In love with my step-son のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 41 - チャプター 50

We spent a week and some days before we even started discussing going back to Maya's house. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate her help. She’d opened her home, her arms, and her heart to us. But something inside me still hesitated. We were really enjoying our stay at Eliza’s place. It was quiet, warm, and peaceful, like a part of me that had long been broken finally found a moment to breathe.But I wasn’t ready to move in completely with Maya. Not yet. I wanted to take my time, to allow myself to feel everything instead of pretending it didn’t matter. Still, a part of me wanted to forgive her completely for everything. Because I could see it—she truly felt sorry for abandoning me. She wasn’t faking it. She desperately wanted me back in her life. And I... I think I wanted the same.The moment we stepped back into Eliza’s house, I felt a strange sense of calm. Like I’d returned to a soft blanket after a long, cold walk. But that calm didn’t last.That night, everything changed.Elora ha

The hospital room smelled like antiseptic and something cold. Something too clean to feel human. The white walls reflected the pale glow from the ceiling lights, making everything look washed out—like color didn’t belong in a place like this. I sat by Elora’s crib, her tiny fingers curled but limp, barely moving. My hand rested gently on hers, brushing over her knuckles like a fragile prayer.The machines beeped steadily beside her, each sound slicing into my chest like a quiet alarm. Her face was pale—too pale. Lips dry. Eyelashes still. And her chest rose in such shallow motions it almost looked like she wasn’t breathing at all.I leaned closer, my voice cracking as I whispered, “Come on, baby… just open those eyes for Mommy. Just once. Please.”My words felt like they were swallowed by the walls. No answer came. Just another soft beep.Behind me, I felt Dr. Maya’s presence. She hadn’t said much since we arrived, but she didn’t need to. Her silence spoke louder than any medical term

The elevator doors opened with a sharp ding, and Derrick stepped into the top floor of his company’s headquarters. His polished black shoes echoed against the cold marble floor as he walked past the empty reception desk. The air smelled faintly of fresh paint and old decisions. Something felt different—colder. As if the building itself sensed betrayal.His sharp eyes narrowed.Where was everyone?“Sir!” Jerome’s voice cut through the silence. He appeared from the hallway, slightly breathless, holding a tablet and a sheaf of printed reports. His face looked paler than usual, beads of sweat forming around his collar.“They’re all waiting in the boardroom.”Derrick didn’t stop walking. “Who?”“Everyone—Finance, Legal, PR, Operations. They’ve been calling nonstop.”Derrick gave a small nod and pushed open the large glass doors of the boardroom.Every head in the room turned at once. The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence.Tense faces. Stiff postures. Eyes full of fear and uncerta

The early afternoon light filtered through the blinds in Derrick’s office, casting striped shadows across the floor. He didn’t notice the sun. His eyes were fixed on the files spread across his desk, each page a whisper of betrayal, each photo a piece of the puzzle slowly taking shape.“Sir,” Jerome said as he walked in, shutting the door behind him. He held a tablet in one hand and a small folder in the other. “We found something.”Derrick looked up. “Go ahead.”Jerome placed the tablet on the table and swiped through a few images. “Do you remember Evis James ? Former board member. Forced to retire three months ago after that audit flagged him for mismanagement?”“Yes,” Derrick said slowly. “He claimed it was a health issue, but something didn’t sit right.”Jerome nodded. “We looked into his financials again. His personal accounts were clean. But he started receiving regular deposits into a separate offshore account last year. The payments stopped one week after he was removed.”“Whe

The evening sky over the city bled into shades of bruised purple as if the world itself mirrored Derrick’s turmoil. From the thirty-second floor of his sleek glass tower, Derrick sat behind his mahogany desk, alone, the skyline stretching endlessly behind him, glittering as if nothing had changed.But everything had.The office lights were dimmed, casting long shadows on the floor. His fingers tapped the armrest of his leather chair, steady but tense. In his other hand, he clutched a whiskey tumbler, the amber liquid untouched. It had gone warm hours ago—just like the trust that once warmed his heart.The door opened quietly with a soft click.Jerome stepped in, his expression tight, a file tucked under his arm. His suit jacket was wrinkled, his tie pulled loose. "They took the bait, sir."Derrick didn’t move. “When?”“Less than an hour ago. Surveillance caught Jackson and Olivia entering the perimeter of Celine’s neighborhood. They parked three houses down and walked the rest of the