LOGINCole's POVI knew something terrible was going to happen the second Mia walked away from me. The look in her eyes, I had never seen it before. I had not seen it towards Bella, not toward anyone, and not even towards me.It was the look of betrayal. Raw, devastating betrayal, and by the time I finally pushed through the crowd to reach the front driveway, I was already too late.Eric Damon’s car was pulling out of the estate gates with Mia inside.I froze.And for what felt like forever, I just stood there watching the taillights disappear into the night. My daughter was leaving with another man, her biological father, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.Behind me, guests were already gathering their belongings awkwardly, whispering among themselves after the disaster Bella had unintentionally broadcast to the entire party.The graduation celebration was over. It was ruined, destroyed in less than ten minutes.I inhaled slowly and turned around. Some guests avoided my
Mia's POVI hadn't gone far before Nikolas rushed over to me and grabbed my wrist.“Nikolas, move," I said.“Mia, wait," he sighed.“I said move.”“Please,” he urged quietly. “Let them sort it out themselves.”I stared at him in disbelief.“My mother is out there with Eric.”“Yes, I know that. And I also know that they're adults, and are both capable of handling their issues themselves.”I scoffed.“You think this is going to end well if I let my mum be there alone with that monster?”Nikolas sighed softly.“I just don’t think you should involve yourself in whatever history they have.”I pulled my hand away from him.“I’m already involved,” I snapped. “I became involved the second my mother revealed to me about him.”Nikolas opened his mouth to respond but another voice interrupted us.“Mia?”I turned and saw my Dad walking toward us through the crowd. He looked confused, concerned, and slightly out of breath.“There you are,” he said. “Have you seen your mother? There’s something I n
Mia's POVA few hours later, I was still in Nikolas’s room, completely unaware of time. We had somehow gone from just resting for a little while to lying tangled together on his bed while he absentmindedly played with my fingers and kissed my shoulder every few minutes.The room was dim, and honestly... I could’ve stayed there the entire night.Then suddenly—“Mia!”My mother’s voice echoed from outside, and I jumped slightly, then another knock followed.“Mia, open the door!”Nikolas burst out laughing immediately.“She sounds serious.”“Oh my God.”I quickly got off the bed while trying to smooth down my wrinkled clothes as another knock came.“Mia!”“I’m coming!” I shouted back.Nikolas looked entirely too amused watching me panic. I glared at him before opening the door, but the second the door swung open, my Mom froze because she wasn’t standing in front of my room, she was standing in front of Nikolas’s guest room.And there I was... inside it.For a solid three seconds, neither
Mia's POVI headed straight for my father’s office after separating from Nikolas. The deeper I walked into the mansion, the more obvious it became that my mother had practically declared war on event planning as the staff moved around nonstop. There were flowers everywhere.I even spotted people carrying what looked like an entire ice sculpture through one of the hallways.I laughed quietly to myself. Mom had definitely lost her mind.By the time I reached Dad’s office door, I could already hear his voice from inside.He was on a call.I knocked lightly before pushing the door open. Dad looked up immediately, and the second he saw me, his expression softened instantly.“Alright,” he said quickly into the phone. “We’ll continue this later.”He didn’t even wait for a response before ending the call.“Hey, sweetheart.”I smiled automatically. “Hey, Dad.”He got up immediately and walked around the desk toward me, then he hugged me.“I missed you,” he murmured softly.I smiled against his
Mia's POVThe next morning, I woke up to soft kisses trailing across my cheek. I groaned quietly and tried hiding my face deeper into the pillow.“Nikolas,” I mumbled sleepily.“Mmm?”“Stop that, please. It's too early to be this annoying.”He laughed softly against my skin before kissing the corner of my mouth.“Get the sharpest knife and slice my neck for the crime of loving and showing my girlfriend affection.”I cracked one eye open slightly. Unfortunately for me, he looked ridiculously attractive first thing in the morning. His hair was messy, his voice was still rough from sleep, and the smug little smile on his face made me want to both kiss him and push him off the bed at the same time.Before I could respond, my phone started ringing loudly from the nightstand.I frowned at the sight of Miles calling me, then I ignored it immediately.Nikolas chuckled.“Your brother is persistent.”“He’s only being a menace.”The phone stopped ringing, then started again almost instantly.I g
Mia's POVThe drive away from what used to be my off-campus home was painfully quiet. I sat with my arms folded tightly across my chest, staring out the window while the city lights blurred past us. But honestly, I barely saw any of it as all I could think about was Eric’s face. Especially the desperation in his voice and the way he kept insisting he never touched my mother.I clenched my jaw harder.No, I wasn’t doing this. I wasn’t about to start doubting my mother because of a few emotional speeches from a man I barely knew.Beside me, Nikolas glanced at me carefully, then silently, he reached for his phone. A few seconds later, he placed a call.“Hey,” he said after someone answered. “It’s Nikolas.”I stayed quiet, still staring outside.“I need to know if there are any available flights to New York tonight.”At first, there was a pause, then another pause before he sighed softly.“None?”I frowned slightly but didn’t turn toward him.“Okay… what about tomorrow morning?”He listen
Eric's POVAfter Sarah had left the room to check on Rose after we had s*x, she returned, and we went for another round. The room was still warm with the fading heat of bodies, but my mind wasn’t in it anymore.Sarah lay lazily across the bed, sheets tangled around her legs, humming to herself as s
Eric's POVIt was Friday morning, and I was just half awake. I had spent the whole of my night thinking, fantasizing, or dreaming—if that's the best word for it—about Bella. The time we spent together at the restaurant was heartwarming since we had divorced. It got me thinking about her in ways I s
Bella's POVI spent far too much time in front of my mirror trying to decide on what to wear. Eventually, I picked a soft cream-colored dress that didn’t cling too tightly, paired it with a light cardigan, and sandals.I had a driver take me to the restaurant, but the moment I stepped outside and s
Bella's POVI had fallen deep into sleep and was now dreaming. But these weren’t soft dreams, no comforting haze. They were sharp with loud voices cutting through the darkness like glass.My voice. Eric’s voice. The images didn’t have faces. Just silhouettes, and just words.“I said what I said,” I







