MasukIt was a bright early morning. Thanks to Ezra, she had spent the previous day slowly getting used to feeling better.She pulled herself together to face the outside world. She couldn’t afford to keep being a Debbie Downer over Eric’s unfairness.Letting it control her mood would only do more harm than good.So she got up, got dressed, and headed to the ministry.The moment she stepped through the double doors, she felt every pair of eyes on her. Soft whispers followed her across the lobby.Most of it was probably because of the disastrous gala a few days ago. Only a handful of people had been present, but she knew that had been more than enough.She could already imagine the scandalous things being said about her. Was she the greedy ex-wife who married only for money, or the victim of the Nexus Corp CEO’s schemes?She would never know, and she preferred it that way. She had never liked involving herself in workplace goss
Sophia gritted her teeth as she stepped into the rundown part of the city once again. This time, instead of the smelly basement, Sebastian had given her the address of a bar.The place was filled with shady-looking people who looked ready to pull a knife on her for her belongings. She felt both terrified and disgusted as she made her way toward the booth he had mentioned.For the past few days, the only thing on her mind had been how to dig herself out of the hole she was in.Eric had sent her to supervise a collapsing business he had bought simply because he could. He had no real interest in it — just like he seemed to have no interest in her.She saw the transfer as a punishment, a way to keep her away from him because of the recent rumours. Part of her was relieved he hadn’t discovered her involvement. If he had, this would have been a lighter sentence.So she managed the company. She wanted to quit and return to America, but another part of her kept insisting this was a test. A te
Autumn returned to her lonely penthouse suite, broken and defeated. Her last conversation with Fin still rang clearly in her head as she fought back tears.The thought that he was paying the price for the foolish mistakes of the adults around him made her chest ache. She wanted nothing more than to run away with him again, even if it meant risking years behind bars.“I shouldn’t have returned to this city. I should have stayed away,” she whispered bitterly, cursing the past decisions that had brought her here.If she hadn’t come back to London, she and Fin would still be together. Struggling in a one-bedroom apartment with a broken heater, earning minimum wage at a diner run by an older couple who sometimes helped look after him because they enjoyed his company and treated him like their own.Even though they had no money and had to curl up together for warmth, she would trade everything she had now just to sleep with her child in her arms again.With those heavy thoughts of regret, s
She made it back to Fin’s room, where she finally broke down sobbing.She wasn’t crying because of Eric. She was mourning how powerless she felt. How she couldn’t stand her ground enough to see her daughter, even just once.She wanted a single moment with her. To hold her, even if it was only the urn. She had never gotten to hold that tiny body or see what her daughter looked like. She had only imagined it over and over.Would Mirabella have looked like Fin? Would she have taken after Eric, or after her?Even that small request had been refused, just like every other time.She laughed bitterly through the tears. She had promised herself she would avoid his sharp tongue, but it hadn’t gone as planned. He had cut her down the same way he always did.*Pathetic, Autumn. You’re pathetic for crying over a man who has shown you time and time again that he doesn’t care what you want.*She wiped her face roughly.*He’s already made it clear. No matter what you do, you can’t change his mind.*“
Just like the previous visit, Eric had scheduled something with her unannounced and last minute. Gabriel only informed her a few hours beforehand.She had to drop everything she was doing, which was organising the room for Fin to stay in during his visits, if Eric ever permitted it. She hurriedly made an excuse to the interior designer and tried to cover her rushed behaviour.She cursed him as she changed. She cursed him as she climbed into the taxi heading to the Kingston estate. She cursed him as she stepped out in front of the gates. She was still cursing him as she entered the house and waited for her son.She knew this was important. Seeing her child mattered.But she couldn’t help feeling that he was being ridiculous. He could have scheduled a proper date with her instead of choosing whatever time suited his mood and then ordering her to appear.She couldn’t protest. He would just turn her words against her with that sharp tongue of his, labelling her a workaholic who care
Gus arrived home tired. His joints ached from hauling boxes around. He had thought it would be easy since she was doing it alone. How foolish of him to think that. *She must be superhuman or something,* he thought, rubbing his aching muscles. He had lugged boxes down from the apartment into the moving truck she hired, then back up into her new place. He was sure she would have done everything by herself if he hadn’t shown up and offered to help. He sulked as he walked inside. “Where was Ezra when you needed the most, he disappears,” he muttered, grabbing a bottle of water. “All those muscles being wasted.” He headed toward his computer, the one place where he could actually show off his skills. “I’m much better off working with my brains than my brawn,” he said to himself as he powered on the computer and began typing. Even after Autumn’s emotional speech, he still couldn’t fully shake the ring of guilt. That was why, even though his muscles protested for rest, he wanted to do
We talked late into the night, the television long since forgotten. The conversation had drifted from the disaster of the wedding to safer, quieter topics—Finn’s new school, the security protocols for the house, the logistics of living under siege. I yawned, a jaw-cracking sound that I couldn't su
Silence overtook the entire garden. It was a heavy, suffocating silence, the kind that usually precedes a natural disaster. The birds seemed to stop singing; even the wind died down, as if nature itself was holding its breath to witness the carnage."Rebecca, how dare you say such things at a ti
"Are you alright?"I heard Eric’s voice, low and rumbling, but it sounded like it was coming from underwater. My mind was somewhere else, replaying the look of pure hatred on Chloe’s face. The slamming door echoed in my ears, louder than any thunder.How could I lose the one most important person i
I asked a passing maid where Eric was, and she directed me toward the sunroom. I walked off, giving my thanks before she could even finish speaking. How dare he treat me in such a manner? I am not a child he can simply restrict from going out; I am a grown woman, and my son’s life is currently at r







