บททั้งหมดของ The Substitute Bride : บทที่ 131 - บทที่ 140

Sleep did not come easily to Chloe that night. For hours she lay awake beside Liam, staring at the ceiling while listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing. Normally, his presence calmed her. It always had. Yet tonight, her mind refused to settle. The small paper bag hidden inside her closet seemed to call out to her every few minutes. Pregnant. The word felt unreal. Impossible. And yet... Not impossible at all. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she carefully turned to look at Liam. Moonlight streamed through the curtains, casting faint shadows across his handsome features. Even in sleep, his face carried traces of the burden he constantly bore. Protecting everyone around him had become second nature. Especially her. The thought made her chest tighten. Three years ago she would never have imagined lying beside him like this. Back then she had hated him. Feared him. Misunderstood him. Now she couldn't imagine a life without him. Carefully slipping out of bed, Ch

Four months had passed since Rose seemingly vanished without a trace. Four long months of investigations. Four frustrating months of dead ends. Four months of Liam's men tearing through records, properties, offshore accounts, abandoned warehouses and hidden estates connected to Marcello Jones. And yet, nothing. It was as though Rose had simply disappeared from the face of the earth. The lack of progress weighed heavily on everyone involved. Blaze tried not to show it, but Chloe often caught him staring into space whenever Rose's name came up. The usually cheerful actor had become quieter these past months, though Daisy's presence helped pull him out of his gloomy moods more often than not. Even Liam had become more ruthless in his search. Marcello remained under constant surveillance, several of his business operations had quietly collapsed under Liam's pressure, and many of his allies had begun abandoning him. Still. Rose remained missing. And that fact haunted e

The call came a little after six in the morning. Rivero had barely slept. The investigation into Ben Crawford had yielded several leads over the past few weeks, but none of them had brought him any closer to Rose's whereabouts. Between overseeing his businesses and secretly assisting Liam's search, exhaustion had become a permanent companion. His phone vibrated on the nightstand. The number displayed on the screen instantly chased away every trace of sleep. It was the hospital. For years, Rivero had lived with the fear of receiving a call from that number. For years, every update regarding Stacy Luke had been the same. No change. No improvement. No response. Just another day of waiting. His pulse quickened as he answered. "Rivero Luke speaking." The voice on the other end belonged to one of Stacy's attending physicians. "Mr. Luke, we need you to come to the hospital immediately." Rivero sat upright. His grip tightened around the phone. A thousand terribl

The morning Rivero finally decided to bring Chloe to the hospital arrived with an unusual sense of anticipation. For nearly three weeks, he had watched his mother fight her way back from the shadows. Every day brought a small victory. A few more steps with assistance. A few more complete sentences. A little more strength returning to limbs that had remained motionless for years. The progress was slow. Painfully slow. But it was progress. More importantly, Stacy had become increasingly determined. Every therapy session. Every exercise. Every struggle. All of it seemed driven by one purpose. She wanted to see Chloe. Not photographs. Not videos. Not stories. Her daughter. In person. Rivero had delayed the meeting for as long as possible, wanting his mother strong enough to endure the emotional impact. Now, sitting in the hospital corridor outside her room, he realized there would never be a perfect time. Some reunions simply couldn't wait forever. Taking out his ph

The following morning began much earlier than Liam would have preferred. Not because of work. Not because of Fred's message. And certainly not because of the growing pile of reports waiting inside his study. The reason was currently lying beside him. Or rather, sitting upright in bed. Hungry. Very hungry. At five thirty in the morning. "Liam." A hand poked his shoulder. He didn't move. Another poke followed. More aggressive this time. "Liam." Still nothing. Then came the final weapon. "Your child is hungry." One eye immediately opened. Chloe smiled victoriously. Liam stared at her for several seconds. Then glanced toward the clock. "It's five thirty." "I know." "You woke me up." "I know." "You could have asked one of the staff." Chloe shook her head. "I wanted pancakes." Liam closed his eyes. For a brief moment he contemplated ignoring her. Then the baby kicked. Or at least that was the excuse Chloe used. Moments later he wa