All Chapters of Gilded Hearts: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Sophia POVThe hospital room was no longer a place of emergency,.It was still reeking of disinfectant,. Machines continued to hum in the background. Nurses still came and went. But the fear--that sharp, choking fear which had been in my chest for weeks, had been loosened.Mom was better.Not healed. But better.She slept more peacefully now. Ate when she could. Even scolded me when she caught the dark circles under my eyes.I was cutting few apples for her when she suddently spoke.“You look tired, mija.,” she murmured, her fingers curling weakly around mine.“I’m okay.,” I said without thinking.She smiled., the kind that said she didn’t believe me for a second.My phone buzzed in my hand,.Edward Hayes.I stepped into the hallway before answering.“Yes, Mr. Hayes?”“Sophia,” he said, calm and composed, all business.“I need you at the office today. There’s a client meeting, an important one. Your presence is required.”Required?“I’m at the hospital with my mother.,” I said.“I kn

Damien POVI knew that the moment when grandpa's name flashed across my phone screen., It was late in the morning, just as I was going through quarterly projections that I did not care about. I allowed it to ring twice as long as it was necessary--out of habit, out of rebellion--before I answered.“Yes,” I said, curtly.“Come home for lunch,” Edward said, voice calm, unhurried. “Today.”I frowned. “I have meetings.”“You can cancel them.”That alone told me this wasn’t a request.“For what?” I asked.There was a pause on the other end. Deliberate. Measured.“Sophia will be there,” Edward said.The name hit harder than it should have.“What?” I straightened in my chair. “Why would she be there?”“I’ve invited her,” Edward replied. “She’s meeting the family.”My jaw tightened.“You didn’t think to mention this earlier?” I asked sharply.“You didn’t ask.”Of course he hadn’t.Images flooded my mind instantly—Sophia standing in the Hayes Manor.Her in my house.“That’s unnecessary,.” I sa

Damien POVI agreed to this marriage with my teeth clenched and my spine straight.Not because I wanted her.Not because I believed in it.And certainly not because I loved her.I agreed because Edward Hayes does not bluff.Six months ago, I laughed in his study when he threatened my inheritance.Three months ago, I stopped laughing when lawyers replaced threats.And a week ago, when the documents were placed in front of me—sealed, final, merciless—I signed.Marry Sophia Rivera.Or lose everything.Hayes Global.The empire.My name.People say power is freedom.They’re wrong.Power is a leash—golden, invisible, and tight around the throat.So here I stand, in a cathedral dressed like a man in control, while my future walks toward me like a sentence already passed.The music swells.And then—She appears.For a moment, my mind betrays me.Sophia Rivera walks down the aisle in ivory silk, her veil catching light like it was spun from something holy,. The gown fits her like it was made w

Sophia POVIt was almost evening, and the day after the wedding is finally getting over. ButIt felt so strangeIt felt really different, I mean I havent thought much about having a movie like love story, where the man goes to every extent for the woman he loves, and they ended up getting married. But at least I hoped to marry someone who actually respected me and loved me a little.The encounter I had with Damien since yestersday was a reminder for me to know that this marriage doesn't even having the basic sense of understanding or mutual respect. Love will be the last thing I can have with Damien Hayes, when he thinks I am a flithy, low-grade women who dosent match his high society status.From the corner of my eyes I saw Damien walking in the living room, where I sat down reading a book. His presence alone made the atmosphere different., It felt heavier now,.As if the walls themselves had absorbed the tension of the day and were now holding it., refusing to let it escape. I move

Sophia POVI woke up with a stiff neck and the quiet certainty that pride had a physical cost.The sofa had looked generous the night before,—plush,- wide, and forgiving under warm hotel lights. By morning, it felt like it had personally conspired against me. My back protested as I shifted, the December light of Rome slipping through the tall windows in pale streaks.The bed remained untouched.Empty.Neatly made.I sat up slowly, pulling the throw tighter around myself, and listened.Nothing.No movement from the bathroom. No rustle of sheets. No low, irritating presence occupying the room like Damian Hayes usually did.He hadn’t come back.Neither he texted me or call me.Neither he texted me anythingNot last night.Not at dawn.Not even now.A strange mix of relief and irritation settled in my chest,.Part of me had stayed half-awake through the night, listening for the click of the door,.Prepared. Braced.Ready for another argument about space, boundaries, and entitlement.Inste