Home / Romance / The Heart That Wouldn’t Surrender / Chapter 21: Can Paradise Survive When Hell Follows?

Share

Chapter 21: Can Paradise Survive When Hell Follows?

Author: Writerij
last update Last Updated: 2026-02-13 04:18:31

Seraphina's POV

"We're not cancelling the honeymoon."

Aurelius's declaration cuts through the chaos of Jennifer's continued updates about James's escape, through Victoria's concerned calls, through Zara's texts demanding we go into hiding until he's caught.

"Aurelius, he knows where we're going—"

"Then we'll have security." His hand finds mine across the hotel breakfast table where we're trying to salvage what should have been a perfect first morning as husband and wife. "Armed guards, surveill
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Latest chapter

  • The Heart That Wouldn’t Surrender    Chapter 29: She's Mine

    Seraphina’s POV“She’s not available,” Aurelius repeats, moving toward us with lethal calm. His eyes never leave David. “She’s not interested. And she’s definitely not yours.”David straightens his cufflinks like this is a negotiation. “Perhaps we should let the lady decide that.”“The lady decided three years ago when she married me.” Aurelius stops in front of him now. Close. Controlled. Terrifying. “She decides every day she wears my ring.”“A ring from a man who wasn’t seated front row for her biggest moment,” David counters smoothly. “Who let her face humiliation alone.”Aurelius moves — fast enough to silence the air.He doesn’t touch David.He simply steps between us, forcing him back.“I was here,” he says quietly. “I built the evidence that cleared her name. I dismantled the woman who tried to bury her. I absorbed the market crash. I stood in front of cameras and bled publicly for her.”He leans closer.“You think visibility equals loyalty? I brought down empires tonight.”T

  • The Heart That Wouldn’t Surrender    Chapter 28: Where Do Broken Hearts Run To?

    Seraphina’s POVThe cab driver asks me where I’m going three times before I realize I don’t have an answer.I’ve been running for twenty minutes without knowing where to. Just away.My phone is off. His note is in my bag.And in four hours, I’m supposed to accept an award while my marriage quietly collapses.“Queens,” I whisper finally. “337 Maple Street.”My childhood home smells like lavender and regret.I drop my bag in my old bedroom and stare at faded posters from a girl who believed in forever.That girl was naive.I plug my phone in but leave it dark.Until 2:47 PM.I can’t resist anymore.The screen explodes.73 missed calls.156 texts.847 notifications.My stomach drops.Emma:EMERGENCY. Your award speech leaked. They’re saying you didn’t write it. Scandal everywhere. CALL ME.My fingers shake as I open Twitter.SeraphinaKingsleyFraud— trending 1 worldwide.NepotismQueen— trending 3.@EventIndustryTea:Seraphina Kingsley’s award-winning speech allegedly ghostwritten. Sources

  • The Heart That Wouldn’t Surrender    Chapter 27: What Happens When the Person You're Running From is Yourself?

    Seraphina's POVI find him on the balcony at 3 a.m., still as stone, staring at the city like it holds answers to questions he's afraid to ask.He doesn't know I'm awake. Doesn't know I've been watching him for the past twenty minutes through the glass door, seeing what he hides when he thinks I'm not looking.His shoulders are hunched forward—not the confident posture of a man who commands boardrooms. His hands grip the railing so tightly his knuckles are white. And when the wind shifts, I hear it.He's crying.Aurelius Kingsley—trillionaire, empire builder, the man who faced down terrorists and board meetings with equal calm—is crying on our balcony at 3 a.m. while his wife pretends to sleep.The realization hits like a physical blow: I'm not the only one drowning.I slide the door open. He straightens immediately, swiping at his face, rebuilding his armor so quickly I almost miss the vulnerability."Did I wake you?" His voice is carefully controlled. Too controlled."You're doing i

  • The Heart That Wouldn’t Surrender    Chapter 26: How Many Times Can You Say "I'm Fine" Before It Becomes a Lie?

    Seraphina's POVHe's beautiful when he sleeps.I've been awake for an hour, watching Aurelius in the pre-dawn light filtering through our bedroom curtains. His face is relaxed in sleep, free from the weight of running an empire, free from the burden of loving me through my fears.There's a small scar above his left eyebrow—a childhood accident, he told me once. His lashes are longer than mine, casting shadows on his cheeks. And his hand, even in sleep, reaches across the sheets, searching for mine.I should feel peace. Yesterday, he promised I was enough. Held me while I cried. Said all the right words.So why does my chest feel like it's caving in?Because words are easy, the voice in my head whispers. Actions over time are what matter. And you've given him three days to process. Wait six months. Wait five years. Wait until his friends start having babies and he realizes what he gave up.My phone lights up on the nightstand. I grab it before it wakes him.Emma: Sera, you're trending.

  • The Heart That Wouldn’t Surrender    Chapter 25: When Does Love Learn the Difference Between Enough and Everything?

    Seraphina's POVThe coffee in my hands has gone cold.I've been sitting in this café across from Dr. Chen's office for two hours, staring at my phone, at Aurelius's response to my "we need to talk" text: I'm here. Whatever it is, we'll face it together.Together. The word that used to comfort me now feels like a promise I'm about to break.Because how do you tell the man who just saved his foundation, who just proved to five hundred witnesses that you're worth fighting for, that you're medically incapable of giving him the one thing most marriages are built on?"You gonna order something else, honey, or just take up space?" The waitress—Rosa, according to her name tag—refills my cold coffee without asking. She's older, maybe sixty, with kind eyes that have seen too much life to judge."Sorry. I'll leave—""Didn't say leave. Said order something." She slides into the booth across from me uninvited. "You've got that look. The one women get when they're about to do something stupid becau

  • The Heart That Wouldn’t Surrender    Chapter 24: What if Victory Came with a Price You Weren't Ready to Pay?

    Seraphina's POV"Run facial recognition on every security image we have of 'James Morrison' from the past five years."Aurelius's voice is deadly calm as he issues orders to his security team, but I can see the fury beneath the surface. We're back in his penthouse—surrounded by guards, monitors showing every angle of the building, Jennifer coordinating with the FBI via video call.The imposter's roses are bagged as evidence. But his message haunts me: The real show starts now."Got something." Ethan pulls up images on the main screen. "Facial recognition hit on our 'James Morrison.' His real name is Dr. Adrian Thorne. Former colleague of the real James Morrison before Morrison died. They worked together at—" He stops, his face going pale. "They worked together at the psychiatric facility where Isabella was treated."The room goes silent."Isabella knew him," Aurelius says, and his voice cracks on her name. "She trusted him. And he used that to get close to me.""It's worse." Jennifer'

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status