Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 91 - Chapitre 100

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Chapter 91: A Heart Out Of Place

Bella's POVI sat across from the woman Cole had hired. Dr. Elara Winslow, supposedly one of the best cognitive-memory rehabilitation specialists in the country, and while she was sitting across from me, I tried my best not to look as uncomfortable as I felt.She had chosen for us to stay in a bright room for the session. A small recorder blinked red between us, the soft pulse taunting me. I shifted on the couch, tugging my sweater closed around my ribs.“Alright, Bella,” she said softly, crossing one leg over the other. “Let’s begin where you left off. You mentioned feeling… disoriented waking up this morning?”Disoriented. That was one word for it. Terrified was another.I nodded slowly. “I—yes. I woke up from a dream. Or… memory. I’m not sure which.”“Describe what you recall.”I inhaled deeply, feeling my throat tighten. “I was… talking on the phone. I don’t know to whom. But I was angry. I kept saying the child was in their custody. And that they needed to stop calling me. That a

Chapter 92: The Distraction

Bella's POVI spent far too much time in front of my mirror trying to decide on what to wear. Eventually, I picked a soft cream-colored dress that didn’t cling too tightly, paired it with a light cardigan, and sandals.I had a driver take me to the restaurant, but the moment I stepped outside and saw Eric leaning against his car in the restaurant parking lot, scrolling his phone, looking effortlessly handsome, I regretted not choosing something prettier.He looked up. And goodness me... his smile.It was subtle, but it hit me like a warm breeze moving through a cold room.“There you are,” he said, pushing off the car and walking toward me. “You look… really good.”I felt my cheeks heat. “Thanks.”He opened the door for me, and I found myself smiling again as we walked inside together.The restaurant was quiet except for the soft music drifting through the air, and Eric chose a table in the back, away from everyone else.When we sat down, he rested his arms on the table and stared at m

Chapter 93: What He Can't Forget

Eric's POVBella stood in the middle of my office like she wasn’t sure where to place herself, her eyes scanning the bookshelves, the dark wood, the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. Her fingers brushed the edge of my conference table, then my couch, lingering on every surface like she was searching for anything to help with her memories but finding none.But she was familiar to me.Painfully so.She was the only thing in the room I couldn’t ignore, the only thing I hadn’t been able to ignore for years.I cleared my throat softly. “You want a drink?”She turned to me with a small smile. “Yes. Please.”I nodded and walked to the bar cabinet at the corner of the room. She followed me with her eyes, her hands clasped in front of her, posture uncertain, almost shy. It was something Bella had never been before the accident.I poured whiskey into two glasses, glancing at her again. She had gone to sit at my desk, on my chair, actually—spinning it once slowly with a thoughtful e

Chapter 94: Between Two Worlds

Eric's POVHer lips were right there.Barely a breath away. One inch closer and everything would have happened—the pull, the memory, the spark I’d been craving since the day she lost herself.But right as I started to lean that last impossible inch, Bella froze.Not dramatically. Not visibly at first. Her breathing simply stilled. Her lashes lifted. Her pupils flickered like a shutter closing.Then she slowly and painfully pulled back.I moved without thinking. My hands reached out, sliding around her waist, instinctively pulling her toward me before she could escape the moment.“Bella…” I breathed, my forehead nearly touching hers. “Don’t pull away from me. Please.”I didn’t even recognize my own voice. It was low, raw, cracked at the edges with a kind of vulnerability I never let anyone hear.Her hand rested on my chest warmly and trembling softly, but not in the way I wanted. Not from desire but from hesitation.“No,” she whispered.I swallowed hard. “Why not?”“Eric…” She closed h

Chapter 95: Where My Heart Wanders

Bella's POVI practically ran out of Eric’s office.My heart was still racing, confused and pounding, and wanting things I wasn’t supposed to want. Eric’s voice still echoed behind me—“Bella, wait—”—but I didn’t dare look back. If I did, I knew I wouldn’t leave.And that would be wrong.Everything would be wrong.The second I stepped into the hallway, I straightened immediately and opened the door to the private elevator. I nodded, too breathless to speak. My legs felt shaky, like the ground wasn’t real.The elevator stopped at the basement level. My driver hurried ahead, opening the back door of the car just as I rushed toward it.“Ma’am,” he said, voice calm, but I, on the other hand, wasn’t calm at all.I slid into the seat fast. "Go,” I said. “Please. Just… go.”The door slammed shut, and a second later the car peeled out of the underground lot.I kept twisting back to look through the rear window, half-afraid Eric would appear running after the car, half-terrified that he wouldn’

