ALEXI clenched my fists.The bastard knew exactly what he was doing by saying those words to Alden.He was trying to corner Alden into choosing. He knew very well that Alden had not completely forgiven me for what I did to Emma, and so he would surely choose him.The fucking bastard.Alden opened his mouth, and I braced myself.But then Luisa spoke.“Why should only one of you come along?” she said, eyebrows raised. “It’s not like the hospital restricts how many people can keep Alden company during his session. You both can go.”I turned to her in surprise. So did Alden.I didn't miss the way Stefano's smile faltered for just a second before it was back in place like cheap paint.“You’re right, Luisa. There's nothing stopping all of us from going.”Fucking hypocrite.༺❀༻༺❀༻༺❀༻The hospital had that familiar sterile smell. Alden was sitting back in his reclinable chair, already fitted with the wristband, a nurse and a doctor standing beside him.Emma and her mother were sitting togeth
EMMAThe next morning, I held the phone to my ear as I watched the SUV tooling down the driveway."Yes, the driver just picked them up." I smiled faintly as I walked back into the house. “Thank you so much, Aunt.”“Emma,” Thalassa said on the other end, her voice filled with fond exasperation. “Liam and Liana are our grandkids. We’re always happy to have them around, especially to make up for all the lost time. You never have to thank us for that.”I swallowed. I know she didn't intend it, but every time she mentioned 'lost time,' it filled me with guilt for having kept the kids away for so long.“Okay, Aunt.”“Just focus on your dad today, okay?” Thalassa said. “We're all praying for this final session to show big results. And remind your mum to call me when you’re done, alright.”“I will. See you later.”We said our goodbyes and I hung up, lowering the phone slowly. A sigh slipped from my lips.Today was my father's last chemo session in this first round. If things went well, he’d f
Relief washed over Hillary's face. She sucked in a breath and nodded quickly as her teary eyes scanned my face.“Thank you, Alex. Really. I—”“Your time is ticking,” I cut in flatly.She flinched but nodded again.“Okay. Okay… I’m just going to say it straight. I didn’t cheat on you, Alex. I never did.”I almost laughed. The fucking audacity of this woman.“That man you saw me with… Robert,” she continued, “he wasn’t my lover.”“Yes, maybe 'lover' is not the right word since he later became your husband.” I scoffed.Hillary's face fell, desperation clouding over again. “Please let me explain, Alex. He was someone my father owed a lot of money to. Millions of dollars. And Robert was getting impatient with him. My dad came to me and told me Robert had a proposition that could save him.”Her voice shook. “He gave me two options. It was either we paid up the debt or I married him. If neither of the conditions were met or accepted, he was going to kill my dad in a few months. My father may
The whiskey burned down my throat, leaving a sharp trail in its wake. I couldn't remember the last time I’d touched hard liquor like this, but tonight, I needed something stronger. That was why I called Tony to meet me at the club right after putting the kids to bed and leaving the Richards' Residence. Tony swirled his glass beside me, staring at me with a dumbfounded expression. “So let me get this straight,” he said slowly. “Stefano Aguirre has this history with assault, and Emma still lets him around the kids?” I took another sip to calm the frustration burning through my veins. It didn't help. “Yeah.” “Jesus,” Tony muttered. “If everything is true, then that guy is fucking dangerous.” My jaw tightened. “What do you mean 'if' it’s true?” Tony raised his palms up at my tone. “I’m just saying… look, the guy wasn’t convicted, right? And the woman even withdrew the charges.” “She didn’t drop them because he was innocent,” I said, leaning forward. “She dropped them because he thr
“Why would we let you book a hotel when we have two empty rooms? You’ll stay here.”I stood very still, trying to keep my jaw from tightening too obviously as Alden offered Stefano a room. A room under the same roof as my children and Emma.Stefano didn't even try to hide his pleasure. The bastard's mouth twitched like he was flattered.I looked at Emma. Her lips parted, her brow rising just slightly like she was also surprised by her father's offer. But there was nothing to indicate that she was bothered by it."You’ll stay with us while you're in town," Alden added with a warm smile.A bitter taste rose in my mouth.A few days ago, the twins had asked Alden to let me stay even for one night. Alden had gently but firmly refused.“We don’t want to confuse the kids,” he'd told me.But now? Now he was practically holding the damn door open for a man he knew less than he knew me.If only he knew the type of man he was welcoming into his house. But I was damned if I was going to let that
ALEX“Don't go. I believe you.”For what felt like an eternity, I was rooted to my spot.I must have misheard her.That was the only explanation. Because there was no way Emma had just chosen to believe him. Not after all the evidence I showed her of the bastard's atrocities.Any hope that I had misheard was shattered when Emma began moving towards Stefano. He opened his arms, and she went straight into them.The bastard wrapped his arms around her, his hands curling possessively around her back, head tucked low as he breathed into her neck.“Oh God, Amor. Gracias,” I heard him say. “You don't know how happy you've made me. I thought I'd lost you. Thank you for believing in me. Oh, God, I thought I'd lost you.”My jaw clenched, my hands curled into tight fists as the blood pumped furiously through my veins.I nearly stepped forward, every part of me screaming to tear him away from her, to shove him back and demand he keep his hands to himself. But before I could, the sound of tiny fee