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141. A Heart in Conflict

Author: Meminger
last update Huling Na-update: 2025-04-28 23:27:43

Elliot POV

The entrance hall of the mansion felt too small to contain the storm of emotions engulfing me, a vast space of marble and chandeliers that now seemed suffocating. Reese was on her knees in the doorway, Sammy and Avie clinging to her as if afraid she’d vanish.

“Mommy, you came!” Sammy kept repeating, his voice choked, tears streaming down his face as he hugged his mother with a strength that seemed bigger than his eight-year-old frame.

Avie, her little arms wrapped tightly around Reese’s neck, sobbed, “Mama, I missed you so much,” her high-pitched voice cutting through the air like a bell. My heart ached, a physical pain that made every breath an effort, as if an invisible hand were squeezing my chest.

I wanted to be firm, to hold onto the anger that drove me to flee Chicago with the kids, the anger over Reese’s lies—about Avie’s paternity, about the secret lawsuit to take Sammy from me. But seeing them together, seeing the unconditional love in my children’s eyes, made s
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  • Traded For His First Love    168. Proof of Love

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  • Traded For His First Love    167. A Shock of Hope

    Reese POVThe pale London sun barely filtered through the heavy curtains of my room in the Goodwin mansion, casting the space in a dim light that matched the weight in my chest. I woke alone, the bed cold where Elliot should have been, and his absence hit me like a wave of doubt. He’d left for the courthouse without a word, without a note, without even looking me in the eye. Had he regretted our night? The passion that consumed us, the whispered promises, the love we rekindled? My heart raced, fear that it had all been a mistake choking me. But I couldn’t let myself crumble. Today was the verdict, the day that would decide Sammy and Avie’s future, and I needed to be whole, for them.I got up, my body exhausted, and got ready almost on autopilot—a navy blazer, my hair in a low bun, my face made up to hide the dark circles. As I applied lipstick, Alice walked in, holding a cup of tea, her face soft but worried. “Venus, you look like you didn’t sleep a wink,” she said, sitting on the e

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    Reese POVThe interior of Josh’s car was warm, a welcome contrast to the damp London chill that still seemed to cling to my skin. The leather seats smelled new, and the radio played a soft tune, barely audible, as the city lights flickered outside, reflected on the fogged-up windows. Josh drove calmly, hands steady on the wheel, saying something about London’s streets, but I hardly registered his words. My mind was elsewhere, circling around Elliot—the way he’d appeared out of nowhere at the courthouse, his voice almost pleading as he offered to drive me home, the hardened look in his eyes when I said Josh would take me. It was jealousy. It had to be. And that idea, so unexpected, left me restless, as if the ground beneath my feet had shifted.I didn’t think Elliot still cared about me. Not like that. After everything—the fights, the trial, the accusations, Jennifer—I’d convinced myself that any remnant of affection between us had turned to anger or indifference. But that moment, th

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    Elliot POVThe courthouse hallway still echoed with Sammy and Avie’s words, each one lodged in my chest like a truth I couldn’t ignore. I left the courtroom with tense shoulders, my tie feeling like a noose choking me. Sammy, with his steady voice, pleading for a united family and rejecting Jennifer, and Avie, with her toddler sweetness, begging for me and Reese—it all swirled in my head, a reminder of how badly I’d failed them. The judge had ended the session, but the weight of that day clung to me. The defenses would continue, and I still didn’t know how to fix what was broken.As I descended the building’s stairs, London’s damp air cutting into my face, Jennifer caught up, her heels clacking on the polished marble. Her face was flushed, her eyes sparking with indignation. “Elliot, this is absurd!” she snapped, her voice sharp, heedless of who might hear. “Your kids are ruining everything! Sammy painted me as the villain in there. How dare he say I’m not family? I’m trying to help,

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    Reese POVThe days after Avie’s crisis blurred together, as if time had become a slow but relentless current, dragging us back to the courtroom. The custody trial for Sammy and Avie pressed on, each hearing an exhausting battle of arguments and testimonies, with lawyers dissecting our lives as if we were strangers. I sat in the hard chair of the courtroom, my navy-blue dress impeccable but my heart constricted, while Elliot, across the room, kept his face impassive, his green eyes fixed on some distant point. There had been a fragile truce between us since that night in the hospital, but here, with our lawyers trading barbs, it was hard to recall the silent promise to do better for our children.The presentation of defenses continued its course. My lawyers highlighted my dedication as a mother, bringing medical records, teacher testimonies, and even letters from friends attesting to how happy Sammy and Avie were with me in Chicago. Elliot’s team, on the other hand, painted a picture

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