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The First Week

Penulis: Amelia Hart
last update Tanggal publikasi: 2026-02-01 02:24:47

POV: ISLA (Present Day)

My first week at Apex Technologies was a carefully orchestrated performance.

Every move calculated. Every word measured. Every interaction designed to establish exactly who Dr. Isla Vale was.

Brilliant. Cold. Untouchable.

And nothing, absolutely nothing like Isla Romano.

My office was directly across from Jaxon's.

I could see his door from my desk. Could watch him come and go. Could observe without being observed.

It was perfect. And torturous.

Every time I saw him, my h
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  • The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire   Ashes to Gold

    POV: ISLAThe next morning, everyone gathered for breakfast.Rowan and Sarah's pregnancy was announced officially. Everyone celebrated.Lily and Cameron were excited about being "older cousins."Mia cried happy tears. "I can't believe we're all going to be here for this. For the next generation.""Dante's great-grandchild," Clifford said. "But nothing like him.""Nothing," Jaxon agreed firmly. "This baby will be pure. Loved. Protected. Everything we didn't have."Nova pulled me aside. "Mom, I need to tell you something.""What's wrong?""Nothing's wrong. It's just... Alex proposed. Last night. After the party."I screamed. Couldn't help it."Nova! Show me the ring!"She held out her hand. Beautiful diamond."When's the wedding?""We haven't decided yet. Maybe next year. We want something small and intimate.""Like Rowan's.""Exactly like Rowan's."I hugged her tight. "I'm so happy for you, sweetheart.""Thanks, Mom. And I know it's fast. We've only been together seven years and…""Onl

  • The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire   Jaxon’s Birthday

    POV: JAXONI never thought I'd make it this far.Didn't think I deserved to.But here I was. Alive. Loved. Surrounded by family.At the beach house. Everyone gathered for my birthday.The place was packed.Rowan and Sarah. Married three years now. Glowing with a secret I suspected but they hadn't announced yet.Nova and Alex. Seven years together. Solid. Strong. Planning their future.Asher and Sophie. Brilliant minds, kind hearts. Perfect for each other.Grace. Twenty-four. Single but thriving. Focused on her career, her calling.Mia, Clifford, Lily (fourteen now, practically an adult), and Cameron (nine, still shy but warming up).But also: Adrian and his wife. Our former rival, now our closest friend.Derek and Ashley. Ashley was twenty-eight now. A social worker. Helping kids like she'd once been.Dr. Mitchell. Retired but still sharp. Still caring.Viktor. Our distant cousin who'd warned us so many times. Saved us so many times.Even Margaret Torres. The woman who'd forgiven us.

  • The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire   Grace's Calling

    POV: ISLAGrace had already made her decision.Medical school. Johns Hopkins. One of the best programs in the country.But not just any specialty.Trauma surgery."I want to heal what people like Dante Romano broke," she told us over dinner."That's a brutal specialty, sweetheart," Jaxon said. "Long hours. High stress. Constant trauma.""I know. But it's what I'm meant to do.""Why trauma specifically?" I asked.She thought about it. "Because those are the people who need the most help. The ones who've been hurt. Broken. Fighting to survive. I want to be the one who puts them back together."Her medical school application essay was powerful.She let us read it before submitting."I come from a legacy of violence. My grandfather, Dante Romano, built an empire that destroyed families and ruined lives. But I'm building a legacy of healing. I want to become a trauma surgeon so I can repair the damage that people like him inflict. So I can save the lives he would have taken. So I can prove

  • The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire   Asher's Breakthrough

