LOGINBella My words had barely finished echoing through the room when Damien let out a cold laugh and his expression darkened immediately.“Seriously, Bella?” he asked, looking at me with obvious disbelief. “Is this what all of this is about?”The nurse frowned. “Sir, your wife is in a very serious condition. This is not something that should be—”Damien cut her off before she could finish. “I know exactly what this is.” His eyes locked onto mine. “You are pretending.”For a moment, I thought I had misheard him and my fingers tightened around the blanket. “What?”He folded his arms across his chest. “You heard me. You are angry because of what happened in the elevator, so now you are using this to get attention.”The nurse looked horrified. “Sir, I just explained that—”“People do this all the time,” Damien continued as though she had not spoken. “The moment things do not go their way, suddenly they become the victim.”Something inside me felt strangely calm, perhaps because my heart had
Bella I woke up slowly.The harsh fluorescent lights above me stabbed into my eyes the moment my eyelids fluttered open.Pain greeted me before awareness did.A dull ache pulsed through my entire body, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my abdomen. Every tiny movement seemed to pull at something deep inside me, sending another wave of soreness through my body.I tried to lift my arm.The effort alone made me wince.A weak breath escaped my lips as I sank back against the pillow, staring blankly at the white ceiling above me.Then the memories came rushing back.I remembered the way I had called his name, over and over and he hadn’t even turned to me. My throat tightened painfully.I blinked rapidly, but it did nothing to stop the tears gathering in my eyes.How had everything ended up like this? How had I become the person he could leave behind without even looking back?A shaky breath left me.I pressed my lips together tightly. But the tears still came.They rolled silentl
Bella The question hit me so hard that for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.Before I could even process it, Damien cleared his throat and his voice carried across the entire office.“This is Anna Sanders,” he announced. “She’ll be taking over the Vega project from now on.”For a second, I just stood there.Taking over the Vega project.My project.The one I had spent months building from nothing.The one I had poured countless sleepless nights into.The one I had practically lived and breathed.Anna stepped forward with a graceful smile on her face, looking completely at ease.“I’m excited to work with all of you,” she said softly.As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward Damien and a small smile appeared on her lips, almost as though she was thanking him for handing her everything she wanted.Immediately, whispers spread through the office.“Wait, wasn’t Bella in charge of the Vega project?” someone murmured under their breath.“Yeah, she was,” another voice replied with pity slippin
Bella I followed behind them quietly, though my steps gradually slowed.By the time I reached the guest room, Damien had already helped Anna onto the bed.He lowered her carefully, one arm supporting her back while the other remained around her waist. Even after she was seated comfortably, he didn’t move away immediately.Instead, he crouched in front of her.His attention never wavered.His brows remained furrowed as his hands moved carefully around her ankle, checking for injuries with a patience that made my heart ache. There was a tenderness in his movements that felt unfamiliar.Painfully unfamiliar.Even his breathing seemed restrained, as though he was forcing himself to remain calm for her sake.Every small sound Anna made drew his attention instantly and when she winced softly, his entire expression tightened even more.It was such a simple thing. But I couldn’t stop looking because I had never seen him like this before.A memory surfaced suddenly.I remembered lying on the
Bella Wasn’t that bracelet meant for me?The thought struck hard, cutting through the lingering haze in my mind.When they finally noticed my presence, introductions were made with little fanfare. Anna greeted me warmly enough and soon afterwards everyone moved towards the dining room for dinner.Throughout the meal, I barely touched my food.My gaze kept drifting towards Anna.There was something about her presence that seemed to brighten the entire room. Mandy’s face glowed with affection every time she spoke and her laughter came easier than I had ever heard before. I couldn’t remember the last time she’d smiled at me like that.Perhaps she never had.I lowered my gaze to my untouched plate.The nausea from earlier still lingered and my stomach churned unpleasantly. Every bite felt impossible to swallow and every word that left my mouth sounded distant to my own ears.I was trying my best to remain polite when Mandy suddenly spoke.“Anna will be living here from now on.”The stat
BellaGritting my teeth through the ache, I pushed myself forward, one slow step after another, my knees wobbling beneath me as I forced them not to give out.And then I saw my husband’s car and well, I couldn’t help it. My face lit up and just like that, all of it got a little lighter. I even quickened my pace despite knowing I shouldn’t.By the time I reached the car, I was slightly out of breath.I slipped into the passenger seat and placed my bag on my lap, my fingers immediately finding the document hidden inside.The pregnancy report.My grip tightened around it as excitement and nervousness tangled together inside me.How would he react? Would he finally be happy? Would this change everything between us?Taking a deep breath, I turned toward him.“Damien, I—”Before I could finish, he cut me off.“You just decided to fall sick right now? At the worst possible time?” he said coldly. “You know nobody else can handle the Vega project.”My smile disappeared instantly.“I—“The word







