Mag-log in"I've already filed for a divorce," Elysia finally said with a sigh.Kai's attention snapped to her.She didn't see the slight widening of his eyes.Her gaze remained fixed on the window, on the trees swaying gently in the breeze outside."What?" Nicole stared at her.Genuine shock flashed across her face.Jade remained silent.Unlike Nicole, she wasn't surprised.Ever since she'd dropped Elysia off at the Windsor mansion the previous evening, something had felt wrong.She couldn't explain it.Maybe it had been the look in Elysia's eyes.Maybe it had been the exhaustion she seemed to carry everywhere these days.Or maybe Jade had simply known her best friend too well.So no, she wasn't shocked.If anything, the overwhelming emotion she felt was relief.Relief that Elysia had finally stopped trying. Relief that she had finally chosen herself.Relief that this time, she wasn't making excuses for Declan Windsor.“I've already asked Mr. Ansley to draft up the divorce agreement,” Elysia sa
Kai turned.He stared at her for a moment before answering."You called my old number," he said.Elysia frowned.For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.When his phone had rung that night and her name had flashed across the screen, he'd genuinely thought he was imagining it.At first, he'd wondered if she'd called him by mistake. If she'd been trying to reach someone else.Or if, after all these years, she had actually intended to call him.He'd kept the number. His old number.Truthfully, he didn't even know why.Maybe because changing it had never seemed necessary.Or maybe because a small part of him had never wanted to let go of anything connected to her.Whatever the reason, he had been genuinely surprised when he saw her name appear on the screen.Even more surprised that she still had the number.Elysia looked away.It was the first time since she'd woken up that she did that—looked away first."I'm sorry," she muttered.Kai frowned slightly.Sorry?He wasn't sure what she wa
Elysia tried to open her eyes but for a moment, her eyelids seemed too heavy, too stubborn.She could hear voices, distant then muffled, like she was underwater. Then a small ringing in her head made her force her eyes open with a gasp.The last thing she remembered was the smoke, the orange glow outside her door and that she couldn't breathe.Her eyes darted around immediately.White ceiling. White walls. The faint smell of antiseptic.A hospital.Panic seized her chest.Her hand immediately flew to her stomach.She didn't know why that was the first thing she thought about. Maybe because it had become impossible not to think about it these past few days.Her baby.Her throat tightened.She pushed herself up too quickly and instantly regretted it when dizziness washed over her."Elysia? You're awake."Elysia froze at the sound of the voice.The voice sounded familiar. Very familiar.But that was impossible.Her head snapped towards the direction of the voice and Elysia just stared in
What the hell was this doing here?An abortion consent form?Declan stared down at the paper in his hand, his brows pulling together.His mind immediately flashed back to earlier that evening.Elysia standing at the top of the staircase.The piece of paper that had slipped from her bag and rolled down the steps.He remembered asking about it.He remembered Elysia quietly picking it up and telling him it was nothing.At the time, he hadn't thought much about it. In fact, he hadn't thought about it at all.There had been no curiosity. No concern. No reason to question her further.He had simply moved on.Now, staring at the abortion consent form in his hand, Declan found himself wondering if that had been the very same paper as realization slowly began to settle over him.His eyes widened slightly.Suddenly, the white object protruding from beneath the debris near the cabinet didn't seem so insignificant anymore.Still holding the consent form, Declan crossed the bathroom and bent down.
Declan frowned as he stared at the footage. For several moments, neither he nor Bene spoke. The security camera showed the upstairs hallway outside Elysia's bedroom. Victoria appeared on the screen a few seconds later. She walked directly toward Elysia's room before stopping outside the door. Declan's eyes narrowed. He watched as Victoria bent down and appeared to slide something underneath the door. After doing so, she straightened and glanced around the hallway. The movement was subtle, but it almost looked as though she was checking to see if anyone had witnessed what she was doing. A moment later, she turned and walked away. Beside him, Bene shifted uncomfortably. "What was she putting under the door?" he asked. Declan didn't answer immediately. Something about the footage bothered him, but it wasn't the object Victoria had slipped into Elysia's room. It was Victoria herself. Before they had gone to bed that night, she had complained repeatedly about a severe headache.
Declan slowly lifted his eyes, confusion etched across his face."What do you mean you only found one body?" he asked, frowning.The firefighter looked at him for a moment before shrugging."This was the only body we found in the house," the man repeated. "But the back door appears to have been left open."Declan immediately pushed himself to his feet.Another firefighter stepped forward from behind the first. He was shorter, holding his helmet underneath one arm."Maybe your wife escaped through the back door," he suggested in a heavy Hispanic accent.Declan stared at both men for several seconds. Then, without another word, he began searching for his phone.His hands were shaking.He finally found it in his left pocket and hurriedly dialed a number.The call connected after a few rings, and a sleepy voice immediately came through."Boss? Do you need something?" the voice asked.Declan didn't waste any time."I need you to go to the office and retrieve the laptop connected to my hous
“Call an ambulance,” Declan said, still holding onto Victoria as she lay limp against him after inhaling too much smoke.Mrs Whitmore was already on the phone.Elysia.Elysia was still inside.For a second, everything else blurred.Declan’s chest tightened as he looked toward the burning house. He
“What’s that?” Declan asked.Elysia didn’t answer immediately. She slowly stepped back down the stairs and bent to pick up the paper, her movements calm and controlled.Panic would only draw suspicion, and right now that was the one thing she couldn’t afford.She slipped the folded paper back into
“Are you sure you want to go through with the procedure, Mrs Windsor?” the doctor asked.Elysia sat stiffly in the chair, fingers locked tightly in her lap to keep them from shaking. Jade sat beside her, watching her with growing concern.“Elysia… are you sick?” Jade asked softly, unable to hold it
It came back to her in flashes—sharp, unwanted and cruel.Elysia stumbled up the stairs, gripping the railing so hard her fingers ached, her chest tightening like something inside her was breaking all over again.She had been on the phone earlier that evening with her mother.“Honey, it’s time to l







