All Chapters of The Algorithm of Her Heart: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

11 Chapters

Chapter 1: The Perfect Family

"Excuse me, where is the main theater?" Elena asked the usher at the Riverside Performing Arts Center."Down that corridor, second door on your left," the woman pointed. "Are you here for the student showcase?""Yes, my daughter is performing tonight," she said with a hopeful smile. "I'm surprising her. She doesn't know I'm coming.""How wonderful! Better hurry though, the second act just started. Break a leg to your daughter!" the usher replied."Thank you!" Elena clutched the small gift bag tighter and rushed down the carpeted hallway, her heart pounding with anticipation.Elena had missed her daughter desperately.Her little girl, Lily, bright and sensitive, was her entire world. Elena had counted down the days until she could hold her again.She had dressed carefully for tonight, wearing the blue dress Lily always said was pretty and the perfume her daughter loved. Because lately, home felt like it was crumbling beneath her feet.Why? Because someone had been working to replace he

Last Updated : 2025-11-17

Chapter 2: The Birthday Party

Two days later was Lily's seventh birthday.Elena knew about the party, of course. It was marked on the family calendar. But when she texted Marcus asking what time she should arrive and what Lily wanted for her birthday, he never responded.She tried calling twice. Both calls went to voicemail.The morning of the party, Elena woke early and baked Lily's favorite chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream, the one she made every year. She wrapped the charm bracelet carefully and wrote a heartfelt card.When she arrived home mid-morning, expecting to help set up, she found the house strangely quiet.Rosa, their housekeeper, was in the kitchen looking uncomfortable."Where is everyone?" Elena asked, setting down the cake carrier. "Isn't the party this afternoon?"Rosa couldn't meet her eyes. "Mr. Ashford took Miss Lily to the venue early this morning, ma'am. He said the party would be held elsewhere.""Elsewhere? What do you mean? We always do her birthday here." Elena felt confusion mixin

Last Updated : 2025-11-17

Chapter 3: The Replacement

In Vivian's luxury apartment, she was showing Lily her design studio, letting the little girl touch fabrics and look through sketches."This is where I create all my collections," Vivian explained, watching Lily's face light up with wonder. "Would you like to design something with me this weekend?""Really?" Lily's eyes went wide. "You'd let me help?""Of course. We're friends, aren't we?" Vivian said warmly.The apartment itself was stunning, decorated with the kind of taste that came from money and education. Vivian had made sure to prepare a corner of her guest room specifically for Lily, with art supplies and books the girl had mentioned liking.It wasn't love, exactly. But Vivian understood strategy. She understood what it took to win.And winning Marcus Ashford meant winning his daughter first.It had been easier than she expected, honestly. Lily was hungry for attention, starved for a father who actually showed up. All Vivian had to do was be present, be fun, be everything Elen

Last Updated : 2025-11-17

Chapter 4: The First Step

The CoreMed Solutions offices had moved since Elena last worked there. The new building was a gleaming high-rise in the financial district, all glass and steel and success.Elena stood outside for a full minute, her hands shaking slightly. She counted backward from twenty to steady herself. Twenty, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen.Inside, the receptionist smiled professionally. "Ms. Cordova? Dr. Hayes is expecting you. Tenth floor, take the elevator on your right."The elevator was mirror-polished. Elena caught her reflection and barely recognized herself. She looked tired. Older. Defeated.'No,' she thought. 'Not defeated. Just tired. There's a difference.'James Hayes was waiting when the elevator doors opened. He looked older too, more distinguished, wearing an expensive suit instead of the casual button-downs she remembered."Elena." His face broke into a genuine smile. "God, it's good to see you. Come on, let's talk in my office."His office was corner suite, floor-to-ceiling windo

Last Updated : 2025-11-17

Chapter 5: The Invitation

Five months after signing her divorce papers, Elena received an invitation that made her pause.The Ashford Foundation Annual Gala. A charity event Marcus hosted every year to network with the city's elite and raise money for arts education.Elena had never attended during their marriage. She'd never been invited.But this year, her name appeared on the guest list. Not as Marcus Ashford's ex-wife, but as Elena Cordova, Principal Consultant, Cordova Analytics.Her work had made her visible enough to warrant an invitation on her own merit.Aunt Paulina saw the cream-colored invitation on Elena's kitchen counter and smiled knowingly. "You should go.""Absolutely not. That would be torture.""Would it?" Paulina picked up the invitation, examining the elegant calligraphy. "Or would it be an opportunity to show everyone who dismissed you exactly what they missed?"Elena thought about it. She'd spent five months avoiding anything connected to her old life. But her aunt was right about one th

