Chapter 81

ELISHA’S POVI took the glass he extended to me and noticed, for the first time, how nervous he was.It was subtle—almost imperceptible—but I saw it in the slight shake of his fingers and how his eyes darted to mine and then down again. Anthony, always confident, always in control, was uncertain tonight. There was no reason for him to be, not really. Not after everything we’d already been through. But maybe that was exactly why.Maybe because, finally, it was quiet between us. No battles, no layered meanings, no sharp words wrapped in softness. Just… us. And I think the quiet made him uneasy.I took a sip. Cool, sweet. It tasted like summer.He watched me for a reaction, his thumb twitching against the side of his glass. I looked at him directly, and I didn’t smile right away—I just let the moment hang there. The way the fading sunlight caught the edge of his jaw. The way he looked so boyish, despite everything he’d done, everything we’d survived. I gave him a small nod, then a smil

Last Updated : 2025-07-16

Chapter 82

ELISHA’S POVI had heard whispers.Not just in the idle chitchat that floats around parties or in the back rooms of offices. No. These were deliberate, quiet conversations. The kind that always began with someone leaning in and lowering their voice, as if the truth they were about to share was too heavy to say out loud.“Anthony’s father wants him to remarry.”Of course he did.Old money didn’t leave men unanchored. A man like Anthony—with his name, his reach, his potential volatility—wasn’t safe without a ring on his finger. The marriage didn’t need to be real; it didn’t even need to be happy. It just had to look good. Controlled. A wife signaled that he wasn’t drifting. That he was stable. Predictable. Safe for business. Safe for legacy.And when it became clear to his father that I wasn’t coming back, that I had finally drawn a line—I suppose other arrangements had been made. Quietly, of course.I didn’t know what Sylvester thought. Whether he’d protested or even known. If he had

Last Updated : 2025-07-17

Chapter 83

ELISHA’S POVShe left as gracefully as she’d arrived, full of thanks for my understanding, as if I had gifted her something meaningful. I suppose I had.I didn’t say anything. I don’t even remember how I responded. I watched her walk away, heels tapping against the pavement in a measured rhythm, and the sound followed me long after she disappeared around the corner.Only when I was back in the apartment—my apartment—did I finally break.There was only one pillow left on the sofa; the others were boxed away. I buried my face into that one, clawed at it, twisted the fabric in my hands, and let it absorb the sobs that had been burning inside me since I saw Anthony walk into the building with her.She’d been so calm. So composed. She hadn’t mocked me. She hadn’t raised her voice or made threats. She didn’t need to. And that made it worse. She was collected, self-assured, and direct.And I—I stood there like an idiot. Like someone who had forgotten her own dignity somewhere on the way in

Last Updated : 2025-07-17

Chapter 84

NATALIE’S POV“Natalie!”Her voice cut through the chaos. Louder than the sirens, louder than the thudding pulse in my skull, louder than the distant shouting and the crunch of metal being pulled apart.Louder than anything.“Natalie, are you okay!?” Elisha cried again, dropping to her knees beside the mangled passenger door. “Oh my god, oh my god… Nat, please say something.”I blinked slowly, adjusting my face to a dazed sort of blankness, then let my head roll slightly toward her. I was proud of the timing. Controlled. Weak. Just right.“What… happened?” I asked groggily, my voice raspy, unfocused. Like I was coming out of a long, deep sleep.She was shaking, crouched in the broken glass, her hands fluttering near my body like she didn’t know where to touch. Like anything might make it worse.“You came out of nowhere,” she stammered, her voice high, uneven. “We couldn’t stop in time—oh my god, Nat—”I gave a soft, breathy laugh.“So you’re blaming me?”Her face froze. For half a se

Last Updated : 2025-07-18

Chapter 85

NATALIE’S POVI hadn’t even exhaled from the last conversation when Damian walked into the café, practically throwing himself into the chair across from me.For a second, I stared at him blankly. Then I remembered—two meetings. Right. I had agreed to meet him this morning. God, I needed to start using a calendar again.He leaned in, voice hushed. His eyes darted around the room before landing on mine.“Did you know Yasmin went to jail?”I blinked.“What!?”“She called these goons—like, real guys, Nat—had them rough up that guy Elisha’s seeing. Right in the middle of their date at some Japanese restaurant. Cops showed up.”I shut my eyes slowly, pinching the bridge of my nose.Of course, she did that.Yasmin, in her infinite brilliance, had actually done it. I knew she’d been spiraling, obsessed with Anthony’s investments pulling out, blaming Elisha for everything from the weather to her wardrobe going out of style. But jail? Really?And with no subtlety? No finesse?God. She was ever