MasukChapter 279ElowenThe week before the trial, everything felt like it was moving in slow motion and fast forward simultaneously.Days stretched into nights filled with anxiety and preparation, while the hours seemed to disappear in a blur of final meetings with lawyers, last-minute testimony reviews, and the kind of nervous energy that came with knowing your life was about to change fundamentally.I was six and a half months pregnant now, my belly round and prominent, my body no longer my own. Every movement felt deliberate, every breath conscious. And underneath it all, there was something else...that strange, growing awareness of strength I didn't fully understand and wasn't ready to examine too closely.The cup incident hadn't been the last incident.I'd been holding a ceramic mug while thinking about James Ashton, about what it would be like to sit in a courtroom and see his face, to hear him being called my biological father in front of the entire world. The mug had simply... cr
Chapter 278ElowenKian and Matteo pulled me into Matteo's study five days after the bed incident, and I could feel the weight of something serious hanging in the air between us."What's going on?" I asked, settling into the chair they'd positioned for me. Five months pregnant meant they were increasingly careful about where I sat and for how long."We filed the case," Kian said, sliding a stack of official documents across the desk. "Three days ago. Charges have been formally filed against James Ashton, Richard Stratton, Marcus Bellamy, and Christopher Harding."I felt my breath catch. "Three days ago? Why didn't you tell me immediately?""We wanted to make sure everything was secure first," Matteo explained. "Anna and the six other witnesses are all in protected housing. Declan and Reina have been coordinating with the authorities to ensure they're completely safe. Once we knew everyone was in place, we filed."I scanned the documents without really reading them, my mind spinning. I
Chapter 277MatteoI found Kian in his office, staring out the window with his hand pressed against the glass like he was trying to reach through it into another world."Hey," I said, closing the door behind me. "You've been quiet all evening. What's on your mind?"He didn't turn around immediately. When he did, I could see the weight of something heavy pressing down on him. Confusion mixed with concern mixed with something I couldn't quite identify."The bed," he said making me confused."What about the bed?" My brow raised."Elowen broke it."I blinked. "She broke it? How? Did she fall? Is she hurt?""Not like that." He turned to face me fully. "She was holding onto the frame while we were... and it just splintered under her hands. Matteo, she broke solid wood with her bare hands. She barely applied any pressure and it just gave way."I crossed the room slowly, processing this. "That's not possible.""That's what I said." Kian moved toward me. "But I was there. I felt it happen. And
Chapter 276ElowenI couldn't wait to call Caroline.We were back at the villa, Giuliana napping upstairs, and I was practically vibrating with excitement as I dialed her number.She answered on the second ring. "El! Hi! I was just thinking about you.""I have news," I said. "Big news. We got engaged. Last night, on the beach, both of them proposed and...""Oh my god!" she screamed. "El, that's amazing! I'm so happy for you! But wait, I have news too.""What?" I asked, grinning so hard my face hurt."I'm married," she said simply. "Damien and I went to register yesterday. It wasn't planned. After we discovered I was pregnant, Damian suggested it and I said yes immediately. We just... we didn't want to wait. El, I'm pregnant."I literally gasped. "Caroline! Oh my god! You're married? And pregnant?""I'm married and pregnant!" she repeated, and I could hear the joy cascading through her voice. "El, I'm so happy I could burst. Are you crying? I'm crying!""Yes," I admitted, tears alread
Chapter 275ElowenI should have known something was up when Matteo told me to pack a bag without asking any questions."Trust me," he'd said that morning, kissing my forehead as he handed me a small suitcase. "We're taking you somewhere for the day. Just you, me, Kian, and Giuliana.""Where?" I'd asked, suspicious."It's a surprise," Kian had answered, already packing his own things with the kind of efficiency that suggested this had been planned for a while.I hadn't argued. Mostly because I was exhausted. The past few weeks had been relentless... the case against James Ashton consuming every waking moment, my pregnancy advancing, the weight of everything I'd learned about my origins pressing down on me constantly.So I'd packed a bag, and I'd asked no more questions... Actually they both helped packed the bag, I only said what was needed.Now, three hours later, we were pulling up to a private villa on the Amalfi Coast, perched on a cliff overlooking water so blue it didn't seem re
Chapter 274Elowen Declan didn't say a word as he placed four photographs on the table.Four men. They were all older now, with graying hair and expensive suits that screamed wealth. They looked like people who had spent their entire lives believing they were untouchable."Their names," Declan began, "are Marcus Bellamy, Christopher Harding, Richard Stratton, and James Ashton."I looked at the photos. These were the men who had destroyed Anna’s life years ago."Bellamy and Harding left the UK right after it happened," Reina explained. "One went to Switzerland, the other to Monaco. They’ve stayed away from the Ashtons since then. As far as we can tell, they haven't been in trouble since. They built legitimate lives.""And Stratton?" Kian asked."Richard Stratton stayed," Declan said. "He’s been the Ashton family’s fixer for decades. He’s the one who made sure the police never looked too closely at anything James did. He’s just as guilty as the rest of them."Then he pointed to the las
Chapter 108Elowen"You didn't get this work because you're my friend, you got it because you're good at what you do, Damien wouldn't hire you just as a favor to me, he's too professional for that.""I..." I started, but couldn't finish because I was suddenly crying again, overwhelmed by the kindne
Chapter 110Elowen The rest of the morning passed in a whirlwind of contracts and orientation, and by lunchtime I had my own office—small but with a window and a door that closed—and a company laptop and business cards with my name and title.Head of Interior Design.I stared at the cards for a lo
Chapter 107Elowen "Nonsense," she said again, adding a bright red blouse to the collection. "You need variety, you need options, you need to rebuild your wardrobe from scratch."She steered me toward the fitting rooms and I realized with a start that none of the clothes she'd picked were things I
Chapter 111Elowen And I was grateful for it, honestly, because I didn't want to see him or talk to him or face any of them ever again if I could help it.Not Adrian with his cold manipulations, not Kian with his cruel dismissals, not Matteo with his fever dreams of someone else.So help me God, I







