INICIAR SESIÓNLavanda povAt home, the calm didn't last."No! I am not leaving Will behind" Lisa sobbed, her voice ringing through the entrance hall. She had been arguing and crying all the way back from the hospital.Ainsworth didn't say anything to pacify her from the driver's seat, letting her vent her raw frustration on me, I don't like her being this way. But I couldn't let her stay in that environment anymore—everything was getting far too heated and dangerous.Her big eyes were brimming with hot, angry tears as she stomped her foot against the rug. "I don't want to change schools, Mom! You can't make me!"I forced myself not to look into her crying eyes. Even though her heartbreak was tearing my soul apart, I knew this was the absolute best thing for her safety. She was becoming far too attached to Will, and Cyanne was not the kind of woman to utter empty threats. The moment she posted bail, she would come after Lisa.I pulled out my phone, immediately searching for new academy enrollments
Lavanda I stood frozen under the harsh hospital lights, unable to answer Desmond's dangerous question or lie in front of my own daughter. Lisa had already heard far too much dark family truth for a single day. "Mister... did you marry my mom?" Lisa asked, her small voice cutting through the heavy silence. I had naively assumed she hadn't overheard what Cyanne had spit out moments earlier. Desmond glanced over at me, his eyes searching my face for some kind of clue or signal before answering her. Before he could utter a single word, the door burst open. Ainsworth walked into the room, his commanding physical presence instantly shifting the air. The moment Desmond saw him, his expression turned sour and defensive, like an alpha dog catching the scent of a rival. How on earth did Ainsworth know I was here? I wondered, my heart giving a strange flutter. I hadn't told him where I was heading when I left the house. "Daddy!" Lisa squealed, immediately breaking away from Desmond to rus
Lavanda.I swallowed hard, a cold sweat breaking out across my skin. How do I tell my sweet seven-year-old baby that this monster is my stepsister—and that for a time, I was actually married to Desmond?Both Lisa and the CPS officer were staring directly at me, demanding some form of explanation to break the suffocating silence."That's not the main issue here!" I interjected sharply, fighting to keep my voice steady. "She's just using old drama to divert attention away from her crimes!"Cyanne smirked triumphantly, turning to the officer. "You see? She won't even tell the truth to her own daughter!"The officer raised a firm hand, cutting Cyanne off instantly. "Ladies, this isn't some petty personal squabble over family property. I am here for one critical reason: the truth. Is Will being abused by Cyanne?""Yes!" I answered without a second's hesitation."How can you be so sure?" the officer pressed."Does he look okay to you in that bed?!" I cried, pointing a trembling finger at th
Lavanda Cyanne was not in the hospital room when we first walked in. I had been surprised when she suddenly flew through the door leaving a severely injured Will lying all by himself. Staring at his tiny frame, I finally understood why Lisa had been fighting so fiercely to protect him.Both Lisa and I turned to look at my stepsister. She was wearing a provocative, form-fitting dress with long sleeves—that practically screamed she had just come straight from a night club."To what do I owe this pleasure?" Cyanne, flashing a cold, smile at the officer."I would like to talk to you about your son," the officer stated firmly.Cyanne tossed her hair back. "Well, I am his mother. Go right ahead.""Can we speak in private?" the woman asked, glancing toward Lisa and me.Cyanne’s eyes darted from my face to Lisa’s. "Anything you have to say to me, you can say right here in front of everyone. Please, go on.""Very well," the officer replied, taking a step forward. "We received formal complai
Lavanda I pulled up outside the school gate to pick Lisa up myself. It had been far too long since I was the one doing the school run, and the familiar sight of the campus sent a pang of guilt through my chest. She was sitting all by herself, huddled quietly on one of the stone staircases leading down from the school entrance. Looking at her small, isolated figure sitting away from the other children made my heart sink. I need to change schools for my daughter as soon as humanly possible. The moment she spotted my car, her gloomy face dissolved. She scrambled up from the stairs and rushed toward me, a smile lighting up her face as she reached the door. "Mom!" she gasped, sliding into the back seat. "Are we going to the hospital to see Will now?" My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. I remembered the desperate promise I had made to soothe her the night before—a promise I had secretly intended to break to protect myself from the press. What was I supposed t
LavandaThe words caught like shattered glass in my throat. I stood frozen, utterly incapable of giving her an answer.Ainsworth pulled her. "No, mom was talking about something else"I couldn't tell her the truth because the truth would break her heart into pieces. I was trapped inside a massive, lie that had grown entirely beyond my control. She clearly hadn't heard our whole conversation, which meant I was safe for the moment—but not completely.What would actually happen if she found out that our entire life was a lie? That her parents' grand wedding renewal was nothing more than a legal transaction?Would she ever understand? Would she grow to hate me? Or worse... would she demand to go find her real biological father?At the OfficeA steaming cup of black coffee sat untouched on my desk alongside a mounting pile of urgent work but my mind remained hopelessly trapped in my daughter's bedroom from the night before.I knew I needed to take action against Cyanne. I should have repor







