Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 21 - Chapitre 30

MABEL The words tumbled out in fragments, disjointed and raw. I told Bella about my marriage to Ethan. About Claire's cruelty and Hailey's invasion. About giving birth while my husband held another woman's hand. About the baby who wouldn't stop crying. The six months of torture, believing I was failing as a mother when the truth was so much worse. About the DNA test. The divorce. Walking away from everything. And finally, about the anonymous email that brought me back to New York. Bella listened without interrupting, her face cycling through shock, horror, and disbelief. When I finished, she was silent for a long moment. "Let me see the photo again," she said quietly. I handed her my phone. She studied Liam's image carefully, zooming in on his face. "He looks happy," she observed. "He is. Vanessa loves him. Take good care of him." "But he's yours." "Biologically, yes." I wiped at my face with the back of my hand. "But he doesn't know me. He calls her Mommy. He has a whole

MABEL The question hung in the air like a guillotine blade. My mind raced through possible responses, each one more incriminating than the last. Did she know? Has someone told her? Was this a test? "I don't understand," I said carefully, buying time. Vanessa crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. "He's formed an attachment to you. After meeting you twice, he talks about you constantly. 'Princess Mabel this, Princess Mabel that.' He's never done that with anyone before." Relief flooded through me. She didn't know. She was just being protective. "I'm good with kids," I said, keeping my voice steady. "It's part of the job—making clients comfortable, and that includes their children." "That's not what I'm asking." Vanessa's gaze was penetrating. "I'm asking why my son is drawing pictures of you. Why did he ask me this morning if you could come to his school play next month? Why is he treating you like you're already part of his life." The information should have made me happy

MABEL I left Vanessa's penthouse at nine PM, my heart full and breaking simultaneously. Dinner had been surprisingly normal, pizza, laughter, Liam telling elaborate stories about his superhero adventures. Vanessa had been polite but watchful, her eyes tracking every interaction between Liam and me. She knew something was off. She just couldn't figure out what. The hotel suite was dark when I returned. Bella had taken Lily to a movie, giving me space. I was grateful for the solitude. I kicked off my shoes, poured a glass of wine, and sank onto the sofa. My phone buzzed almost immediately. An email from an unknown sender. My stomach dropped. I knew before opening it what this would be. Subject; Progress The body of the email was brief; You found him. But be careful. Vanessa loves him too. This won't be easy My fingers flew across the keyboard; Who are you? Why are you helping me? I hit send and waited. One minute. Two. Five. No response. I tried again: **How do you know

ETHAN Five years. Five years of waking up next to the wrong woman. Five years of watching Jason cry for someone he couldn't remember but somehow missed. Five years of knowing I'd made the biggest mistake of my life. And now Mabel was here. Real. Standing in front of me looking like everything I'd lost and could never get back. "I'm sorry," I said again, because I didn't know what else to say. "For everything." She crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. The Mabel I remembered had been soft, vulnerable, easy to hurt. This woman was different, harder, colder, protected by layers of armor I'd helped forge. "Sorry doesn't mean much, Ethan." "I know." I ran a hand through my hair, aware I was repeating the gesture but unable to stop. "But I need you to know that I regret it. All of it." "Which part?" Her voice was sharp. "Choosing Hailey over me? Letting your mother destroy me? Handing me divorce papers while I was still recovering from childbirth? Be specific." Each accusat

MABEL I made it to the ladies' room before the shaking started. My hands gripped the marble sink as I stared at my reflection. Flushed cheeks. Bright eyes. The look of someone who'd just burned bridges and didn't care. What had I done? I'd confronted Ethan and Hailey in public. Let my anger control me. Said things that could come back to haunt me. The bathroom door opened. I straightened quickly, composing my face. Hailey walked in. Of course. "Well, well," she said, checking her lipstick in the mirror beside me. "That was quite a performance out there." "I wasn't performing." "No? Could have fooled me." She touched up her already-perfect makeup. "All that drama. Very theatrical." I didn't respond. Didn't give her the satisfaction. "You always were so emotional," Hailey continued, her voice syrupy sweet. "It's why you failed as a mother. Too much feeling, not enough strength." My hands clenched on the marble. "You don't know anything about being a mother." "Don't I?" She