The heir's heart

Eugene’s POVI scroll lazily through my phone as I sip tea in the morning. The morning is quite normal, but then suddenly I see a flashing picture and pause."Congratulations to Nicole Armstrong on his long-deserved promotion!" The caption is bright and cheerful, almost glowing, but the picture burns. There stands my husband smiling broadly, his champagne-glass raised, surrounded by all his colleagues. At a very lavish venue, surrounded by many unfamiliar faces. And yet, I wasn't there.I blink, reread the post. Maybe I missed something. Maybe he mentioned it and I forgot. But I just can't seem to find a memory of him ever telling me about that party.A chill creeps into my bones as I stare at the screen. My thumb hovers over the "Call" button. He is probably busy, I assure myself, but my stomach tightens further. I push the button anyway.The phone rings once, twice, three times, before it reaches voicemail."Hey, it's me," I say, trying to keep my voice level. "Just saw the post abo

Eugene’s POVIt’s the third anniversary of my marriage to Nicole, and I couldn’t be more excited. Three years of love, laughter, and a dream that we could build a future together. Or so I thought.I have been feeling sick and weak, and altogether just not myself for the last week. I thought probably just stress or maybe a flu would hit me, but each day that went by, I realized something was really wrong with me. It was not an illness.So, I did what a responsible person would do and went to the doctor. I froze when I heard the result. Two months pregnant. I could not take it in initially. What? A baby? Huh, I never expected such a thing. But even as the shock settled on me, I felt a wave of hope billowing from within. Yes, this was it. This was the change that would make Nicole come back to me. He always said he didn't want children but this was different. Surely, once he found that this baby had entered the picture, everything would be different.The whole thing was bubbling in me as

Asher’s POVFatigue was overwhelming me; indeed, I was heading home to shed all the rest of the weary day behind me. But then something caught my eye.At first, I believed it was some rubbish or clothing dumped off the road. Then the headlights were close enough to reveal to me that it was not: Someone lay there, immobile. My chest felt tight.I slammed on the brakes, swerved off the road, and jumped out of the car, hardly aware that the rain was soaking through my jacket. Cold air hit me as I rushed forward, splashing through puddles in my shoes. She lay on her side; her hair was wet and clinging to her face, her clothes damp from rain. I was squatting near her, my heart pounding. "Hey," I said softly, hoping for some kind of response. Nothing. At least she moved her chest slightly; she was breathing. It gave me some relief, but not enough. I needed to get her help.I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed for an ambulance. My voice was shaking as I explained what I'd found and g