LOGINIt was a day after the memorial celebration, and the house had settled into a quieter, more manageable rhythm. Most of the guests and relatives were still asleep, recovering from the previous day’s events, but Autumn was already up. She had gotten out of bed early to have breakfast with Fin, determined to maintain the healthy weight she had gained during her recovery.
She had argued with Sebastian about returning to work, but she knew it was the right decision now that she feltAutumn lay flat on her back, staring blankly outside through the large glass window. Her entire body felt completely hollowed out both from the agonizing physical pain radiating from her injuries, the dull throbbing pain from her surgery, and the feeling of suffocating hopelessness she felt from the discovery of the destroyed tablet.She was mentally and physically exhausted from everything that had happened over the last two weeks. Her mind was in constant turmoil, relentlessly spinning in circles and making her feel terrible for the choices that had brought her here.“I sacrificed my child for this,” a single tear slipped silently from her eyes as she spoke aloud to the empty room, her voice a cracked whisper. “I sacrificed Eric...” She tightly gripped the rough hospital bedsheets with her one good hand as she quickly wiped her eyes, forcing her expression to harden.A soft, rhythmic knock suddenly brought her snapping back to the present.“Good day, Mrs. Kingston,” the attending d
It had been over a week since the accident, a long, suffocating week since she had first woken up in the sterile hospital room, and almost a week since she and Eric had finalized their divorce, putting an end to her marriage.She had been stuck inside the hospital alone ever since that afternoon, with no one left by her side to comfort her. She spent her days either talking listlessly with the doctors or the nurses and other passing patients, or just lying flat in bed, thinking.Her mind had always been her biggest asset, but right now, it was also her biggest obstacle. It was constantly playing mind games with her, making her feel terrible for what had happened on that road, relentlessly tormenting her with the loss of her child(ren) and the dissolution of her marriage.No one had visited her ever since that day. She was sure Eric either hadn't told Chloe about her whereabouts at all, or he had forbidden her from coming. She was guessing the former scenario was true, since she vividl
They stood just as they had yesterday, but this time with a crisp divorce certificate resting between them on the bedside tray. Eric had sped up the entire procedure to a mere twenty-four hours, making well on his promise to divorce her without a moment's delay.Autumn just stared blankly at the ink on the page, her mind numb to everything around her. She looked at the unfolding scene like she was watching another person's life implode on itself, not her own.Just like yesterday, Nigel handled everything with a court-appointed clerk standing quietly by his side to authenticate the immediate decree.“We don't have all day,” Eric murmured coldly from where he stood by the glass window, his jaw tight, his posture rigid as he looked out into the city.Theresa leaned closer over the mattress, adjusting her glasses. “Ma'am, take a look at it and sign right here,” she pointed out, indicating a specific, dotted line left blank for Autumn.Gripping the plastic pen, Autumn's hand shook a bit as
True to his word, Eric started the divorce proceedings within twenty-four hours.While Autumn was still on strict bed rest, he contacted her lawyer, Theresa Tillsday, ordering her to meet at London Central Hospital, and got Nigel to draw up a new agreement.So that was exactly what happened, with the three of them standing right in her private hospital room. Autumn, bruised and physically broken, sat up in the bed as Nigel slid a thick document over the bedside table to Theresa to look through.Theresa's eyes rapidly read through the papers one after the other, widening in shock at what she saw on the pages. “Mr. Kingston, you are being quite generous with the financial payout, but the legal terms of this agreement are a bit unfair to my client.”Raising a single brow, Eric crossed his legs slowly as he spoke. “Which part?”“The part where my client would have to give up full custody of her son, as well as the clause stating the divorce should be recorded as you seeking the divorce fr
It had been two days since the tragic accident. The police investigation was still underway, the red tape keeping the precinct quiet. The people criminally responsible for ramming the vehicle were still unfounded, slipping away into the rainy night without a trace, but the precinct kept the file under close investigation.The exact details regarding the horrific crash were kept strictly under wraps through Eric’s immense influence. But even with that tight media blackout, speculation and wild rumors were still being made across the internet. Some tabloids blamed it on a reckless truck driver; others whispered about a lovers' spat gone wrong. But the core details of the night were kept a secret from the general public, as well as the identities of those involved in the wreckage.Gabriel oversaw every single moving part regarding the case in Eric’s stead, dealing with the authorities since Eric himself was still stuck inside the hospital walls. He hadn't left Autumn’s bedside for a frac
The sky had already turned a bruised purple outside, the thick storm clouds from the previous night slowly parting. The city was already waking up to begin the new day, life returning to the once dead streets of London as traffic began to hum in the distance.But inside the walls of London Central Hospital was a completely different case. The air was thick with the scent of antiseptic and collective anxiety. Multiple visitors sat frozen in the plastic chairs, waiting for the long-awaited news of whether their loved ones lived or died.Eric sat motionless, his back rigid and his bloodshot eyes forced unblinkingly on the double O.R. doors. He was waiting for an update on the news that would either make or break him.“Who is that man?” someone murmured in a low whisper from across the waiting room, staring openly at Eric’s side profile.“I know, right?” her companion hummed in quiet agreement. “He is so handsome, despite the fact that he looks terrible right now.” They both tracked his m
It had been a few days since the incident at the bistro, and a heavy, suffocating silence had settled between Eric and me. We moved around the estate like two planets in a dangerous orbit—close enough to feel the pull of gravity, but terrified of a collision. I had managed to sneak a text to Marco
Autumn stood before the ornate mirror in the foyer, checking her reflection one last time. She adjusted the strap of her bag, her fingers lingering on the leather. She felt like herself again.Chloe, ever the observant shadow, wandered into the foyer with a bowl of sliced fruit, munching slowly. Sh
The car pulled up to the Seta by Antonio Guida, and we were led through the sleek, turquoise-accented halls of the hotel to Seta by Antonio Guida. Eric had reserved a private section, a secluded nook that felt worlds away from the bustling streets of Milan. The lighting was low, the air filled with
"No, no, no!" the man shrieked, his voice hitting a pitch that probably had the neighborhood dogs howling. "Dear God, I am going to die of a heart attack from how unceremoniously ugly your taste is!" He began fanning himself dramatically with a silk-bound lookbook, his face twisted in a mask of the







