWO YEARS LATER The garden was bathed in golden afternoon sunlight, the kind of warm, lazy light that made everything feel softer, slower, more forgiving. Laughter echoed across the manicured lawn as a tiny figure with golden curls and unsteady legs toddled toward the fountain, her chubby arms outstretched. "Lily, no! Not the water!" Yvonne called out, already on her feet. But the two-year-old was faster than she looked. She reached the edge of the fountain just as a pair of strong arms scooped her up from behind, spinning her around in a flurry of giggles. "Gotcha!" Rhys laughed, lifting his daughter high above his head. "You thought you could escape Daddy, didn't you?" "Again! Again!" Lily squealed, her little hands clapping. Hermione watched from the shaded patio, a glass of lemonade in her hand and a smile so wide it almost hurt. Two years. Two years since the rain, since the confession, since the kiss that had brought them back together. Two years since she had stopped run
Hermione entered her house and shut the door behind her, then slid down against it and sat on the floor. The sob she had been trying to contain since that morning finally slipped out. After signing their divorce papers, she had made up her mind never to show her face to Rhys again. Marcus had helped her find this secluded estate on the edge of town, and she'd been planning to leave the country in two days—before Marcus let it slip that she was the CEO. She knew he had done it on purpose, to get her to stay and complete their revenge plan. She was angry at him for bringing the spotlight to her during such a difficult time, but the deed had already been done. When she saw Rhys standing at the back of that conference room, she had thought he'd come to scold and insult her—after all, she had used him to establish Vancroft Automobile in the capital. But that wasn't the case at all. Rhys had actually found out the truth and come to beg her. His relationship with Judith had been fake, only
Luckily for Rhys, he got his answer the next morning. The whole of the capital woke up to two spectacular news stories. The first was the downfall of the Windsor family. Tony Windsor resigned from his position overnight amidst his uncle's arrest for embezzlement crimes. A cease and desist order was sent to their home, and everything was confiscated. In a single day, they were left with nothing as the bank threw the rest of the family out of the house. The shareholders held an emergency meeting to deliberate on who would be the next head. The choice was between Rhys Huxley and the CEO of Vancroft Automobile. They were in the middle of their meeting when the second big news of the morning dropped. {Mystery CEO of Vancroft Corporation and Sterling Industries Revealed to Be Hermione Huxley.} The media went into a frenzy. The woman who had been painted as a spoiled heiress, a failed wife, and a victim of scandal was, in fact, one of the most powerful business figures in the count
Rhys sat in his dark study, hesitating before inserting the USB into his laptop. Soon, a familiar image of him and Hermione from nine years ago—in his former bedroom—flickered onto the screen. It had taken him an entire day to finally brace himself to view the tape. This was the video that had started this whole mess. Before things escalated, he paused the footage, his expression grim. He wasn't watching for pleasure, this was an investigation. From the angle and direction, the video had been taken from a gap in the door. He knew his old room well and could tell exactly where the intruder had been standing. The person had actually been inside his house that night. The only other person at home had been Gianna, but she had stepped out earlier. Then who could it have been? Rhys studied the footage for a while before his eyes widened. He suddenly jolted from his seat, grabbed his coat, and stormed out of the house. Soon, he was parked in front of Windsor Enterprise. But this time,
"No. This can't be possible." Rhys shook his head, his voice cracking. "He couldn't have... no. She didn't..." "Rhys..." Evelyn started. "Why didn't you tell me?" His eyes turned red, wet with unshed tears. "Do you know what I've done? What I did to her?" "We didn't think you were in the right headspace to accept the truth back then. You were a depressed mess," George said gently. Evelyn added, "You would sit in the bathtub all day, and I had to check in every hour to make sure you hadn't harmed yourself. At that time, we thought the best thing was to move you away. And we were right—you did get better. Telling you would have just brought back all the terrible memories, so we decided to let you move on." George sighed. "When you revealed Hermione was your wife, we thought you two had made up. You looked so in love, so we didn't want to interfere. We knew what that girl had suffered, so we tried to make her feel as welcomed as possible. Not to mention, we still felt guilty for le
When he arrived at his parents' house, no one was eagerly waiting to welcome him like they had done the last time he came with Hermione. He shook off the memory and entered the sitting room, where his parents were already waiting. Gianna was typing away on her phone on the opposite couch. When she saw him, her face brightened. "Brother, you're here." She beamed. Rhys ruffled her hair before taking a seat across from his parents. "Good evening, Dad, Mom. You called." He got straight to the point. His father spoke first, while his mother glared at him. "What's this we're hearing? People are saying you divorced Hermione. Is that true?" Rhys remained silent for a moment as all eyes bored into him. Then he sighed and nodded. "Yes. We decided to part ways. We both signed the divorce papers, but they haven't been filed yet. Once they are, I'll put out an official statement." "Are you out of your mind?" Evelyn spat. "Why would you do something like that?" "Mom, calm down," Gianna inte
Hermione drove herself to the marriage registry the next morning, her expression blank and unreadable. “Hermione! Why haven’t you been answering my calls?” Her father’s furious voice exploded through the phone. “What is this nonsense I’m hearing? Your fiancé is with another woman? Aren’t you ashame
Hermione’s apartment felt hollow when she returned. She kicked the door shut and stood there, staring at the neatly stacked wedding gifts lining the wall. Boxes she would never open. She grabbed a bottle of whiskey, uncorked it, and took a long drink straight from the bottle. The burn scorched her
[Cole Sterling spotted picking up his childhood sweetheart, top model Adriana, from the airport a day before his wedding. What does this mean for Hermione Windsor?] The headline flashed across Hermione’s phone as she stared at the screen in disbelief. Her fingers trembled as she scrolled. Beneat
Hermione sat at the small table in the middle of the garden, the evening air cool against her skin. Rhys’s mansion was something out of a fairytale book. She’d settled there hours ago, letting the quiet wrap around her. Since morning, her phone hadn’t stopped buzzing with messages from people dema







