All Chapters of Rising From Betrayal : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Chapter 12~ Ethan ~I hated that I called Lena over tonight—over something that might not even be that serious.If I couldn’t handle my own son over a minor scare, how could I convince myself I deserved to keep him? And now I’d dragged Lena into it? A terrible decision. Letting her walk right into my marriage for her son I stripped away from her? What a godawful decision.The phone in my hand had gone dim and cold from how long I'd been holding it, my eyes fixed on the screen for what felt like hours, though it hadn’t even been fifteen minutes. No decision, no clarity—just an endless loop of doubt.I almost called her again, meant to tell her not to bother, that everything was under control. But what if the nurse came right out with terrible news? What if I had to face Lena—after stealing Theo from her—only to let him slip away not even a day into my care? After all those years apart?No. I forced the thought out. Theo is okay, he won't die. That wouldn't happen.But still… What if L

Chapter 14~ Mirabella ~Silence blanketed the room like a storm just waiting to break. I stared at him, blinking as if that might somehow erase what I’d just heard, lips parted, heart thundering like it wanted out of my chest.If you won’t remarry me... then sleep with me. He said it so simply, yet it lodged deep in my chest like a poisoned dagger: Sleep with me.Like it was nothing. Like it wasn’t the vilest thing he could’ve said to me in this moment.A bitter laugh clawed its way up my throat. “You’re unbelievable.”Ethan didn’t flinch. He just stood there—arms loose at his sides, gaze unblinking—as if he was waiting for me to calm down, to see things his way, to drop to my knees in gratitude for his kindness. God, I could barely recognize the man in front of me anymore.“You really think I’d trade my body for my son’s life?” I hissed, voice trembling with rage.“No. I think you already know what I’m offering, Lena,” he said, low. “I want you. Just once. And I’ll never ask again.”

Chapter 16~ Mirabella ~“That’s fake,” I cried. “It’s edited, it’s—he’s trying to destroy us, Cole, don’t you see it?! Ethan’s been obsessed with ruining me ever since the mar—everything.” I cut that part before I could do more damage.“He's capable of anything. He could have—he probably recorded old—someone else's audios or stitched things together. Please, baby, you have to believe me—”“Stop.” His voice was hoarse, lifeless.“No, no, listen to me—Cole, please!” I sobbed. “He manipulated me—he caught me at my lowest. I was drunk. I—I didn’t mean for anything to happen. I didn’t even know where I was at first—”“But it happened.”My throat closed.“You could’ve said no,” Cole whispered, and now his voice was like ash. “You always said no before. Even when I begged, even when we were fighting. You never let it go too far. Why now?”“Because I was broken!” I screamed. “You shut me out, Cole! You told me I was suffocating you—you made me feel like I wasn’t enough anymore. You left me d

Chapter 18 ~ Mirabella ~ The courthouse smelled like cold metal and floor polish. I sat on the hard bench, knees pressed together, hands twisted in my lap like they might unravel if I let go. The room was too quiet—an anxious kind of quiet that pressed against my ears and made my pulse pound louder than it should have. My eyes kept flicking toward the double doors. Any moment now. Cole would walk in. He had to. I’d left him five voicemails. I told him everything. Well, almost everything. I poured my pride into a blender and served him whatever was left of me, desperate and raw and choking on my own confessions. He had to come. He said he would come. Right? The clock on the wall ticked louder than it needed to. Every passing second jabbed needles into my skin. Rows of people filed into the courtroom. Ethan entered first, dressed in a sharp navy suit, the picture of a respectable father. Sienna followed closely, her red lips curled into something almost pleasant, if I

Chapter 20~ Mirabella ~I didn’t need a pigeon to flap around chirping nonsense to figure out the message Mr. Richard was delivering. This wasn’t his first threat—just the first time he actually meant it.“I’ll make sure Cole doesn’t recover from this,” he said, each word cold and slow, like a bullet slipping into a chamber. “I’ll make sure you never get near him again. I'll make sure your son will be raised far from your shadow, and you’ll live the rest of your life choking on every regret.”I didn’t flinch. My hand curled beneath the table, pressing against a belly that hadn’t begun to show.“No, you won’t,” I said calmly. “Cole is my fiancé. And I’m carrying his child. I’m pregnant, Mr. Richard.”Let him stew on that.Just because he had wealth, power, and a contact list that could end nations didn’t mean he could stomp through my life and call the shots. I wouldn't let him. Not when I had already lost so much. Not when I loved Cole. Not when this baby—our baby—was growing inside