LOGINMarcus The hospital doors slid open and I stepped outside and the rain hit me immediately. Cold and heavy and merciless, soaking through my shirt in seconds.I stood on the pavement and didn't move.I didn't have an umbrella. I didn't have a plan. I didn't have anywhere in particular to go.I just stood there while the rain came down.God.I lost everything because of this woman.Everything.My marriage. My pride. My name. My money. My position. My company.And now the son I thought I had, the one thing that had made any of it feel worth something, wasn't even mine.Three years. Three years I had looked at that boy's face and seen myself. Three years of birthday parties and bedtime stories and scraped knees and first words.None of it was real.All of it a lie.Is this what I deserve?The thought moved through me slowly, mixing with the rain.Is this my punishment for what I did to Serena?I remembered that night. The rain, how she was on her knees on the wet ground. Bleeding. Crying
MarcusI stared at the doctor.The corridor felt like it was closing in around me.My ears were ringing.Kelvin is not my son.The words kept repeating in my head like something broken, like a record stuck on the same line, over and over and over.I turned slowly.Sarah was standing beside me, her arms wrapped around herself, her eyes on the floor.My blood boiled.Everything inside me rose up at once. The rage. The humiliation. The grief. All of it climbing my throat at the same time until I could barely see straight."Did you hear what the doctor just said?"My voice came out low. Too low. The kind of low that scared even me.Sarah looked up. Her eyes were wide. Her lips were parted slightly.She opened her mouth.Nothing came out."Answer me." My jaw was so tight it hurt. "Is Kelvin not my son?"She flinched."I..." She swallowed. "He... He's your son. Marcus, he's...""IS KELVIN NOT MY SON?"My voice tore out of me so loud that a nurse at the end of the corridor spun around. Sarah
Marcus He was beside her, close, his hand at the small of her back.I stopped walking.The trolley rolled forward slightly and I grabbed it.I moved toward them but the car park was wide and they were already at the far end. By the time I had covered half the distance they had reached a silver car. The man opened the passenger door for her. She got in without looking back.The car pulled out and drove away.I stood there.Could that have been Sarah?I turned the image over in my mind. The coat. The height. The walk.But I hadn't seen her face. Not once. And Sarah was home with Kelvin.Wasn't she?I stood there for another moment, then shook my head and pushed the trolley toward the exit.Maybe I'm imagining things. You know, I'm under too much pressure and my mind is finding problems where there aren't any.Sarah should be home by now.I took a taxi back with the groceries.The house felt different when I walked in. Or maybe I was different walking into it. I set the bags on the kitc
MarcusI paced back and forth as I waited for the boss to send the address.The text came later in the evening.A location. An address on the east side of the city. Nothing else.I read it three times.Then I put the phone down and sat on the edge of my bed for exactly thirty seconds before I stood up and started getting dressed.I hadn't been this awake in weeks.I chose my clothes carefully. The navy shirt. The dark trousers. The shoes I used to wear to board meetings before the board meetings stopped. I wasn't going to walk into whatever this was looking like a broken man.I told my mother I had an errand to run. She didn't ask questions. She had stopped asking questions about my movements since everything fell apart. She just nodded from the sofa and told me to be careful.I took a bus to the east side.The address led me to an empty parking structure near the old industrial district. Four floors. Concrete walls. The smell of dust and oil.I stood on the second floor and waited.T
SerenaI woke up reaching for Ethan.My hand found cold sheets.I opened my eyes.The chair beside my bed was empty. His laptop was gone. His jacket was gone.I sat up slowly and looked around the room.Nothing.Just the soft beep of the baby monitor and the quiet sounds of the hospital corridor outside.I didn't even hear him leave.I sat there for a moment, one hand on my stomach, and told myself not to worry. Ethan didn't just disappear. He always had a reason. He always had people watching over me.I reached for the glass of water on the bedside table and drank slowly.Then my phone lit up with a call. It's Dave.I stared at it.The phone rang four times while I stared at it.I put it face down on the blanket and let it ring out.A few seconds later, the notification for a text message came through.I picked it up.'Serena. I just wanted to check on you. I know things are complicated right now and I know Ethan doesn't trust me. But I need you to know that I care about what happens
EthanI needed to confront Richard Morrison. Since he's also working for this so-called boss, he should be able to know something about him.The drive to his office took about fifteen minutes.We pulled up to the building and I got out, flanked by four security guards.The lobby receptionist's eyes went wide when she saw us."Mr. Ashford," she stammered.I ignored and walked past her toward the elevators."Sir, you can't just..."One cold glared from me and she went silent.My guards ensured no one followed us into the elevator.We rode up to the fifteenth floor in silence.When the doors opened, we stepped into a reception area with expensive artwork and leather furniture.Another receptionist stood up immediately."Mr. Ashford, I'm sorry, but Mr. Morrison is in a meeting right now. If you'd like to schedule...""Where is he?" I asked."I... he's in his private office, but..."I walked past her."Sir! Sir, you can't just..."I ignored her and headed down the hallway.Richard Morriso
SerenaI didn't understand why Ethan didn't trust Dave.It didn't make sense to me.Dave was a nice person. Kind, thoughtful, and professional.He had saved me from danger. Not once, but twice.First from the kidnappers, And then in Dubai, when he literally pulled Ahmad Khalil off of me.If it were
Ethan Ashford When I turned around, Serena was standing in the middle of the room, watching me."You don't trust him," she said quietly.It wasn't a question."No," I admitted. "I don't.""Why not?" she asked. "He saved me, Ethan. If he hadn't been there...""I know," I said. "And I'm grateful for
SerenaThe plane began its descent, and I pressed my face against the window, eager to catch my first glimpse of the Maldives.What I saw took my breath away.Crystal-clear turquoise water stretching as far as the eye could see. Small islands dotted across the ocean like emeralds on a blue canvas.
EthanThat bitch.That absolute, unbelievable bitch dare to show her face to Serena after everything she's done?I stared at the note in my hand, reading Isabella's words over and over again, and felt rage building in my chest like a fire I couldn't control."Ethan and I belong together. He still l