Chapter 96: In The Quiet Between Us

Bella's POVCole had gone into the bathroom to have a quick shower while I sat cross-legged on the bed with Miles in front of me, my back against the headboard, my attention entirely on the tiny human wobbling between my legs.He kicked his feet happily, his little hands waving in the air.“Hey... careful,” I murmured, smiling despite myself. “You’re going to roll right off the bed.”Miles responded with a loud giggle, then promptly leaned forward and planted his forehead against my chest. I laughed softly and steadied him, brushing my fingers through his soft hair.“You’re trouble,” I told him gently. “I can already tell.”He grabbed my finger with surprising strength and squealed, delighted, like he’d just won something important.The bathroom door opened.Cole stepped out, steam trailing behind him, a towel wrapped low around his waist. His hair was damp, darker than usual, droplets sliding down his neck and shoulders. When he saw us on the bed together, he stopped and just watched

Chapter 97: Him Or Me?

Bella's POVCole and I never really spoke about Eric again last night. I understood why he must've felt betrayed and heartbroken. But there was nothing I could do... I already told him I didn't do anything with Eric.Even if I wanted to... I didn't. And that was supposed to count for something. But Cole was still moody about me talking and seeing my supposed ex-husband I couldn't even remember.* * *Morning came quietly.I woke before the sun fully rose, the pale gray light slipping through the curtains and stretching across the ceiling. For a few seconds... just a few, I forgot everything. Forgot the tension between us, I forgot the look on Cole’s face last night.Then reality settled back.Miles stirred beside me, making a soft sound in his sleep. I turned my head and watched him, his tiny fist curled near his mouth, his lashes resting against his cheeks. He looked so peaceful. So untouched by everything that felt like it was breaking apart around me.I reached out and brushed my t

Chapter 98: Bloodlines Unseen

Cole's POVBy the time I got to the office, my hands were already shaking.Not visibly, though, because no one would ever see that. They were shaking inside. Everything felt unsteady. I nodded at people, returned greetings automatically, stepped into my office, and shut the door behind me with more force than necessary.I loosened my tie, then I tightened it again, but nothing helped.Bella’s voice replayed in my head, no matter how hard I tried to focus on the screen in front of me.I can’t promise that.Those words had followed me all the way here, echoing louder with every mile between the house and the office. I sat behind my desk, stared at my emails, opened one, closed it, opened another, then finally slammed my laptop shut.This was pointless.I leaned back in my chair and scrubbed a hand over my face. I had faced hostile takeovers, boardroom ambushes, public scandals, things that were meant to break men like me.None of them had come close to this.My wife didn’t remember me,

Chapter 99: Found Her

Cole's POVI didn’t break eye contact with the child even when Eric’s voice cut through the tension.“What are you talking about, Warren?" he asked. "How do you know she’s Martha’s granddaughter?”The way he said it told me he was already bracing himself for an answer he didn’t want to hear.I took a slow breath, grounding myself. My jaw tightened, and my heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my ears, but my voice came out calmer than I felt.“Well, because I’ve seen her before,” I said. “And because Martha never spoke about anything in her life the way she spoke about that child.”Eric’s jaw tightened. Rose shifted in his arms, small fingers clutching the lapel of his suit as if she sensed the tension thickening around us.“Okay, Cole," he chuckled. "You know that’s not an answer".“It is,” I replied. "It's just not the one you like.”I took another step toward them.Eric immediately backed away, his body angling protectively. “Don’t come closer.”I ignored him again.“Martha

Chapter 100: Going To Get Her

Cole's POVI returned to my office with my jaw locked so tight it hurt.I tried to work. God knows I tried.Emails went unanswered. Documents sat half-read. My assistant came in twice to ask if I was feeling all right, and twice I waved her away with clipped words and a fake smile. I signed where she pointed. Approved what she asked. But my mind wasn’t there.And after a few hours of forcing myself through meaningless tasks, I leaned back in my chair and exhaled slowly. I already knew I wouldn’t get anything productive done today. And more than that, I knew I couldn’t sit with what I’d learned without telling my wife.I stood, grabbed my jacket, and left.The house was quiet when I arrived, the kind of quiet that only existed when the staff had retreated, and the children were asleep. I asked after Miles, was told he’d just gone down for his afternoon nap, and nodded absently as I walked through the back doors.That’s when I saw her.Bella was sitting on the wooden bench at the far en

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