    POV: JAXONAsher graduated from MIT at twenty-two.Top of his class. Multiple patents. Job offers from every major tech company.Google. Apple. Tesla. Microsoft.All offering six-figure salaries. Stock options. Everything.He turned them all down."I'm starting my own company," he announced at dinner."Your own company?" Isla asked."Yeah. I've been working on something. A system that can detect and flag online platforms used for human trafficking, money laundering, and organized crime communication."I nearly dropped my fork. "What?""It's like VoiceLink, but for law enforcement. It scans patterns. Identifies suspicious activity. Flags it for investigation.""Asher, that's... that's incredible.""It's also risky," he admitted. "What if it's wrong? What if innocent people get flagged? What if my it makes mistakes?"This was the question he'd been wrestling with. The ethics of it all."You build in safeguards," I said. "Checks and balances. Human oversight. But buddy, you can't let fea

  • The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire   Nova's First Case

    POV: NOVAI'd been waiting for this moment my entire life.My first day as an Assistant District Attorney.Manhattan DA's office. Major Crimes division.Everything I'd worked for. Dreamed of. Fought for.The office was busy. Chaotic. Exactly what I expected.My supervisor, ADA Katherine, was legendary. Tough. Brilliant. Never lost a case."Winters," she said when I arrived. "Welcome to Major Crimes. You ready?""Yes, ma'am.""Good. Because we don't have time for hand-holding. You'll learn by doing. First case starts tomorrow.""Tomorrow?""Problem?""No. No problem."That night, I called Dad."How was day one?""Terrifying. Exciting. I have my first case tomorrow.""Already?""They don't mess around here. It's sink or swim.""You'll swim. You're a Winters. We don't sink."I smiled. "Thanks, Dad.""What's the case?""Human trafficking ring. Multiple defendants. It's... it's big."Silence on his end. Then: "You okay with that? Given our family history?""I'm more than okay with it. This

  • The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire   Rowan's Wedding

    POV: JAXONWe stood at the beach house.Preparing for Rowan's wedding.April 15th had finally arrived.Perfect spring day. Sunny. Warm. Ocean breeze.Everything he and Sarah had dreamed of.The setup was beautiful.White chairs arranged in rows facing the ocean. Simple arch decorated with flowers.Fifty guests. Intimate. Family and close friends.No media. No publicity. Just love.I was officiating.Got ordained online specifically for this."You want me to marry you?" I'd asked when Rowan first suggested it."Who else would do it? You're my dad. You showed me what love looks like. What commitment means. Of course I want you to marry us."How could I say no to that?The morning of the wedding, I found Rowan in his room.Adjusting his tie. Nervous and excited."Hey, buddy. You okay?""Yeah. Just... wow. I'm getting married.""You are.""I'm twenty-six. Is that too young?""I was about that age when I first married your mom. So no, twenty-six is fine.""But that didn't work out.""Becau

  • The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire   Isla's Breakdown

    POV: ISLAIt hit me three days after Jaxon visited Dante.We were unpacking boxes in the new house. The twins were running through the halls. Jaxon was assembling furniture in the nursery.Everything was perfect.And then I couldn't breathe.My chest tightened. My vision blurred. My hands started s

    last updateTerakhir Diperbarui : 2026-03-29

  • The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire   Vincent Returns

    POV: ISLAVincent showed up three days after the twins' birthday.I was in the yard with Rowan and Nova when I heard the car.My first thought was panic, Dante's men again.Then I saw Vincent step out of a black SUV.Tall and polished. Looking handsome as always"Vincent?" I breathed.He smiled. "H

    last updateTerakhir Diperbarui : 2026-03-27

  • The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire   The Rescue

    POV: JAXONThe drive to the compound took three hours.Three hours of hell.FBI tactical team in armored vehicles. Helicopters overhead. Full mobilization.Isla and I sat in the back of an SUV. Silent. Holding hands so tight our fingers went numb.Agent Drew briefed us on the plan."We've got therm

    last updateTerakhir Diperbarui : 2026-04-02

  • The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire   Dante Escalates

    POV: JAXONThe first sign was the cameras.Clifford, my head of security, called at six in the morning."We have movement on the perimeter. Three men, professional surveillance equipment. They've been there since midnight."I was out of bed instantly. "Dante's men?""Almost certainly. They're not t

    last updateTerakhir Diperbarui : 2026-03-27
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