LOGINRonan's POV.I stood frozen at the railing, unable to move, unable to do anything except listen as Nadia's voice cracked apart in front of me, her words tumbling out faster than she could seem to control them. Every wall I'd spent the past week carefully building around myself, brick by stubborn brick, came crashing down somewhere in the middle of her confession.She wasn't just apologizing. She was unraveling right there in front of me, her shoulders shaking, her hands twisting together, tears streaming steadily down her face as she told me the truth I hadn't even known I'd been waiting to hear.Shame. Not indifference, or some careless dismissal of what we had. She actually felt shame?For years, some quiet, wounded part of me had carried the belief that she'd left because I simply wasn't enough, that whatever I offered her back then hadn't measured up to what she needed. Hearing her say the opposite, that she felt unworthy of me instead, completely upended everything I thought I un
Nadia's POV.I stepped out of Lily's room carrying the empty water jug, planning a quick trip downstairs to refill it before we started our next round of painting. I'd barely reached the top of the staircase when the front door swung open below, and Ronan walked in, his tie already loosened, his jacket slung over one arm.He froze the moment his eyes landed on me.For a second, neither of us moved, the surprise on his face slowly settling into something guarded, something careful. He recovered quickly, dropping his gaze and moving to step past me on the stairs without a word, but I shifted my position slightly, blocking his path before he could get by."Nadia," he said, his voice heavy, tired in a way that had nothing to do with a long day at the office. "Please, step aside.""No," I said, shaking my head firmly. "Please, just listen to me. For once."His jaw tightened, something bitter flashing behind his eyes. "What could you possibly say right now that I don't already know?"The wo
Nadia's POV.I sat back against the leather at the backseat, watching the glittering lights of the venue shrink smaller and smaller through the rear window until they finally disappeared behind a bend in the road. Diego, my bodyguard sat quietly up front, not commenting on the strange satisfaction radiating off me, though I imagined he already pieced together enough of tonight's events to understand exactly why I was smiling.Everything had gone precisely as planned.I'd known Harold Whitfield had severed ties with my family the moment the first scandal broke, quietly slipping away from years of business history without so much as a phone call to my father. I'd known Damian would jump at the opportunity the second it opened up, eager to prove himself the winner while my family absorbed the fallout. And I'd known, better than anyone, exactly how much it would sting him to watch me walk into that ballroom looking untouchable and very unbothered, right as his own house of cards began qui
Damian's POV.I stood frozen in the middle of the ballroom, the phone pressed hard against my ear, my assistant's voice tumbling out fast and panicked on the other end."Sir, the blog has actual screenshots," he said. "Text messages, dated, timestamped. It's, sir, it's from when Nadia was in the hospital. You telling her you were with Simone that night. It's already everywhere. The headlines are calling you a cheating husband, and they're painting Simone as some kind of predator who abandoned her own kids and came back just to destroy another family."My stomach dropped straight through the marble floor beneath me."Send it to me," I said, my voice coming out tighter than I intended. "Now."I glanced across the room at Harold, still standing there with his jaw tight, still visibly rattled from Nadia's earlier performance, and a cold dread settled into my chest at the thought of what was about to unfold in front of him, in front of every single guest currently sipping champagne under t
Damian's POV.The ballroom glittered with wealth and glamour, chandeliers casting warm light over silk gowns and tailored suits, and waiters weaving through the crowd with trays of champagne. I'd waited weeks for an invitation like this one since my company started having issues, and now that I finally had it, I intended to enjoy every second.Harold Whitfield had been a longtime business partner of the Holts, one of the majors still willing to work with Gerard's company after everything that had unfolded these past weeks. Not anymore. The moment the scandal broke, he'd withdraw from the contract with them, and I'd been more than happy to step into the gap he left behind. The contract we'd just signed was now sitting comfortably in my briefcase and back at the office with my assistant."Damian," my mother said, adjusting the pearls at her throat as she surveyed the room beside me. "This is quite the turnout.""It is," I said, unable to keep the satisfaction out of my voice.Simone sli
Nadia's POV. I sat in the living room that evening, my phone resting in my lap, having already called my father down to talk. I needed to actually explain myself properly this time, not the panicked, stammering mess I'd given everyone that time.He'd barely settled into the armchair across from me when the front door opened, my brothers walking in together, still in their own work clothes, mid conversation about something from the office. They paused when they spotted the two of us sitting there."Come join us," I said, waving them over. "There's something I want to say to everyone properly this time."They exchanged a glance before settling onto the couch, and once all four of them were looking at me, I took a slow breath and finally began."I know you're all still upset with me," I said, calmly. "Even though none of you have said it outright these past few days, I can feel it. And I understand why. I should have told you about Ronan a long time ago, instead of letting you find out
Nadia Pain was the first thing that returned to me, and not the darkness I had expected to remain in forever.My breathing was uneven, shallow at first, then deeper as if my body was reminding me of how to stay alive. I laid still, with my eyes closed, trying to understand why I could feel anythin
Nadia Dinner was torture. I stood by the counter, serving the food as they ate. Simone made a face after her first bite of the roast. "This is very dry," she said, pushing her plate away. She dabbed at her lips with a napkin. "Honestly, Nadia, how long have you been cooking and you still can’t
NadiaI couldn’t believe the words had come out of my mouth. My heart pounded so loudly in my ears, that I thought it might burst out of my chest. My temples throbbed with the pressure, while my fingertips were numb with the tremors that wouldn’t stop. I stared at Damian’s back, still waiting fo
Nadia’s POVSimone had left them. Simone had walked out six years ago and never once looked back. And still, when Lucas fell, when Isabella was scared, the school called her. Damian called her. And I was told not to trouble myself.I walked away from Margaret without speaking. I walked into my bed







