LOGIN~ ALISTAIR ~My mother’s words settled heavily in the room.For several seconds, I just sat there, silent and rigid. The ticking sound of the monitor beside her bed suddenly became too noticeable in the silence. My hand remained resting on the armrest of the chair, though my fingers had already curled tightly without me noticing.I looked at her quietly. The woman in front of me had the same face I remembered from childhood. The same voice. The same eyes. Yet somehow, she felt far away. When I was younger, I used to think my mother was someone gentle. Calm. Rational. Someone who would understand me without needing too many words.But the person sitting in front of me now carried a sharpness I had never seen before. Or maybe it had always been there, and I was simply too young to notice.“You don’t understand what Allison Reed did to me,” she continued, each word enunciated with ice. “That woman destroyed my life.”I listened without interrupting.Then she exhaled sharply and added, “I
~ ALISTAIR ~The moment my mother was injected with a tranquilizer, she finally calmed down and slowly closed her eyes.But the tension remained heavy inside the ward.My expression stayed cold as I watched her lying on the hospital bed, her face pale as a sheet of paper. The nurses who had attended to her earlier finished their work and exited the room one after another until only the doctor, Emery, and I were left inside.He approached me carefully, his expression serious.“Mr. Montgomery,” he called, adjusting his glasses before speaking. “Your mother is stable for now. We administered medication to stabilize her.”My jaw remained tight. “Explain her condition.”The doctor sighed briefly before answering.“Dr. Harriet’s emotional state is still very fragile,” he said carefully. “Being isolated for nearly two decades has severely affected her mental and emotional health.”My gaze darkened slightly.“She developed anxiety and depressive episodes over the years,” he continued. “Certai
~ ISLA ~My blood turned cold.The moment those words left her mouth, the entire room froze. The warmth that had brightened her face seconds ago disappeared completely. Her eyes were locked on me now—sharp, trembling, and filled with hostility. Like she had just seen the greatest enemy of her life.My fingers instinctively curled around Alistair’s hand.She recognized me. No… not me exactly. My mother. The resemblance between us had always been there. Looking at me was probably like looking at Allison Reed herself. But I never realized it could provoke this kind of reaction.Harriet’s breathing suddenly turned uneven. The softness in her expression vanished little by little, replaced by something darker—hatred, fear, anger. Everything mixed together.“Why is she here?” she demanded again, her voice rising this time. “Ali—why did you bring her here?!”My throat tightened painfully.Alistair frowned slightly beside me, but he said without beating around the bush, “She’s my wife.”“No!”
~ ISLA ~The silence stretched between us. I thought he would look away or close his eyes and pretend to sleep after what he did.But instead—his bottomless gray eyes held mine for a while.“I want to talk about something,” he said after a moment, his expression turning solemn.My heart slowed, but something in his tone made a small tension build in my chest.“About what?” I asked in a small voice.He didn’t answer right away. His eyes stayed on me steadily—almost like he was weighing how to say it.That alone made me uneasy.“What is it?” I asked again, more firmly this time.A beat passed. Then finally, he answered, “My mother.”My body stiffened at the sudden mention of her. Was he… going to confront me now for hiding my real identity from him?My grip tightened on the sheets without me realizing it, anxiety creeping in as I waited for what he would say next.Alistair’s gaze didn’t leave mine as he continued. “It’s a long story. But… she’s alive.”My mind went blank.Alive?“…What?
~ ISLA ~Dinner ended more quietly than I expected.But what surprised me the most—Alistair finished everything. Every single dish. He didn’t forget to serve me, too.I stared at the empty plates, still sitting across from him, trying not to make it obvious.He… ate all of it?A small, quiet delight bloomed in my chest.Alistair Montgomery—someone known for being particular with everything, especially food—hadn’t left a single bite behind. And my cooking wasn’t even that good.I lowered my gaze, hiding the small smile forming on my lips.Maybe it wasn’t that bad after all.After dinner, things returned to their usual rhythm. Alistair went to his office to continue his work.And I— I went back to the bedroom.The master bedroom still felt unfamiliar in some ways, even though I had spent so much time here before. Maybe it was because things between us had changed—or maybe because he had.I took a warm bath, letting the water ease the lingering tension in my body. By the time I stepped o
~ ISLA ~Three days.That was how long it had been since I was discharged from the hospital. And honestly, I was bored out of my mind.I lay on the couch in the living room, one arm resting over my stomach as I stared at the ceiling. The house was too quiet—the kind of quiet that made time feel slower than it actually was.Physically, I was doing well. The doctor said my recovery was smooth, and the baby was stable. That alone should have been enough to put me at ease.But staying at home all day with nothing to do? That was another story.I had already gone through the maternal books Dr. Simon recommended. I even spent hours scrolling through my phone, checking messages, reading random things just to pass the time.Still… it wasn’t enough. I missed working.Missed my daily routine at the hospital. The feeling of actually doing what I love.But I had already agreed to Alistair’s condition. No work. No stress. Just complete bed rest.I let out a quiet sigh and turned slightly onto my s







