LOGINAria’s POvThe phone was still in my hand when Julian took it from me.He did not ask what Ethan said. He already knew.“He wants submission,” Julian said. “Not compliance. Submission.”I nodded. My throat hurt too much to speak.Emily paced the room, restless. “The media has shifted again. They are questioning why Julian hasn’t denied the accusations strongly enough.”Julian glanced at her. “Because denial would be reaction. Reaction gives him control.”“And silence gives him room,” Emily snapped. “Brianna is paying for that room.”The words hit hard because they were true.I wrapped my arms around myself. “He said he would make her regret loyalty.”Julian’s jaw tightened. “That is his pattern. He breaks people before he breaks deals.”I turned to him. “Then why are we still playing his pace?”His eyes met mine. “Because rushing is what he wants.”---BRIANNAThe lights came on without warning.I squeezed my eyes shut, pain blooming behind them.“You see,” Ethan said calmly, “this is
Aria’s POVI did not sleep.Every time I closed my eyes, I heard his voice again. Calm. Certain. Like he was standing right beside me instead of somewhere deep in the shadows where he always hid.*Now we play properly.*Julian sat in the chair across from the bed, his jacket discarded, sleeves rolled up. He had been there all night. Watching. Thinking. Planning. The man never stopped calculating, even when exhaustion carved deep lines into his face.“You should rest,” he said quietly.I shook my head. “I can’t.”He nodded, understanding without pushing. That was one thing Julian never did. He never forced comfort. He let it come when it was ready.My hand rested on my stomach. The baby was restless again. Like it could feel the tension inside me.“He used Brianna,” I whispered. “He knew she would help me.”“Yes,” Julian replied. “And he knew she would panic.”“And now everyone thinks you did this,” I said, my voice breaking. “They think you planned her kidnapping. That you staged ever
Aria’s POVThe recorder felt heavier than it looked.Brianna placed it between us like a loaded weapon, her fingers lingering for half a second before she pulled her hand away. The room seemed to shrink around it. The faint hum of the air conditioner, the distant city noise below, even my own breathing suddenly felt too loud.Julian did not touch it.He watched it the way a man watches fire—aware of its power, wary of how easily it could consume everything around it.“If we use this,” he said slowly, “we do not get a second chance.”Brianna nodded. Her face was pale, but her eyes were steady. “I know.”My chest tightened. “What exactly is on it?”She swallowed. “Ethan talking. Planning. Threatening. Naming people. Timelines. How to control the court. How to turn you into leverage.” Her gaze flicked to my stomach before returning to my face. “He talks about your pregnancy.”My hand moved instinctively over my belly.Julian’s jaw tightened, but his voice stayed calm. “Then this is not s
Aria’s POVThe hotel room was quiet, too quiet, as if the walls were listening. Brianna sat across from me on the couch, her hands trembling slightly as she held her cup of water. She looked smaller than she had in the courtroom, softer, almost fragile. The light caught her face, and for the first time, I noticed fear etched into every line.“Aria,” she whispered, her voice unsteady. “I need to tell you something… everything.”My breath tightened. “Take your time.”Her fingers tightened around the cup. “You do not understand. I was not just taken today. I have been trapped for years—long before you ever knew Ethan.”I felt the words sink into me like slow, sinking stones. She kept her eyes fixed on her knees, as if she was gathering courage from the pattern of the carpet.“Brianna,” I said gently, “what happened?”She lifted her head. Her eyes glistened, and then the memories spilled out.---FLASHBACK — Brianna, Months Before the DivorceIt started in the Langston mansion. Ethan on t
Aria’s POVThe day had begun with triumph—a courtroom exposed lies, Vanessa’s forged evidence discredited, Brianna’s sudden revelation turning the tide in our favor. I should have felt relief, a quiet pride. Instead, a chill had settled in my chest, a warning I could not shake.It arrived as a phone call, shrill and urgent. Emily’s voice trembled through the line.“Aria… Brianna…” she swallowed, catching her breath. “She is… gone. She has been taken.”The words struck like ice. I froze in place, my stomach twisting, my mind screaming, but no sound escaped my lips. Julian’s hand was on mine instantly, his grip firm, steadying, though his own face betrayed nothing. He had perfected the calm mask, and now it felt brittle under the weight of the news.“What do you mean gone?” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Where? How?”Emily took a trembling breath. “She was leaving the courthouse. Her car… someone forced her inside. They were fast—no witnesses, no trace. Security is still combing
Aria's POVThe courtroom smelled of polished wood, tense anticipation, and something faintly metallic that made my stomach twist. I stood at the back, clutching my notes, feeling the weight of every camera lens pointed toward me, every whisper of reporters scribbling at the benches. Julian’s hand found mine, strong and steady, grounding me as if our connection could shield me from the storm about to hit.I could feel Ethan’s presence before I even saw him. The smug tilt of his head, the cool confidence that had once broken me into invisible pieces, now churned something in my chest that was equal parts fear and defiance. He had been rehearsing this day for weeks, I knew it. Every smirk, every glare, every carefully calculated movement. He believed he could destroy me, or worse, twist reality until even Julian began to doubt me.The judge called the court to order. The sound of the gavel echoed through the room like a warning bell, and a hush fell over the spectators. Julian squeezed m