Last Updated : 2025-11-26

The Dance

He led her onto the floor with the confidence of someone who'd learned to move in these circles despite not being born into them. His hand was steady against her back, respectful of boundaries while still leading clearly."You're making a statement," Elena observed quietly."You are," Dominic corrected. "I'm simply privileged to be part of it."Elena could feel eyes on them from every direction. By tomorrow morning, this would be in every business publication and society blog: mysterious consultant Elena Cordova dancing with Dominic Kane."Your ex-husband is watching us," Dominic murmured. "He looks like he's swallowed something unpleasant.""You know who I am.""Of course. I make it my business to know everything relevant about people who interest me professionally." His voice was matter-of-fact, not creepy. "Marcus Ashford made a significant error in judgment. That works in my favor.""How pragmatic of you.""I'm always pragmatic. It's why I'm successful." Dominic's expression shift

Last Updated : 2025-11-26

Chapter 7: The Breakdown

Elena burst through the heavy doors of St. Mary's Academy, her heels clicking rapidly against the polished floor. The hallways were empty and quiet, an eerie contrast to the panic racing through her body.A woman in a cardigan appeared from a side office. "Mrs. Ashford?""Yes, where is she? Where is Lily?""Please follow me. She's in the nurse's office with Principal Morrison."Elena's hands trembled as she walked. Her mind was racing with terrible possibilities. Injured. Sick. Hurt. The woman had said Lily was upset, not injured, but Elena's fear would not listen to reason.The nurse's office door was open. Elena saw her daughter immediately.Lily sat on the examination table, small and hunched, her face blotchy and red from crying. Her costume from the drama performance was rumpled, and her hair had come loose from its careful style."Lily," Elena said softly.The child's head jerked up. For one long moment, mother and daughter stared at each other across the small room.Then Lily's

Last Updated : 2025-11-26

Chapter 8: The Wait Outside

Dominic Kane sat in the back of his Bentley, phone pressed to his ear, watching the entrance to St. Mary's Academy. The driver had turned off the engine twenty minutes ago. The street was quiet except for the occasional car passing by."You're still there?" His assistant's voice carried surprise through the phone. "Sir, the Singapore call is scheduled for eleven. That's in forty minutes.""Reschedule it," Dominic said."But they've been trying to get this meeting for three weeks.""Then they can wait another day. Reschedule it, James."There was a pause on the other end. "Is everything alright?"Dominic looked at the school's lit windows. Somewhere inside, Elena was dealing with a family crisis. A woman he'd danced with once, worked with professionally on a handful of projects, and found himself unable to stop thinking about."Everything's fine. Just handle the Singapore meeting.""Of course. Sir, if you don't mind my asking, why are you sitting outside a school at ten thirty on a Thu

Last Updated : 2025-11-26

Chapter 9: The Morning After

Elena woke to sunlight streaming through the curtains and the sound of movement in the hallway. She sat up quickly, disoriented for a moment before remembering. Lily was here. Her daughter had slept in the next room.She found Lily standing in the hallway outside the bedroom, looking small and lost in the oversized t-shirt Elena had dressed her in the night before. The child's hair was tangled, her eyes still puffy from crying."Good morning, sweetheart," Elena said softly.Lily turned toward her, confusion clear on her face. "Mommy?""Yes, baby. You're at my apartment. Do you remember coming here last night?"Lily's forehead wrinkled as she tried to recall. "I remember being at school. And the stage. Everyone was looking at me and I couldn't breathe right.""You had a panic attack during your performance," Elena explained gently. "The school called me and I came to get you. You stayed here last night.""I don't really remember that part," Lily admitted, her voice small and scared. "E

Last Updated : 2025-11-26

Chapter 10: The Weekend

Saturday morning started with careful politeness. Lily said please and thank you for everything, kept her voice quiet, and asked permission before touching anything in the apartment. She was treating Elena's home like a place she was visiting, not somewhere she belonged.Elena recognized the behavior. Lily was testing, watching, waiting to see if Elena would get angry or reject her. The child had learned to be cautious, and that knowledge broke Elena's heart."What would you like to do today?" Elena asked over breakfast. Simple scrambled eggs this time, nothing fancy."I don't know." Lily pushed eggs around her plate. "What do you want to do?""I asked what you want to do. This is your weekend, sweetheart. We can do whatever sounds fun to you."Lily looked uncertain, like this was a trick question. "Anything?""Anything appropriate for a seven year old," Elena said with a smile. "So probably no skydiving or driving sports cars."That earned a tiny smile. "Could we go to the science mu

Last Updated : 2025-11-26

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