LOGINDesmond held the bottle up between them, the evidence of Olive’s carefully hidden secret now resting in his hand. Olive stared at it in pure shock. She had tucked the bottle deep inside her drawer, certain Desmond would never enter her room and even more certain that the truth would remain buried. Now it sat between them like a loaded weapon, and the ground beneath her feet suddenly felt unstable.“You lost the baby that day and told the doctor not to inform me,” Desmond said, his voice low and dangerous. “Was this you and my mother’s plan? First it was you claiming you were carrying my child, and now… you lost the baby and you’re still pretending to be pregnant. How… just how long do you and my mother plan to carry on with this?”Olive swallowed hard, but nothing came out. She had no idea how Desmond had found out, and she couldn't understand when the carefully constructed lie had begun to unravel. The shock on her face was impossible to hide as she stood there, her heart pounding wh
A few hours earlier...Lunch was almost over when Isabella finally looked up from her food at Desmond.“You’re not dressed yet for the anniversary, and we’re supposed to leave soon. You know how important today is to this family, and I don’t want us arriving late when everyone is already there.”Desmond barely looked up from his plate. He had hardly touched his food, and he had no appetite anyway. Since discovering the truth about his fertility, food had become the last thing on his mind.“I know what time the anniversary starts, Mom. I’m not going to miss it, so you don’t need to keep reminding me. I’ll come later, and I’ll meet everyone there.”Isabella remained calm. She knew Desmond was still angry with her, and as much as she wanted to defend herself, she understood that his feelings were valid. She had made choices without telling him the truth, and she couldn't expect him to forgive her simply because she was his mother.“You should come with us,” she continued, keeping her voi
Genevieve stood in front of the mirror, staring at herself as she brushed her hair. Grace stepped inside and paused when she saw her already dressed. “You're really going to go, sweetheart? You don't have to put yourself through all of that if you're not ready. You can stay here with me. ”Genevieve gave her a small smile and picked up her phone from the dresser.“I know you're worried about me, but I'm okay. I don't want to stay home just because I'm scared of what people might say, and George's anniversary has never been something I've missed. I want to pay my respects and come back home afterward.”Grace studied her for a moment, clearly unconvinced by the calmness in her voice.“You keep saying you're okay, but that doesn't mean you have to prove anything to anyone today. You don't owe the Vaughns your presence, and you certainly don't owe Desmond the chance to make you uncomfortable.”“I know, Aunt Grace, and I'm not going there for any of them. I'm going because I want to, and
Before Ethan could ask another question, the man walked away. Ethan remained in his seat, staring after him. That was the first time he was seeing the man from the photograph which he didn't expect. Since that afternoon, after he was back, he had taken the photo from his drawer and had stared at it for a long time wondering. How did Isabella meet him? Was it an affair between them? But Ethan stopped himself from thinking further so he wouldn't accuse his mother of having an affair. But one thing is that Isabella and the man has a history together. Now standing at the hallway at midnight about heading downstairs,.Ethan heard footsteps approaching.He turned.Isabella stopped when she saw him.Neither of them expected to meet there.Ethan had the small photograph between his fingers, and before he could put it away, it slipped from his hand and landed on the floor.Isabella's eyes immediately dropped to it.The moment she saw the photograph, all the color disappeared from her face.Sh
It was midnight, but Isabella was still standing on the terrace outside her bedroom.The cold night air pressed against her bare arms, yet she barely felt it. Her mind was too occupied with the phone call she had received earlier. Victor's voice still echoed in her head, calm and confident as if the years between them had never happened. He had spoken to her as though he had every right to return to her life, and the final thing he had said continued to haunt her.He was going to be at George's anniversary. She should be expecting him.Isabella wrapped her arms around herself and stared into the darkness beyond the terrace. She had spent years making sure Victor stayed far away from her family. She had built her life around the belief that he was behind bars, unable to reach her or her sons. Now, one phone call had shattered that sense of security.For the first time in a long time, fear had found its way into her chest.Isabella Vaughn did not scare easily. She had survived things th
The message came from a number that she had deleted along time ago. From one man she had spent years trying to forget. The man whose name she never wanted to hear again.Victor.The thought of him made something cold crawl through her chest. Victor Scott was the man she despised more than anyone in the world. He was the reason George was dead, and Isabella had never forgotten that rainy night when she watched Victor murder him or rather victor made her watch as he killed George.She had spent years believing Victor belonged exactly where he deserved to be.In prison.Behind bars.Unable to reach her.Unable to reach her sons. Unable to destroy what she had built.So why was he texting her? And how did he even still have her number?Isabella slowly bent down and picked up the phone with trembling fingers.She stared at the message again.Hello, wife.Her hands became colder. Victor was supposed to be in prison. Unless something had happened. She immediately searched for the number of t







