LOGINCIERRA’S POVNow that I’d finally gotten Miles off my back, I just needed to handle this cleanly, quietly, and as quickly as possible. But judging by what I was already seeing, that goal seemed considerably more complicated than I’d initially anticipated.As the Uber pulled through the gates of the estate, I stared out the window, my eyes widening in genuine surprise at the scene unfolding in front of me. It had been a while since I’d last visited this particular property, but I was fairly certain there hadn’t been nearly this much security scattered across the grounds before. Bodyguards were positioned at nearly every corner, patrolling slowly along the perimeter, while several more stood near the main entrance itself, all of them dressed in the same dark, tailored suits, with radios clipped visibly to their belts.And this was just the exterior. If security had been beefed up this dramatically outside, I could only imagine what waited for me once I actually stepped inside the house.
CIERRA’S POV“And where are you going now?” Miles asked from behind me.I stood up from the edge of the bed where I’d been sitting, having just finished applying my makeup. I was already dressed and ready for what was, without question, the biggest task I’d ever seriously considered undertaking in my life. My hands had been trembling slightly the entire time I’d been getting ready, and I’d forced myself to breathe slowly and steadily just to keep my composure intact. This was so far outside anything I’d ever done before, and I genuinely hoped, more than I’d hoped for anything in years, that whatever Roman had planned actually unfolded the way he expected it to.I cleared my throat quietly, realizing I’d stayed silent a beat too long already. I’d run through nearly every excuse I could think of over the past several days. Repeating any of them now would only make it painfully obvious I was lying, if he didn’t already suspect as much. And I certainly couldn’t tell him the truth, that I
DMITRI’S POV My phone buzzed again against the table, the third time in the last ten minutes, and I felt my jaw tighten slightly with every insistent vibration. I glanced down at the screen just enough to confirm the number, the same one that had been calling and texting relentlessly for over a week now, refusing to take the hint that I had absolutely no interest in whatever she wanted to say. “I’m sorry. Would you excuse me for a moment?” I said to Anabel, forcing an easy smile despite the tension coiling in my chest. “I’ll be right back.” She nodded, waving me off with a small smile as she reached for her wine glass, and I stood, making my way quickly toward the restroom, my phone already pressed against my ear before I had even fully closed the door behind me. “You finally decided to answer my call,” her voice came through, soft, almost amused. “Well, I knew you would eventually if I kept trying long enough.” Her voice still carried that same familiar cadence, warm on the surf
CIERRA'S POV“Roman,” I said quickly, keeping my voice low despite the empty kitchen surrounding me, “Arthur knows everything.”There was a brief, sharp silence on the other end of the line before he spoke again, his tone considerably more alert now. “Everything meaning what, exactly?”“About the baby,” I said. “That Miles is actually the father, not Zach. Anabel apparently went straight to him and told him the entire truth.”“Does he know about me?” Roman asked immediately, his voice tightening with obvious concern.“No,” I said quickly. “He doesn’t know anything about you. This is purely about Miles and me.”I heard him exhale slowly on the other end, some of the tension easing slightly from his voice. “Okay. That’s something, at least.”“Roman, since he knows now, there’s no reason for me to keep staying here,” I said, glancing briefly back toward the staircase to make sure Miles hadn’t followed me down. “I’m coming over to your place. Tomorrow”“You can’t come here,” he said flatl
CIERRA’S POV“I need to go see Arthur myself,” I said, my voice climbing sharply as I began pacing the same way Miles had been minutes earlier. “I’ll go tonight, right now, actually. I’ll get on my knees in front of him if I have to. I’ll tell him I understand his anger, that I’ll do anything to fix this, that we deserve a second chance.”Miles let out another heavy, exhausted sigh and dropped onto the edge of the bed, rubbing both hands roughly down his face. “Don’t even think about it if you value yourself even a little,” he said, his voice flat with resignation. “I’ve told you what happened when I tried talking to him. He’s not interested in second chances, Cierra. Not from me, and definitely not from you.”“Then what exactly are we supposed to do?” I asked, my voice rising with frustration, panic bleeding through every syllable now. “Just accept this? Just pack up and move into some cramped apartment like a couple of broke college students?”“What other choice do we have?” he aske
CIERRA’S POV“Do you think I enjoy being evicted?” Miles snapped, yanking the wardrobe door open with more force than necessary. He dragged out a suitcase and dropped it onto the bed with a heavy thud that made me flinch slightly. “You think he told me this news and I just stood there happily accepting it? He didn’t give me a choice, Cierra. And from everything I’ve learned about that man over the years, once he gives an instruction, he doesn’t change his mind about it. Ever.”I stood there completely speechless, watching him yank the suitcase open and begin pulling items out of the closet with the kind of grim, mechanical resignation of someone who had already accepted defeat. It was like he had stopped fighting the moment the words had left Arthur’s mouth, like the thought of pushing back against it hadn’t even crossed his mind as a real possibility. That, more than anything else, terrified me. The Miles I knew never simply accepted defeat without exhausting every possible option fi
ANABEL’S POV~ Four Days Later ~The atmosphere inside the church felt heavy the moment I stepped in.Soft instrumental music drifted through the speakers while low whispers spread across the room, as though people were afraid to speak too loudly around death.Everyone was dressed in black, their f
ANABEL’S POVMy fingers trembled over the laptop as I looked at the screen, still trying to convince myself there had to be another explanation for what I was seeing. Maybe I misunderstood something. Maybe my mind was twisting everything because of what happened last night. But the more I went th
ANABEL’S POVA low groan pulled me out of sleep.At first, I thought I was dreaming. My eyes stayed closed while I turned on the bed, reaching for Miles out of habit.The sheets beside me were cold.I frowned and opened my eyes. The other side of the bed was empty.The digital clock beside me read
ANABEL'S POV I took a small breath, steadying my emotions and finally pushing away all the tears I'd been crying for the past few minutes. Every now and then, I could still feel the heaviness lingering in my chest, but I couldn't keep breaking down forever. There was no room for tears anymore. Y







