LOGINAUTHOR’S POV. Three months later, life had settled into something that almost felt… normal. There was no chaos. No fear lurking behind every corner. No constant dread of losing someone. Just peace. A quiet, steady kind of peace that Aurora had once thought she would never experience again. She stood by the kitchen counter, her fingers lightly resting against the cool marble surface, her gaze fixed beyond the glass sliding doors. Outside, sunlight stretched across the backyard, warm and golden, brushing against the green grass and the small garden she had grown to love. The swings she had installed for the kids creaked softly as they moved back and forth. And there they were. Elara’s laughter rang through the air, bright and carefree as she held onto the swing ropes, her legs kicking forward excitedly. Jaxon sat on the other swing, gripping tightly as he laughed, his voice still carrying that slight rasp from everything he had gone through, but stronger now. Healthier. Aliv
AUTHOR’S POV. The boardroom was filled long before the meeting officially began, yet there was an unmistakable tension hanging in the air, thick and suffocating, as if everyone present could feel that something was about to go terribly wrong. Murmurs passed between board members, hushed conversations layered with unease, eyes flicking repeatedly toward the empty head seat at the far end of the long polished table. Xavier’s seat. Still empty. One of the older board members cleared his throat, glancing at his watch. “It’s unlike him to be late,” he muttered, though his voice carried just enough for those closest to him to hear. Another leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Given the rumors circulating… I’m not entirely surprised.” “What rumors?” “That he’s ill. Seriously ill.” Before the conversation could deepen, the doors to the boardroom opened. All heads turned. Lilith walked in first, composed, elegant, her chin lifted with quiet confidence, and beside her… a man no one i
AUTHOR’S POV. Aurora stood at the doorway of Jaxon’s room for a moment before stepping fully into the room. The soft glow of the bedside lamp cast a warm light across the space, illuminating two small figures curled under the same blanket. Even though they had separate rooms, Elara had refused to sleep alone since Jaxon came home. Aurora had not argued. She couldn’t. Not when she understood exactly what it meant for both of them. Elara lay on her side, facing Jaxon, her hand loosely holding onto his sleeve as if she was afraid he might disappear if she let go. Jaxon, on the other hand, was half-turned toward her, his breathing steady, his face peaceful in a way Aurora had never seen before. For a second, Aurora just stood there, watching them, her chest tightening with something too big to name. Then she walked in quietly. “Alright,” she said softly, pulling the blanket up properly over them. “Time for bed.” Elara looked up first. “Mommy, we’re already in bed,” she said, h
AUTHOR’S POV. Days later, the air in the hospital room felt lighter, calmer, almost like the storm had finally begun to settle. Jaxon sat upright on the bed, his legs swinging slightly as he looked around with curious, bright eyes that no longer carried that dull, lifeless weight they once held. The color had fully returned to his face, his breathing steady, his small fingers fidgeting with the edge of the blanket as though he was still trying to adjust to feeling… normal again. Aurora stood close to him, her arms folded tightly across her chest, but it wasn’t out of coldness. It was restraint. If she let herself, she would pull him into her arms and never let him go again. Dr. Halvorsen stood at the foot of the bed, flipping through Jaxon’s chart, his expression calm but clearly impressed. “Well,” he said, glancing up at Aurora, “I must say, this is one of the fastest recoveries I’ve seen from something this severe.” Aurora let out a quiet breath she didn’t even realize s
AUTHOR’S POV. A couple of hours later, the air inside Jaxon’s hospital room felt… different. It wasn’t the sterile quiet anymore, or the suffocating tension that had wrapped itself around every breath taken in that space over the past days. There was still silence, yes…but it wasn’t heavy. It wasn’t suffocating. It felt… hopeful. Aurora sat beside the bed, her fingers wrapped tightly around Jaxon’s small, fragile hand, as though letting go—even for a second—might undo everything they had fought so hard for. Her thumb brushed over his skin again and again in slow, careful motions, like she was grounding herself, like she needed to feel him there to believe this was real. Because it was real. The color was coming back. It was faint, barely noticeable if you weren’t looking closely, but Aurora noticed. Of course she did. She noticed the slight warmth returning to his cheeks, the subtle change in his breathing, the way his chest rose a little stronger than before. He was still unc
AUTHOR’S POV. Aurora didn’t hesitate the moment she stepped fully into the room, the door clicking softly behind her as the world outside seemed to fall away, leaving only the steady hum of machines and the fragile boy lying on the hospital bed, and for a second, she just stood there, staring at him, her chest rising and falling unevenly as the weight of everything settled deeper into her bones. That was her son, her child. Seven years. Seven years stolen. Her steps were slow at first, almost uncertain, like she was afraid that if she moved too fast, this would all disappear like a cruel illusion, but then something inside her snapped into place, something fierce and unyielding, and she closed the distance between them quickly, reaching for him. Her fingers wrapped around Jaxon’s small hand, her grip tightening instinctively, like she needed to feel him, to confirm he was real, and the moment her skin touched his, something broke inside her. She sank into the chair beside his
Xavier Steel hadn’t slept.The night had dragged like an endless punishment, replaying Aurora’s words again and again…“I want a divorce, Xavier.”He’d turned in bed for hours, eyes burning, thoughts looping until exhaustion finally dragged him under sometime near dawn. But the sleep was shallow, r
Aurora stirred awake before the sun had even begun to rise, she could see the soft gray light slipping through the gaps in the curtains.She lay still for a moment, listening to the faint hum of the city outside and the gentle sound of her own breathing. Her mind was already alert, ticking through
The drive to Elara’s school had been quiet…too quiet. Aurora’s fingers rested against the steering wheel, tapping in a steady rhythm as she replayed her conversation with Dr. Halvorsen in her head. He’d made her smile, even laugh a little despite the situation on ground , but the moment she turned
Aurora stood so still the world seemed to tilt around her. The footage on the school office monitor had already frozen on the last frame, but she couldn’t pull her eyes away from the sight of Elara being lifted into a familiar pair of arms and carried off the school grounds. The fluorescent lights







