All Chapters of The Stranger My Heart Belonged To: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

SADIE’S POVI went straight to my office after leaving Damon.My chest was still heavy with the weight of his accusations, but I couldn’t just sit still at home. Work had always been my shield—a place where I could pretend I still had control.When I pushed open the door, I froze.Matthew was already inside, standing by the window, his back tense, his shoulders slumped as if he carried the world on them. His suit was wrinkled, his tie loose, and the shadows beneath his eyes told me he hadn’t slept in days.“Sadie.” His voice cracked when he turned to me. “There’s something we need to talk about.”I shut the door quietly, my heart tightening at the sight of him. Matthew was always the steady one, the calm advisor. But right now he looked nothing like himself—more like a man drowning.“I thought meeting you here would be the safest,” he said quickly, glancing around the room as though he feared even the walls had ears.I set my bag down and crossed my arms, grounding myself. “I wanted t

SADIE’S POVI came home from the office with a heaviness pressing into my chest.Even though the driver had dropped me off safely, Matthew’s warning kept circling my mind like a shadow I couldn’t shake.We’re in danger. Divorce him. If Damon’s and Grandpa’s accident was orchestrated, then whoever pulled the strings could come for me too.That thought lodged itself in me, burrowing deeper the more I tried to brush it away.I found myself scanning every mirror, every corner, every car we passed. Paranoid. Restless. It was exhausting to live with the knowledge that danger might be trailing me, unseen.By the time we reached the gates, my head ached from overthinking. I didn’t know how to walk through all of this without breaking. Matthew’s words haunted me in ways I hadn’t expected.Would divorce really be the only way to protect Damon and myself?My chest tightened. The idea alone felt like a knife turning in my ribs.But then another, quieter thought pressed in—maybe Damon and I were

SADIE’S POVThat night, I left what used to be our home. Only one suitcase in my hand. Tears pressed into silence. And a heart—shattered beyond repair.I didn’t slam the door. I didn’t scream. I slipped out like a ghost, afraid even of my own shadow. Afraid that if I looked back, I’d never leave at all.I wasn’t sure if I’d ever move on from Damon. Truthfully—I knew I couldn’t. But choice had been stripped away from me, and the only thing left was survival.The driver Gloria sent waited at the curb. He didn’t ask questions when he saw my swollen eyes, my trembling hands clutching that single bag. He only drove, straight into the night, until the city lights swallowed me whole.Gloria’s spare apartment welcomed me with nothing but empty walls. The silence was cruel. The night stretched endless.I told myself to sleep, to let exhaustion bury the pain—but the ache was louder than the quiet. My chest ached with every breath, tears refusing to stop until my face was raw and salt-streaked.

SADIE’S POV ~ SEREYA ESSEN’S POVThe lace snagged again. I bent lower, steadying the hem of the model’s gown, smoothing the fabric with patient fingers. She stood tall in layers of white satin and tulle, her waist cinched tight, her lips painted into a smile meant for the camera.I reminded myself to breathe, to keep my voice even as I murmured reassurance to her, tugging one last thread into place.I straightened too quickly.The world tilted. My chest clenched as a wave of dizziness rushed over me, so sudden it stole the air from my lungs. My knees weakened, and I gripped the edge of the fitting stool before lowering myself onto it.“Miss Essen? Are you alright?” One of the assistants hurried over, worry etching her face. Another hovered close by, asking if I needed water.I forced a smile, gentle but thin, trying not to show the spin still lingering in my head. “I’m fine. Just stood too fast. Please—don’t worry.”But inside, I was unsettled. I had eaten breakfast. I was certain of

BELLA'S POVThe hotel corridor reeked of cheap perfume and disinfectant, and still, it felt safer than parading around in my own car—the pink monster that made me too obvious.Tonight I was no socialite, no glowing Mrs. Prince-to-be. I dressed down. Well, my version of it. A simple black mini dress, fitted under a coat. Sunglasses, mask, and a wide-brimmed black hat. I looked like a mistress in hiding. Which was fitting, considering who I was about to meet.Randall opened the door before I even knocked twice. His smile stretched across his face like a blade, polished and lethal. His eyes devoured me, and when I shrugged off the coat, sliding off the disguise piece by piece, he let out a low whistle.“Goddamn,” he murmured, his voice thick with that performative hunger old men use to remind you they still have teeth. “I almost forgot how sinful you look stripped down. Even pissed off, you’re mouthwatering.”It was the kind of praise that never touched me, only skimmed the surface, holl