เข้าสู่ระบบSean's expression changed.Aria’s fingers tightened around his. “I’ve never seen you shake before.”Sean looked down at his hands as though he had only just noticed them.He pulled one free and curled it into a fist.It made no difference.Aria blinked quickly and looked away before he could see the tears gathering in her eyes.The corridor fell silent again.Ethan sat with his elbows resting on his knees, the accusation against him temporarily forgotten.Amelia watched the examination room doors. Mr. Voss stood behind her with one hand resting on the back of her chair.Kennedy remained beside Sean.Minutes passed, each one felt endless. Then the examination room door opened.Everyone stood at once.Sean moved so quickly that the chair behind him scraped across the floor.The doctor stepped into the corridor, removing her gloves.Sean reached her first. “Shannon?”“She’s stable.”“And the baby?”The doctor looked around at the frightened faces before returning her attention to Sean. “
Hundreds of miles away, Silas stared at the breaking news banner on the television. He had watched the footage three times. Each time, his attention returned to the same two words, our child.His face darkened. “Pregnant.”The word left him slowly.Darius had not known, none of them had.The proposal photograph had hidden Shannon’s body beneath the angle of her dress, and the family had kept the pregnancy from the public, until Sean announced it in front of dozens of cameras.Silas rose from his chair.The child would not merely inherit Sean Vale’s name. It would carry Miles blood, Vale blood, Voss blood. Three fortunes, three legacies, three families bound together inside one unborn child.That baby was wealthy before taking its first breath, protected before it had even entered the world, loved by people powerful enough to bring cities to their knees.Kennedy would have a grandchild, Amelia would have the chance to watch her daughter become a mother, the life stolen from her twenty
Amelia remembered the man’s voice on Shannon’s phone had not been there for her to hear, but Shannon had repeated his exact words.Your husband has been arrested.The caller had wanted Shannon frightened enough to leave the estate.Her mind shifted to the police station.The man in black stumbling from beside the parked vehicle, the smell of alcohol, the force with which his shoulder had struck her and his eyes were clear.Her face tightened.“Ms. Voss?”“The man who pushed me.”“What man?”“He acted drunk, but he wasn’t.”Ethan looked at her again.“He smelled of alcohol,” Amelia continued, “but his eyes were sober. He came out of nowhere the moment I tried to reach Shannon.”“Did you see his face?”“Not clearly enough.”“Would you recognise him?”Amelia looked down at her swelling wrist. “Yes.”The hospital came into view before Ethan could ask another question. He pulled up outside the emergency entrance, and Amelia was out before the car had fully settled.Inside, Sean stood just
The outside noise disappeared. Inside the ambulance, everything became painfully small. The white walls, the medical equipment, the sharp smell of disinfectant, the monitor beside Shannon, and Shannon’s frightened breathing.Sean sat beside the stretcher with her hand trapped between both of his.The ambulance moved.Shannon flinched as it turned sharply onto the road.“Careful,” Sean snapped.The paramedic barely looked up. “We’re moving as steadily as we can.”“She’s in pain.”“I can see that.”“Then do something.”“Sean.” Shannon’s voice was barely audible.He turned towards her immediately.Tears slid into her hair. “What if something happened?”“Nothing happened.”“You don’t know that.”“The baby is fine.”“You don’t know.” Her voice broke completely.Sean lifted her hand to his lips. “The baby is fine,” he repeated, but this time the words trembled.She began crying harder. “I shouldn’t have gone there.”“Don’t.”“I should’ve listened to my father.”“This isn’t your fault.”“I k
Darius studied him for a moment before looking through the windshield.The chaos outside the police station continued to grow. Reporters pushed against the officers attempting to clear a path for the ambulance. Cameras flashed endlessly, capturing Sean on the pavement with Shannon in his arms and Evelyn standing only a few feet away.Amelia was being helped up by one of the officers.No one looked towards the dark car parked across the street.Darius tapped his fingers once against the steering wheel. “Continue following Evelyn.”The man nodded.“I want regular reports. Where she goes, who she speaks to and what she does.”“That’s all?”“That’s all.” Darius started the engine.The man glanced back towards the station. “What if the police hold her?”“Then you wait.”“And if they release her?”“You follow her.”The instruction was simple enough.Darius pulled away from the curb without another word, disappearing into traffic before the ambulance reached the station.Outside, Sean barely
A photograph had appeared online. Ethan was being led out of an office building in handcuffs. The caption claimed Sean Vale’s assistant had been arrested for assaulting a female executive.Aria’s face changed. “That’s Ethan.”Shannon looked closer. “What does this have to do with Sean?”“I don’t know.”“Who is the woman?”Aria scrolled quickly. Her thumb stopped. Her expression went cold. “Evelyn.”The name pulled every trace of colour from Shannon’s face.Kennedy took the phone. “That settles it. You’re not going anywhere near that woman.”“I’m not going there for Evelyn. I’m going for Sean.”“I’ll come with you,” Amelia said.Kennedy turned. “Amelia...”“She shouldn’t go alone, and if all of you appear there, reporters will follow. I’ll stay with her. We’ll find Sean and come straight back.”“I can go,” Aria argued.“If Ethan has also been arrested, he may need you here to contact your family,” Amelia said. “Keep trying Sean. Call the Vale attorney too.”Kennedy still looked unconvi
Rowan sat on the bed, his arm wrapped loosely around Evelyn.Evelyn stood close, too close, and Rowan leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek like it was the most natural thing in the world.Like he had done it a hundred times.Like it belonged there.“Stop!”The word tore out of Shannon befor
The first thing Shannon felt was the weight, like her entire body had been dragged beneath something heavy and invisible, pressing her down into a darkness that refused to let her rise.Then came the sound, a slow, steady beep... beep... beep...It echoed from far away at first, distant and unreal,
The guest room was at the end of the hall.Shannon paused at the doorway, her fingers resting lightly against the frame before she stepped in.It used to be a storage room now it was neat, cleaned and prepared.A bed, fresh sheets and a wardrobe that looked barely used.Shannon exhaled slowly and s
The hospital discharged them the next day.Shannon didn’t know whether that was fate or cruelty.She stood just outside the building, her fingers gripping the thin discharge papers in her hand as the sunlight hit her face. Too bright. Like the world hadn’t just ended for her.A few steps ahead Rowa







