Vanessa POVJust as Edward squeezed my hand again, the creak of a door echoed down the hallway.My stomach tightened.Alessa stepped out of the guest room across from the sitting area, barefoot and smug, wrapped in one of the mansion’s silk robes like she owned the place. Her hair was loose, falling in smooth waves over her shoulders. She looked rested. Too rested.Her eyes landed on us, lighting up with false surprise.“Oh,” she purred. “Didn’t know we had company.”I turned slowly toward her, refusing to rise. Refusing to flinch.“Vanessa,” she added, with a perfectly sweet smile. “Lovely to see you again.”I didn’t answer.Because there was no version of polite that would come out of my mouth right now.Her gaze moved to where Edward and I stood by the couch, our hands still tangled, mine now cold with restraint. She took in the closeness, the comfort, and something bitter crept into her expression. A twist of jealousy? Satisfaction? I couldn’t tell. Maybe both.Edward turned to he
Vanessa’s POVJune 8thTwo days.That’s how long I’ve been hiding at Bella’s, pretending that everything isn’t slowly collapsing around me.Her guest bedroom is cozy. Too cozy. Like it’s trying to comfort me, trick me into pretending I’m not devastated. I’ve scrolled past Edward’s name at least fifty times. Missed calls. Messages. Voicemails I can’t bring myself to listen to. Every time I close my eyes, I see Jules’ wicked grin, Alessa’s baby bump. The shock in Edward’s face when she walked in.And the way my heart cracked open like broken glass.I stir my coffee slowly, watching Liam rush past me, his tiny Spider-Man backpack bouncing as he heads for the door. It’s his last day of school before summer break, and he’s excited. He and Jacob have been talking about a sleepover all week, like the one he had here these past few days wasn’t enough.Lucky for me, our bodyguards Harris and Cole went to the mansion on my behalf to get spare clothes plus Liam’s school uniform. I wasn’t ready t
Daniel POVThis was it, the moment I had been waiting for. Edward had finally slipped up, and his damage was irreversible. This is good for me. I won’t have competition for Vanessa’s heart anymore, especially when she’s finally seen Edward for what he truly is.A liar and a cheat.I wasn’t expecting the knock at the door. Not at this hour. But somehow, I knew it was her.Wendy.I took a long breath before answering, bracing myself.She stood in the hallway of my penthouse, eyes fierce, lips tight, wearing a trench coat over what I already knew would be something seductive. Her hair was still dyed red now. Crimson. Vanessa’s exact shade. It unsettled me more than I wanted to admit.“You didn’t answer my texts,” she said, brushing past me into the living room like she still had a right to be there.I shut the door behind her slowly. “That’s because I had nothing to say.”She turned, dropping her coat. Lacy red lingerie. I wasn’t even moved.“Trying too hard, Wendy,” I said coldly. “Even
Edward POVThe echo of the door slamming shut still rang in my ears.I stood there, frozen in place, the living room drenched in a suffocating silence that felt far louder than any scream. Vanessa was gone—again. And this time, I wasn’t sure if she’d come back.My hands dropped to my sides, fists clenching until my knuckles turned white. I could still hear Jules’s voice, cold and precise: “She’ll never be a Silver. And Alessa’s child will be the true heir.”It had taken everything in me not to scream. Not to break something. Not to fall to my knees.Instead, I’d stood there and watched the woman I loved, the woman I’d fought so hard to win back, run from me in tears. I was the villain again, whether I meant to be or not.And damn it, this time, I couldn’t even blame her.I ran a hand through my hair and dropped onto the edge of the couch, elbows on my knees. Alessa had left with Jules, but they promised to be back later. She hadn’t said much before she left, just a smug smile, as if s
Vanessa POVI sat behind the wheel, my hands trembling, heart pounding, and my vision blurred by tears. I told Daniel I was going somewhere safe and I would be fine. But I think I lied about the last part. The streets appeared foggy as I drove past it blindly in New York. My emotions with feelings of rage, a storm of betrayal, confusion, and heartbreak. Just when I was about to swerve into another lane, a mini Corolla emerged, startling me as I balanced myself. Shit. I almost crashed my car.I pulled over, my breath intense with sobs gushing from my eyes. I couldn’t go home. Not now.I took a drive to the only place i could think of: Bella’s.When I got to her house, she opened the door dressed in casual clothes, surprised. Her smile faded the moment she saw me. Red eyes and tear-streaked face. I collapsed into her arms.I sighted Liam, rushing down the stairs, his smile fading when saw me. “Mommy? What’s wrong?”I forced myself to kneel and hug him. “I’m okay, baby. Just… tired.”B
Edward’s POV“Alessa,” I exhaled,my voice barely more than a whisper as my gaze locked on the woman standing in the living room of the mansion.She looked exactly as I remembered. Elegant, poised, but now her stomach curved unmistakably outward, the kind of pregnancy you couldn’t hide. Maybe five months along. My chest clenched. My mind spun with the impossible.No. It was possible. Because I had made a mistake.Vanessa stood frozen beside Daniel, her face pale, eyes wide with confusion and heartbreak. My mother stood tall between them, her chin lifted, victorious like some general in the final act of a long and calculated war. The air was thick with something venomous.Jules broke the silence first, with a cold smile. “There she is. I believe you remember Alessa, don’t you, Edward?”I turned to Vanessa immediately. “Nessa, I didn’t know—I swear, I didn’t know she was pregnant. I haven’t seen her since—”“Don’t,” Vanessa whispered. Her voice shook. “Don’t call me that.”“Please.” I r