로그인MILES’ POV Grandfather let out a slow, heavy sigh, his eyes dropping to the floor as he crossed the room and pulled out one of the dining chairs, lowering himself into it as though his legs had suddenly given up under the weight of everything he’d just heard. “I have a great-grandson on the way,” he said quietly, almost to himself, as if he were still turning the words over, making sure they were real. “And it’s Zach’s.” “If he were here, he’d be jumping around with joy right now,” I said, hoping the line landed the way I needed it to, one last nail hammered firmly into place. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Grandfather asked, looking up at Cierra. “Because it’s still a lot to take in, sir,” Cierra said, her voice trembling just enough. “Things have been so hard for me. When I first found out, I actually considered ending the pregnancy because I couldn’t bear the thought of this child growing up without a father. That’s the cruelest thing any parent could do to their own child.
MILES’ POVI swallowed hard, cursing internally at the fact that Grandfather always seemed to walk in through that second entrance, the one with hinges so quiet you never heard him coming until he was already standing there in the middle of whatever you were doing. Of all the nights for him to slip in unannounced, it had to be this one.But that was hardly the biggest problem sitting in front of me right now.First, there was Cierra, standing in my living room, dressed like she was heading somewhere far more scandalous than a quiet night in, somewhere Grandfather was never supposed to see her in the first place. What exactly was I supposed to tell him? Why my dead brother’s wife happened to be standing in my house, dressed like this, at this hour, looking every bit like she belonged here?And that, as bad as it already was, wasn’t even the real problem.He’d heard it.He’d heard the word pregnancy leave her mouth, clear as day, and that single word carried far more weight than anythin
MILES’ POV I took the last bite of the roasted chicken on my plate, chewing slowly before finally setting my utensils down, satisfied. Dinner had been a good call before heading out, something to settle my nerves before the night actually began. I was already dressed, my suit fitting exactly the way I wanted it, and now that the meal was finished, there was nothing left standing between me and the door except time itself, which was quickly running out. I glanced down at my watch, doing the math in my head. The gala would be starting soon, and the last thing I wanted was to walk in late, missing the opening remarks or, worse, the moment they started calling out company names for recognition. Grandfather had made it more than clear how much this night mattered, and I wasn’t about to give him another reason to lecture me about appearances. I wiped my mouth, grabbed my phone off the table, and had just started to rise from my chair when I heard the distinct click of heels on the stairc
ANABEL’S POV I raised my brows in surprise, my heart already picking up its pace as I hurried toward the window to confirm whatever Chloe thought she’d just seen. And there they were, unmistakable—three sleek black vehicles parked directly outside our apartment gate, their engines idling, the kind of presence that looked wildly out of place against the modest, slightly rundown building Chloe and I called home. How had he even found this place? And more than that, why had he come here himself? A few hours earlier, he’d sent a short text letting me know he’d be picking me up, and I’d assumed, reasonably, I thought, that he meant from the office, since he hadn’t asked for my address and had no obvious way of knowing where I lived. I’d already been in the middle of getting ready to head there myself, mentally preparing for the awkward car ride ahead, and now here he was, parked right outside my apartment instead. None of it made immediate sense. “I thought you said everything between
ANABEL’S POV "This feels a bit too tight,” I said, turning slightly to the side in front of Chloe’s full-length mirror and tugging uselessly at the fabric clinging to my ribs. After a lot of back and forth over the past several days, Chloe had turned out to be right about one thing, at least. Neither of us actually owned anything even close to appropriate for the kind of event I was about to walk into, nothing that matched the level of formality people attending the Black Tier Gala would apparently be dressed in. Renting had ended up being the only realistic option once we’d both accepted that buying something outright simply wasn’t in my budget. Well, technically, Chloe had done the actual renting, which explained a great deal about why I currently found myself squeezed into the most revealing gown out of every option we’d looked at online. If it had been entirely up to me, I would have picked something considerably more modest, something that didn’t feel quite this much like a se
ANABEL’S POV The week that followed felt different in ways I hadn’t fully anticipated when I first walked out of Dmitri’s office that day. I’d told myself, lying awake that night and turning the whole situation over in my head, that I simply needed some distance to process everything, that a little professional distance made sense given how much had just been upended. What I hadn’t expected was how naturally that distance would settle into place once I actually returned to work, or how easily it seemed to reshape the entire dynamic between us without me ever fully deciding to let it. It started small. I stopped lingering near the lobby the way I used to on my way in each morning, no longer glancing around out of some quiet hope that I might run into him before my shift officially started. I took the stairs down to the records office instead of the elevator whenever I could manage it, telling myself it was simply good exercise, nothing more deliberate than that, even though some part
ANABEL’S POVI woke up the next morning emotionally exhausted.The moment I opened my eyes, reality settled over me again. Cierra remained in the house. Miles was still avoiding me. And somehow everything that had happened over the past few days still seemed impossible to process even after everyth
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







