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Chapter 6: The Ghost We Carry

Author: Dzifa
last update publish date: 2026-03-29 15:01:51

The elevator ride felt like falling.

Isabella leaned against the polished brass rail, her reflection fractured across the mirrored walls dozens of versions of herself, each one looking more undone than the last. Her lips still tingled from Damien's kiss. Her heart still raced from the confession they'd both made. And her phone still burned with Jonathan's message, a ghost from a life she'd tried to bury.

I'm sick. Really sick.

The elevator dinged. Lobby. She stepped out into the marble expanse,
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    A year passed like a whisper.Isabella stood in the nursery, the morning sun streaming through the curtains, a baby girl sleeping in her arms. Lily was two months old now a tiny thing with dark hair and green eyes and a temper that reminded her of Damien."Is she sleeping?" Damien appeared in the doorway, his voice soft."Finally." Isabella smiled, swaying gently. "She takes after you. Stubborn.""Stubborn?" He crossed the room, wrapping his arms around both of them. "I prefer to be persistent.""Persistent." She laughed. "Is that what we're calling it?"He kissed her forehead. "It's what we're calling love."Lily stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She looked up at her parents with an expression that seemed far too wise for her age."See?" Isabella said. "She's already judging us.""She gets that from you.""You think I'm judgy?""I think you're discerning." He took the baby from her arms, cradling her against his chest. "And I love you for it."The house was quiet that evening.Lucas

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