MasukAriana's voice rose. "Fuck the blackwoodsI want you to know that you're a monster. A cold-blooded, soulless monster. You think you can just take Leo away from his mother? You think you can just waltz in and play daddy after all these years? You're a fucking joke, Damien. A pathetic, sad little joke."Damien's voice was mocking. "I'm not playing, Ariana. I'm his father. I have every right to be in his life. More right than a convicted felon like Amelia."Ariana's voice was dripping with venom. "You're a murderer, Damien. You killed Miguel. You think we don't know? You think we've forgotten? You're not fit to raise a goldfish, let alone a child. You're a worthless piece of garbage. A fucking parasite who feeds on other people's misery."âIâm not playing anything,â Damien replied calmly. âIâm his father. I have every right to be in his life.ââYou have no right to keep him from Amelia!ââI never said she could never see him.ââYou literally just told her she couldnât see her own son!âDa
His voice was quieter now, stripped of the arrogance he had carried throughout the conversation. âIâm sorry, Amelia,â he continued. âI really am.âShe said nothing.âI loved you,â Damien whispered. âI have always loved you.âAmeliaâs eyes widened, but she remained silent.âI was obsessed with you. I couldnât accept that you were moving on. I couldnât stand the thought of you marrying Miguel.â His breathing grew heavier. âWhen I watched you walk down that aisle toward him, something inside me broke. I was angry, jealous, and completely out of control.âAmeliaâs fingers tightened around the phone âDamienâŠââI know thereâs no excuse for what happened,â he said, his voice trembling. âI know saying I loved you doesnât change anything. But watching you choose another man destroyed me in ways I didnât understand at the time.ââYou killed him,â Amelia whispered.âI know.ââYou took the only person who loved me without hurting me.ââI know.ââAnd now you want me to believe this was all because
Sierraâs smile became colder. âBecause unfortunately, Iâm a bridesmaid. If I had my way, Iâd be standing at Ameliaâs wedding right now, fixing her veil while you were somewhere far away from Alejandro.âGabriella stared at her in disbelief.Sierra continued before she could respond. âBut life is strange. Somehow, the woman who broke up a marriage gets the wedding, the designer dress, and the groom. Itâs almost inspiring.ââAre you finished?â Gabriella asked through clenched teeth.âNot even close.âMarisa gave Sierra a warning look. âSierra.âSierra sighed dramatically. âFine. Iâll behave.âGabriella raised an eyebrow. âYou said that last time.ââI lied last time.âGabriella shook her head and turned back toward the mirror, choosing to ignore her. She adjusted the top of her dress, but Sierraâs eyes suddenly dropped to her stomach.Sierraâs eyebrows lifted. âWait a minute.âGabriella immediately looked down. âWhat?âSierra pointed toward her stomach. âIs your baby bump already showing
SAINT VICTORIA HOSPITAL â VIP SUITE â EVENINGAmeliaâs 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 sonâs voice.The call connected. âHello?âDamienâs familiar voice came through, and Ameliaâs fingers tightened around the phone.âDamien, itâs me.âThere was a brief silence. âAmelia?â Damien sounded genuinely surprised. âI thought you were in prison. How the hell are you calling me from a private number?âAmelia took a shaky breath. âApparently, Iâve been released.ââReleased?â Damien repeated, clearly stunned. âFor how long?ââOne week,â she replied. âI was granted a temporary release because of my condition.âDamien scoffed. âAnd the first thing you do after getting out is call me?ââThe first thing I did was try to reach my son,â Amelia said, her voice tightening. âSince nobody at your residence bothered to answer my calls, I had to call you directly.ââWhat do you want?ââYou
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 couldnât stop looking at her stomach. Her baby bump was already beginning to show, and she couldnât help frowning as she stared at herself in the mirror. She placed a hand over the small curve and sighed.âWhy does it have to show now?â she muttered, running her fingers gently over her stomach.Marisa, who was sitting nearby in her wheelchair, immediately looked up. âBecause youâre pregnant,â she said cheerfully, as if the answer should have be
SAINT VICTORIA HOSPITAL â VIP SUITE â EVENINGThe sound of the slap echoed through the luxury suite.Ameliaâs 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.âDonât you ever talk to me like that again,â Ariana said, her voice breaking. âYou have no idea what Iâve been dealing with. You have no idea how hard this has been for me.âNeither woman spoke for a moment. The room fell completely silent except for Arianaâs 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.âDid you just slap me?âAriana swallowed hard, but she did not look a
âTwo days ago. Daniel and I were talking about the party, and we realizedâwhy wait? We love each other. We have a son together. We want to be a family. So weâre doing it now.â Ariana twisted her hands together. âAre you mad?ââMad? Are you kidding?â Amelia rushed forward and hugged her best friend
Alejandro stood on the sidewalk outside Ameliaâs 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 heâd grabbed in a rush.Suddenly, cameras clicked around him. Paparazzi app
âTouch me. Fuck me. Anything.âHe pumped his fingers slowly, thumb brushing her clit on every stroke. âIâm going to do all of it.âHis 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
THE GUERRA GRAND MANSION~ SPAINGabriella stepped into her sunlit bedroom at the family villa outside Madrid. The red dress from last night still draped over a chair, a trophy of her victory. Her skin still tingled from Alejandroâs hands, his desperate kisses, the way heâd lost control. She let he







