LOGINSAINT VICTORIA HOSPITAL — VIP SUITE — EVENINGAmelia’s hand trembled as she held the phone to her ear. Her heart was pounding, but she forced herself to stay calm. She had spent too long waiting to hear her son’s voice.The call connected. “Hello?”Damien’s familiar voice came through, and Amelia’s fingers tightened around the phone.“Damien, it’s me.”There was a brief silence. “Amelia?” Damien sounded genuinely surprised. “I thought you were in prison. How the hell are you calling me from a private number?”Amelia took a shaky breath. “Apparently, I’ve been released.”“Released?” Damien repeated, clearly stunned. “For how long?”“One week,” she replied. “I was granted a temporary release because of my condition.”Damien scoffed. “And the first thing you do after getting out is call me?”“The first thing I did was try to reach my son,” Amelia said, her voice tightening. “Since nobody at your residence bothered to answer my calls, I had to call you directly.”“What do you want?”“You
The wedding hall was already buzzing with excitement. Flowers covered the walls, soft music played in the background, and the bridesmaids moved around the room, fixing dresses, touching up makeup, and making sure everything was ready.In the middle of all the chaos, Gabriella stood in front of the mirror.She stared at her reflection and sighed. Her custom-made designer wedding dress looked beautiful on her. The dress hugged her body perfectly, and every little detail had been made exactly the way she wanted.But there was one thing Gabriella couldn’t stop looking at her stomach. Her baby bump was already beginning to show, and she couldn’t help frowning as she stared at herself in the mirror. She placed a hand over the small curve and sighed.“Why does it have to show now?” she muttered, running her fingers gently over her stomach.Marisa, who was sitting nearby in her wheelchair, immediately looked up. “Because you’re pregnant,” she said cheerfully, as if the answer should have be
SAINT VICTORIA HOSPITAL — VIP SUITE — EVENINGThe sound of the slap echoed through the luxury suite.Amelia’s head turned with the force of the impact. For a few seconds, she simply stood there, too shocked to react. Slowly, she raised a hand to her cheek and stared at Ariana in disbelief, as if she could not believe her best friend had actually slapped her.Ariana was trembling. Tears streamed down her face, and the hand she had used to slap Amelia was still raised, shaking badly.“Don’t you ever talk to me like that again,” Ariana said, her voice breaking. “You have no idea what I’ve been dealing with. You have no idea how hard this has been for me.”Neither woman spoke for a moment. The room fell completely silent except for Ariana’s uneven breathing and the faint hum of the city outside the hospital windows.Amelia slowly turned her face back toward her. The shock in her eyes disappeared, replaced by cold anger.“Did you just slap me?”Ariana swallowed hard, but she did not look a
DAMIAN’S MANSION — FOYER — 8:00 AMLeo walked down the grand staircase wearing his new school uniform. He hated everything about it. The stiff collar. The expensive fabric. Even the way everyone in the mansion kept looking at him as if putting him in a fancy uniform had suddenly changed his life.Damien was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. The moment he saw Leo, his face brightened. “Wow,” Damien said, looking him over. “You look great. Like a real Blackwood.”Leo stopped halfway down the stairs and gave him a cold look. “I’m not a Blackwood.”Damien’s smile faded slightly. “Leo—”“I’m a Favino,” Leo said firmly. “Stop trying to change that.”Damien took a breath and nodded. “Okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. You look great, that’s all I meant.”“Then just say that next time.”Leo continued down the stairs and walked straight past him.Damien quickly followed. “Your headmaster, Mr. Harrington, is expecting you. He’ll give you a tour of the school, introduce you to your
Ariana’s face flushed slightly. “About a week.”“A week?” Amelia stared at her in disbelief before letting out a small laugh. “Riri, that’s fast. Really fast.”“I know,” Ariana admitted with a nervous shrug. “But he’s been really supportive. He helped me through a lot when everything started falling apart.”Amelia glanced at Marco again, studying him carefully. She didn’t trust people easily anymore, especially after everything that had happened to her and Ariana. Still, Ariana looked genuinely happy to have him around, and Amelia didn’t want to ruin that moment.“Hi, Marco,” she said, keeping her voice polite but guarded. “Nice to meet you.”Marco smiled warmly. “Nice to meet you too, Amelia. Ariana has told me a lot about you. She says you’re more like a sister than a friend.”Amelia returned his smile, although there was still a hint of suspicion in her eyes. “That’s sweet of her.”She looked at his crutch and bandaged leg before turning back to Ariana. “But can you give us a few m
Ariana flinched and pulled the phone slightly away from her ear as Amelia’s angry voice filled the room.“Amelia, please—”“I left my son in your care!” Amelia shouted. Tears immediately filled her eyes as she paced across the room, her free hand trembling as she ran it through her hair. “I trusted you, Ariana! Out of everyone, I trusted you with my child!”“It’s not what you think!” Ariana quickly replied, her voice filled with panic.“Then what the hell is it?” Amelia demanded. Her voice cracked as another tear slipped down her cheek. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you betrayed me too. I thought you were my friend!”“I am your friend!” Ariana insisted, her voice rising with desperation. “Amelia, please, just listen to me. I can explain everything.”“No!” Amelia snapped. She shook her head furiously as she wiped the tears from her face. “I don’t want to hear another excuse. You betrayed me too!”Ariana closed her eyes and took a shaky breath.“After everything I’ve b
MANHATTAN FAMILY COURT ~The courtroom was quiet, except for the soft hum of the air conditioner.Katherina sat at the long wooden table, her hands trembling as she stared at the papers in front of her. Jessica sat beside her, pretending to dab her tears with a tissue. Across the room, little Mira
“Two days ago. Daniel and I were talking about the party, and we realized—why wait? We love each other. We have a son together. We want to be a family. So we’re doing it now.” Ariana twisted her hands together. “Are you mad?”“Mad? Are you kidding?” Amelia rushed forward and hugged her best friend
Alejandro stood on the sidewalk outside Amelia’s towering apartment building. The crisp New York morning air did nothing to clear the fog in his head. His duffel bag felt like a brick in his hand, heavy with the few clothes he’d grabbed in a rush.Suddenly, cameras clicked around him. Paparazzi app
“Touch me. Fuck me. Anything.”He pumped his fingers slowly, thumb brushing her clit on every stroke. “I’m going to do all of it.”His mouth found her neck, sucking hard enough to leave marks as his fingers worked her steadily. She clutched his shoulders, nails digging through his coat. Wet sounds







