Chapter 054AliceFew Days LaterIt’s only been three days since Elsa’s public confession and Mario’s shocking declaration of love to me in front of the entire world. Three days isn’t a long time, really, but to me, it has felt like forever. The event has dominated every conversation since. It’s all anyone seems to talk about on the streets, in the market, even on TV.But despite the whirlwind of gossip and headlines, Mario hasn’t come to see me. Not once. And even though I’ve told myself over and over not to miss him, I do. Desperately. More than I’d like to admit.His words still echo in my mind: "I’m the real father of her kids, our resemblance isn't just a coincidence." At first, I dismissed it as something he said in the heat of the moment, some wild claim to stir drama, and morever he was once their contractual father. But I couldn’t shake it off. It kept playing over and over in my head like a haunting melody I couldn’t turn off.So today, I finally gathered the courage to take
Chapter 052Alice “Wait… Mom,” Ava’s soft voice broke the warm silence in the room. Her wide blue eyes shimmered with joy as she clutched her little hands in front of her chest. “So what Grandpa is saying is… you’re carrying my baby sister in your belly? And I’ll get to carry her too in the next eight months?”I smiled, my heart softening as I reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yes, sweetheart. Grandpa’s right. You’re going to be a big sister soon.”“Yay!” Ava squealed, and before I could say more, Liam, Paul, and Ava all sprang up, bouncing around the room in a storm of laughter and excitement.“She’s gonna be so cute!” Liam cheered.“I hope she has my hair!” Ava twirled with a dramatic spin.“I just want to carry her first!” Paul declared.I watched them, a soft ache blooming in my chest, the good kind. I hadn’t known how much I needed this moment until now.Across the room, Granny sat quietly in her favorite corner chair, smiling. Dad stood beside her, arms fold
Chapter 051 Mario Hell. That was the only word that even came close to describing what I’d been living in since the day Esha came and tore apart the fragile, beautiful thing that existed between Alice and me. Nothing felt right anymore. Not the silence. Not the air. Not even the taste of my own name. Since the separation, I’d been drifting, drowning in a reality where everything felt gray, numb, and wrong. The only thread keeping me from unraveling completely…was them. My children. We’d been meeting in secret, just for a few stolen minutes before they left school. It was our own little secret, like the early days before Alice and I met. If someone had told me I’d one day become a man who locked himself away for three straight days, drinking, smoking, with ash and broken bottles littering the floor, I’d have laughed and put a bullet between their eyes for the insult. But here I was. All because of one woman. One small, furious, unforgettable woman. Alice. She
Chapter 050AliceSeven days. Seven endless, airless days since everything came crashing down.Since Elsa came like a wildfire, and burned through the fragile little world we built.Mario’s been here nearly every day since. Pounding on the door like his fists could rewind time, like shouting my name would erase the betrayal. But my father? He stands at the door like a fortress. He doesn't let him in based on my order.The kids also kept on asking about him. At first, I lied. I dodged. Then I broke.I told them the truth or my version of it. That he wasn’t their father. That they should never say his name again. The words scorched my throat, but I said them anyway.And ever since, they’ve changed.They slam doors. Whisper behind my back. Their eyes are no longer full of wonder, just betrayal. Tiny, tearful accusations in every glance.I tried. God, I triedI begged. I bribed. I cried.But all they say is one thing. Just one heartbreaking sentence: “We want our daddy back.”And every
Chapter 049Alice“Liam! Come sit in the car, we need to go, quickly!” I called out, my voice slightly breathless as I hurried into the kitchen to grab their lunch boxes. I didn’t want to keep Peter waiting.He’d been taking the kids to school, and me to work every morning for the past two weeks, ever since I walked out of Mario’s mansion.I had told him I needed space. I’d meant it. But Mario had refused, gently but firmly. And now, every night, he came over, held me, made love to me, and stayed until morning.The space I’d asked for had never come… but strangely, I loved every bit of it.I craved his presence. I always had. And since we confessed our feelings, it had only intensified. His touch, his attention, I was addicted to it now.Things had finally settled into a peaceful rhythm, and I was grateful. Grateful for him. For this second chance.But peace never lasted long in this house.“You and your kids are still here?” my mother’s cold voice slithered in behind me as she entere
Chapter 048MarioLove. What was love? A distant, hollow word. I never truly knew it. Never felt its warmth, never tasted its sweetness. Not since my mother. When she died, any part of me capable of love died with her. I remember the emptiness in her lifeless, bloodshot eyes, staring at me as if accusing me, as if cursing me. From that moment, the warmth in my heart turned to ice.But then… she came. This stubborn, breathtakingly beautiful woman along with my children. They thawed the frozen hollows of my chest. It wasn’t immediate. My feelings for the kids came first, raw and undeniable. I loved them even before I knew what love was. But her? It was different. Slow, maddeningly slow. A creeping affection that I refused to acknowledge until it consumed me.Yet our union was a contract. A simple deal. No emotions. No strings. So when I finally recognized that fierce, aching feeling burning inside me for her, I didn’t know how to act on it. I needed to know if she felt the same, to make