MasukAlexThe news broke three days after Abigail's unwelcome visit.I was in my office reviewing quarterly reports when Mavis, my head of security, rushed in without knocking."Mr. Thompson, we have a situation."I looked up from my laptop. "What kind of situation?""Check your phone. Social media. The news. It's everywhere."My stomach dropped. I pulled out my phone and opened Twitter.The trending topics made my blood run cold:#AlexThompsonScandal#CEOPregnancyScandal #ThompsonIndustriesScandalI clicked on the first one and saw the headline from a major tabloid:BILLIONAIRE CEO ALEX THOMPSON GETS SECRETARY PREGNANT – MULTIPLE WOMEN COME FORWARD WITH SIMILAR CLAIMSBelow it was a photo of Abigail, looking tearful and vulnerable, her hand resting protectively over her still-flat stomach."No," I whispered. "No, no, no."I scrolled through the article, my hands shaking."Abigail Chen, 29, former executive secretary to Alex Thompson, CEO of Thompson Industries, has come forward with sho
Emily"Yes, you can!" I was shaking with rage now. "If he was drugged and unconscious, if he couldn't consent, then what you did was assault. It was rape.""Call it what you want. The fact remains that I'm carrying Alex's child." Abigail stood up from the table. "And I don't want to be a single mother. So Alex, you have two choices.""I'm not interested in your choices...""Choice one," Abigail continued as if he hadn't spoken, "you leave Emily and be with me. We raise our child together as a family. You, me, and the baby.""That will never happen," Alex said flatly."Choice two, you stay with Emily, but you support our child financially and emotionally. You will be an active father to our baby. You split your time between this family and the family we're creating together.""There is no family!" I shouted. "There is no 'we'! You're delusional!""Am I?" Abigail looked at me with cold satisfaction. "Or am I just a woman who's about to have Alex Thompson's child? A child that will legal
EmilyAlex stared at Abigail with rage, his voice was sharp, dangerous in a way I rarely heard. "Abigail, I told you to leave. Get out of my house. Now."But Abigail didn't move. Instead, she looked around the kitchen like she owned the place, her eyes sweeping over the breakfast table, the children, me, and finally landing back on Alex."Oh, Alex, don't be so dramatic." She laughed lightly, as if this was all perfectly normal. "I know you're upset, but once you hear what I have to say, you'll understand why I had to come.""There's nothing you could possibly say that I want to hear." Alex moved toward her, clearly intending to physically escort her out if necessary. "You drugged me. You helped destroy my relationship with Emily. You were part of a plan that led to my children being kidnapped…""I had nothing to do with the kidnapping!" Abigail said quickly, her smile faltering for just a moment. "That was all Margaret Chen. I didn't know about any of that, I swear.""I don't believe
Emily I woke up to the sound of giggling.My eyes fluttered open to find three small faces staring at me; Lucas, Lily, and Phil, all standing beside the bed with huge grins on their faces."You're in Daddy's bed!" Phil announced gleefully."Shh!" Lucas nudged him. "You'll wake them up.""They're already awake, genius," Lily said, rolling her eyes.I felt Alex stir beside me, and I realized we were both very naked under the covers."Good morning," Alex said, his voice rough with sleep. "What are you troublemakers doing in here?""We wanted to see if Mummy was still here," Phil said. "We wanted to make sure she didn't leave."My heart clenched. "I'm not leaving, baby. I'm right here.""And you're in Daddy's bed," Lily pointed out with a mischievous smile. "Does that mean you love each other again?""We never stopped loving each other," Alex said, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "And yes, Mummy and I are together. For good this time.""Does that mean we're a real family now?" Lucas ask
Nathaniel I stared at my phone, feeling a chill run down my spine.Abigail wasn't going to let this go. She was going to keep pursuing Alex, keep trying to destroy his relationship with Emily.I should warn them. I should call Alex or Emily and tell them that Abigail was still a threat.But would they believe me? Would they trust anything I said after what I'd done?I picked up my phone and typed out a text to Alex:*Be careful. Abigail isn't done. She's still obsessed with you and won't give up. Protect your family. I'm sorry for everything. - Nathaniel*I hit send and then blocked both Alex's and Emily's numbers. It was the only way I could truly let go, by cutting all ties, all contact, all connection to the life I'd been obsessing over for six years.Two days later, I boarded a plane to London.As the plane took off, I looked out the window at the city disappearing below me.Somewhere down there, Emily was living her life with Alex and their children.Somewhere down there, Abiga
NathanielI sat in the hospital bed, my shoulder throbbing with pain despite the morphine they'd given me, and stared at the ceiling.What had I done?For six years, I had convinced myself that I loved Emily. That I was protecting her. That I was the good guy in this story.But I wasn't.I was the villain.I had manipulated her. I had worked with Abigail to destroy her relationship with Alex. I had stood by while a madwoman kidnapped three innocent children.And for what?For an obsession I had mistaken for love.The door opened, and a nurse came in to check my vitals. "How are you feeling, Mr. Harrison?""Like I deserve every bit of pain I'm in," I said quietly.She gave me a sympathetic look and left without comment.I closed my eyes and thought about the moment I had thrown myself in front of Emily, taking the bullet meant for her.In that split second, I hadn't thought about whether she would love me for it. I hadn't thought about using it to win her over.I had just known that I







