All Chapters of Unworthy No More : Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

IslaI had told myself I would stop fighting what was already unfolding. Perhaps it was exhaustion, or perhaps I was finally learning to breathe again after years of holding my heart hostage. Either way, I decided to let things take their course. Alexander’s intentions were clear, he was patient, steady, and disarmingly kind, and for the first time in a long time, I allowed myself to stop questioning every small act of care.It had been a few weeks since his confession, and since then, he had been true to his word. He never once overstepped, never made me feel cornered. Instead, he appeared in the gentlest ways. Dropping by Horizon Outreach with Sophie’s forgotten lunchbox, leaving peonies on my desk with a note that simply said “Keep smiling.” The chocolates had become a quiet inside joke between us. I teased him once about remembering the exact brand I used to buy during my intern days, and he only smiled and said, “Some details are worth remembering.”Sometimes, I wondered how long

IslaI was not supposed to miss calls that mattered but that afternoon, I did. My phone had died halfway through a client meeting, and by the time it flickered back to life, three missed calls and two messages from Sophie’s kindergarten waited for me. My stomach sank as I read the first line. “Everything’s fine now, Mrs. Hart, but there was a small incident today…”“Fine now.” That phrase never sounded fine. By the time I reached the school, my thoughts had already spiraled through every nightmare a mother could imagine. The courtyard glowed gold with the sinking sun, and I spotted Sophie sitting on a bench outside the office, little legs swinging, a stormy frown on her face.She was fine. But she was angry. Relief hit me so hard it nearly made me weak. “Sweetheart,” I breathed, crouching before her. “What happened?” She scowled, chin lifted in stubborn silence.“Ms. Hart,” a voice came gently from behind me. It was Ms. Penfield, her teacher. “I tried calling earlier, but your phone w

IslaThe next morning at Horizon Outreach, I walked in with Sophie’s hand tucked tightly in mine. She was practically glowing, her pigtails bouncing, her tiny backpack swinging like a badge of honor. “Mommy,” she said between giggles, “everyone knows Daddy Alex now.” I smiled faintly, hoping she wouldn’t notice the tightness in my chest. “They do, huh?”“Uh-huh,” she said proudly. “Ms. Penfield said he’s very polite but scary. Dylan’s mommy didn’t even talk much after!” She giggled again, and I tried to keep a straight face, though the image of Alexander standing tall in that pastel-painted kindergarten office made my lips twitch.He must have been an intimidating sight, towering, sharp-eyed, composed even in anger. And yet, the thought of him holding Sophie afterward, comforting her, made something inside me soften all over again.When I dropped Sophie off, the teachers were unusually courteous. Even the receptionist, who usually offered little more than a polite nod, greeted me with

IslaThe apartment was still, save for the faint hum of the refrigerator and Sophie’s soft breathing from her bedroom. I had tucked her in just moments ago, lingering at the door longer than necessary, my fingers brushing the edge of her blanket as if I could memorize the warmth it held. The day had been… perfect. That little excursion with Alexander and Sophie had been more than I had dared to imagine: laughter spilling across the gardens, Sophie darting after butterflies, Alexander bending low to match her tiny strides, his hand steady and warm.Yet now, in the silence of our apartment, I was alone with my thoughts. The kind of quiet that leaves you facing the things you have been running from. I perched on the edge of the couch, mind replaying the events of the day like a slow film. The kindergarten incident had already settled in my chest, a strange mix of gratitude, awe, and apprehension. The way Alexander had stood for Sophie, calm yet firm, commanding respect from a room of tea

Author's POV Chicago’s skyline shimmered in the distance, a glittering monument of ambition and corruption. Beneath its glass towers and well-manicured streets, the underworld pulsed quietly. Whispers traded in smoke-filled rooms, debts paid in silence, and lives gambled away in the name of power. Somewhere inside that unseen network, Nathaniel Blake was rekindling old connections.He sat inside a dim, exclusive lounge on the lower west side, a place where no man asked another for his name, only for his price. Across the table sat a figure known only as Rico, a liaison for the Erebus Syndicate, a silent empire built on smuggling, data theft, and the city’s dirtiest secrets.“You’re a long way from your penthouse, Blake,” Rico said, lighting a cigarette. His gold watch glinted faintly beneath the table lamp. “What’s a finance man doing crawling back into the mud?”Nathaniel smirked faintly, swirling the ice in his glass. “I need information. Discreetly gathered. A woman and her daught