All Chapters of The Weight of Broken Promises: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Bella Beaufort stumbled back, heart cracking in a thousand pieces.She couldn't look. Couldn't move. One more second and she'd snap—either scream at him or break down right there in the dirt.She turned and ran.At the preschool gate, her bestie—Heidi—was already out of the car the second she saw Bella's face."Bella, what happened? Nico said you went back for something—what's going on?"Nico was Heidi's son. She'd dragged Bella along for the parent-teacher thing.Bella looked like she'd seen a ghost. Tears blurred her vision."I need you to look someone up.""Who?""Steven." Her voice cracked. "He has a son."***[Babe, I won't be back for another week. Did you miss me?]Bella stared at Steven's text as tears slipped down.Every July, he disappeared for two weeks. Said it was business overseas.Six years, she never questioned it.Now? The truth hit like a slap to the face.He wasn't working. He was with them—his lover and their kid.If she hadn't gone back for Nico's

Bella grabbed a cab and tailed Ada in silence.At the hospital, she stopped at the doorway, the scene inside slicing through her chest like glass.She bit down hard on her lip, forcing herself not to make a sound.Steven's son lay hooked up to an IV. His little face was pale, fragile, heartbreakingly weak.Steven was pacing, agitated. "What the hell is wrong with you people? You can't even treat a kid's fever?"The doctor at the bed—Bella knew him. Jeffrey. Steven's closest friend."Steven, the kid's got a cold and a fever from a chill," Jeffrey snapped. "If you can't handle it, don't rip into my staff."And seriously, I don't get you. Didn't you say you'd pay that woman off once the kid was born? Now one sniffle and you're dragging me here? What if Bella finds out?"Silence stretched before Steven finally spoke, voice rough, worn down. "What do you expect me to do? He's just a kid. Every time I try to send Ada away, Ollie cries nonstop. I can't let him cry forever, can I?"Je

Bella came downstairs and froze. Ada was setting the table like she owned the place.After a whole night of working her charms on Steven, Ada was no longer in her maid uniform. She'd traded it for a sleek designer dress that clung to her.Her face carried just enough of a resemblance to Bella's to make the comparison sting. No wonder Steven picked her."Mrs. Rocca, you're up. Come have breakfast," Ada said, smiling too sweetly.She tilted her head, just enough to show off the love bites along her neck. On her wrist, a glittering bracelet caught the light.Bella's chest tightened. She knew that piece instantly. The Rocca heirloom Miranda used to wear. Steven had once begged for it on Bella's behalf, but Miranda refused, saying it didn't belong on a woman who couldn't give the family an heir.Now it sat proudly on Ada's wrist.Bella clenched her fists, the weight of it all crashing down. Everything she'd held onto felt like a joke. She'd kept quiet out of respect for their familie

Oliver was missing?Bella froze. The knife had already nicked her neck, a sharp sting burning her skin."Get a grip. I don't know where he is!"Ada shook like a madwoman, knife trembling in her hand. "Impossible! You're the only one who hates Ollie. You even had vans here moving your stuff today. If it wasn't you, then who?"Her eyes were bloodshot, voice cracked from crying, looking every bit the desperate mom of a lost child. "Mrs. Rocca, please, give me back Ollie. He's all I have left."Then, out of nowhere, she dropped the knife and clutched Bella's wrist. "Ollie is my life..."Bella tore free, her chest twisting at the words but only feeling mocked.She couldn't hold back. "Give him back to you? He's an adopted kid from an orphanage—what does he even have to do with you? Why should I hand him over?""He's my—" Ada blurted, then cut herself off, breaking into sobs.This time, Bella didn't let go. Her eyes narrowed, sharp as glass. "He's your what? Say it.""Enough!" Stev

By sunrise, the Rocca estate was already in overdrive. Staff strung up fairy lights, tied ribbons—everything had to be perfect for Oliver's birthday.Steven hadn't left the study since getting back yesterday. He yanked open a drawer, pulled out his father's will, and stared at the cold words that spelled out exactly what it took to be Rocca heir.For the first time, the weight on his chest loosened. He was about to lock down the family for real.The rule had always been the same: no heir, no throne. Steven's father hadn't lived long, but he'd made sure that clause was ironclad.If Steven wanted the Rocca fortune, he had to play by the elders' rules. No wiggle room.But then Bella's face flickered in his head, and the relief twisted into something sharp. He knew this move cut her to pieces. He just didn't see another way."How's the house? When's Bella getting here?"Bobby stood off to the side. "Everything's set. The stylist and driver are on their way to pick up Mrs. Rocca."S