All Chapters of The Weight of Broken Promises: Chapter 11 - Chapter 19

"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Steven froze, the words not sinking in.Bella? Missing? No way.Just yesterday she'd agreed to Oliver's birthday party without a blink, acting completely normal. How could she suddenly disappear?"The staff said Mrs. Rocca never came home last night. Her clothes and documents are gone too. Looks like she left on her own."Steven's eyes went dark. The words slammed into his chest like a stone, heavy and brutal, leaving his thoughts in chaos."No. Impossible. Bella wouldn't just leave. Something must've happened to her."His voice shook before he even realized it.Bella was his wife. She loved him—always had. How could she just walk away?Bobby said nothing, only handed him a phone. "You'll understand once you see this."Steven snatched it, swiped the screen, and pulled up Beaufort Corp's official statement. His brows knit as he scrolled. Then he saw it—the divorce announcement.It hit like a lightning strike.He blinked hard, reread every line.

"This is impossible! I never signed divorce papers! It's fake—it has to be fake!"Steven's voice spiked, raw with denial. No way. He refused to believe Bella actually wanted out.But his name was there, clear as day.His mind scrambled back, chasing the last few days. Then it hit—That night. He'd stayed home with Ada and Oliver, cleared his schedule. He'd been drinking. Ada had handed him some paperwork to sign.He hadn't thought twice, figured Bobby had sent it through her. So he signed.Steven's face went ghost-pale. Could it be... that night, what he signed wasn't just some throwaway file, but—He couldn't let the thought finish. He snapped to Bobby. "Three nights ago, around ten. Did you send Ada any documents for me?"Bobby frowned, confused, then shook his head. "You really don't remember? That night you said you wanted to focus on your son, so you cleared everything."You told me not to bring you a single thing unless it was about him. Why would I send docs over?"Ste

Ada had been forced to end the pregnancy, and before she could even recover, they dumped her in a mental ward.She lay flat on the bed, skin paper-white, body hollowed out.Steven stood over her and tossed a stack of evidence in her face."You really thought no one would find out? You used your own kid—you don't deserve to be a mom."Her eyes flicked to the photos, her cheeks draining. Everything she'd done was laid bare.Her lips shook like she wanted to explain, but nothing came out.Steven's voice was ice. "I gave you chance after chance. You blew every one. From now on, you'll never see Ollie again. This place is your forever."Ada's stare burned into his back as he left.She hated him—his sudden cruelty after all the soft promises.She hated Oliver—so weak he couldn't even save her.And she hated Bella most of all. Why did Bella get everything while she was left in ruins?But she had no fight left.Life inside that ward was worse than any nightmare she'd pictured.***

"You're awake." Bella's voice was flat, like he was just some stranger.Steven shook, overwhelmed. A month without her had eaten him alive, and now—she was here. Her voice cracked him open, and everything he'd buried came rushing out.Eyes burning, he sat up and pulled her into his arms. "Bella, it's really you. I missed you so much."She froze, then shoved him off. "We're already divorced."He stared at the empty space where she'd been, pain slashing across his face. "I don't accept it. That day, I was drunk—I didn't even realize what I was signing."His voice cracked, frantic, like a kid about to lose the only thing he cared about.Bella's eyes stayed hard. "You should've known this day was coming the second you got tangled up with Ada years ago."A sharp, bitter laugh slipped out.Steven went pale, shaking his head. "Bella, please... I had my reasons. I didn't have a choice!" His voice cracked, desperate. "My family needed an heir. Taking control was the only way I could pro

Ada had snapped.She'd busted out of the psychiatric hospital, and after she stabbed Steven, Miranda wasn't about to forgive her. The only reason Ada wasn't tossed straight into the street was Oliver, begging on his knees.So Miranda locked Ada in the attic at the top of the Rocca estate, posting staff to keep her trapped.With Steven's condition still shaky in the hospital, Miranda spent almost all her time at his side. Ada barely registered in her world.The staff hated Ada anyway. They dumped food at the door twice a day, didn't care if she touched it.Until one day—a tray sat there untouched. Then another. Then another. Three meals in a row.A maid panicked, shoved the door open—only to find Ada hanging from the beam, limp and gone.Screams tore through the house. The staff ran to Miranda.Miranda just clenched her jaw."Burn the body. Bury her anywhere. I don't want her name mentioned again."But regret gnawed at her. She'd been the one who shoved Ada into Steven's bed a