All Chapters of I HEARD HIM SAY " DADDY": Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

123 Chapters

Becoming Lisa

ANNALISE I walked to the bar in the house tucked into a corner of the living room where the lights glowed soft and golden, Evelyn was already there, perched on one of the high stools, practically vibrating with energy with the drinks poured in the glasses. It wasn’t loud or crowded like a public place—just quiet, intimate, a space that felt almost safe. But even here, as I stepped through the door, my stomach fluttered like a bird trapped in my ribs. She caught sight of me immediately and practically leapt from her seat. “Annalise!” she called, her voice so bright it made me want to laugh despite the nerves tightening in my chest. “I know you can’t take alcohol because of the baby, so I asked Vera to get you some natural juice. I hope you like it.” I forced a smile as Vera handed me a tall glass, amber liquid shimmering in the soft light. My hands trembled just slightly, and I brought the glass to my lips, trying to hide it. I had to—I couldn’t let her see how fragile I felt in

Silent Challenge

AIDEN I lifted the glass to my lips and took a slow sip. The burn of the drink went down sharp, but it did nothing to calm the storm in my mind. Not when my thoughts were spinning too fast to catch. I forced a smile anyway, the kind I wore for dinners, meetings, or any time people were watching. Appearances mattered. They always did especially when I was trying to make my mum believe this charade. I should have been used to this. Used to the masks, the pretending, the careful way I always had to control how people saw me. And yet tonight, with her here, all of that felt fragile. Unsteady. Annalise wasn’t playing fair. Maybe she never had. Maybe I had just thought I could predict and control her.That I could make her follow the rules I set. But this… this calm, confident version of her made my chest tighten. Why did she look so sure of herself? So steady. So untouchable. I shook my head slightly, trying to get rid of the feeling. But it lingered, stubborn and heavy. Something ab

Did She know?

ANNALISEVera brought out the food just as Evelyn rose from her seat. Her phone vibrated softly against the table, and she glanced at the screen before looking up.“I need to take this,” she said calmly. “It is a business call.”Her voice was smooth, almost casual, but there was something in the way her eyes lingered on the table—sharp, deliberate—that made my stomach tighten. No one questioned her as she excused herself and left the dining room.Her absence stretched longer than expected. By the time she returned, the food had already been served. She looked composed, as she always did, but something about her expression had shifted. There was a subtle hardening at the edge of her eyes, a tightness around her mouth, a restraint she wielded like armor. It was the sort of calm that made others tremble quietly within themselves, the quiet of someone who had gathered knowledge and weighed its power.“Mum, are you alright?” Aiden asked, his voice low, his concern threaded with caution.“

Obedience and Temptation

ANNALISEAfter the celebration dinner, it was finally time to go to our rooms. Normally, I would have quietly escaped to the guest room—the one I used before.It was safe, simple, and avoided any trouble. But after her comment to Aiden about me “sleeping in the guest room,” that plan was ruined. Evelyn was already suspicious, and I couldn’t give her a reason to pry any further.I decided to wait a little. I would stay downstairs until she fell asleep. Then I could quietly go to the guest room, and if she noticed in the morning, I could make up a story—say I had stayed up late, or napped downstairs, or something harmless.Anything to keep her thinking everything was normal.So I stayed pretending to be interested in the television, though I wasn’t watching at all. My mind was full of plans. Every second mattered. I had thirty days to get my life back, to settle scores, to make Sam pay for what he had done. I couldn’t make a single mistake.Aiden was there too, sitting with his phone, c

Is He Pretending?

ANNALISEAiden grabbed the pillow, and flopped onto the bed like a storm had hit the room. I froze for a heartbeat, staring at him, trying to understand how a simple argument had spiraled so fast.Why was he angry?All I’d done was call him out. Just pointed out what he was doing—what he always did—and now… this. He lay there, arms splayed across the sheets, the weight of his anger evaporating almost instantly as exhaustion took over. Within minutes, the rise and fall of his chest steadied, and a soft, almost imperceptible snore slipped from him.“Ooh,” I muttered under my breath, trying not to roll my eyes too hard. “He’s actually snoring.” I reached over, tugged the blanket away violently to disturb him.A groan, a shift, and then nothing—he didn’t even open his eyes. He just continued sleeping, completely oblivious.Frustration clawed at me. It wasn’t fair. How could someone switch off like that? One moment furious, the next… nothing. Not even a trace of the fight from earlier.Sig

One call that charges everything

SAMAfter drinks that evening, I finally told Veronica everything. She sat there, wide-eyed, still trying to comprehend the sheer audacity of what Elena and I had managed to pull off. The truth was, we had moved fast, too fast for anyone outside our circle to even notice. But time had not been on our side, and letting it slip by wasn’t an option.“I cannot believe you both handled this,” she whispered, her voice a mix of disbelief and awe. “Honestly… it’s remarkable. Such a pity, though… no one will be making Vanessa’s dress anymore.” Her words trembled slightly, as if the thought itself pained her.Elena smiled, that calm, measured smile that always seemed to carry the weight of someone who knew she was in control. “Aunty,” she said softly, leaning forward, “don’t worry about a thing. The other designers can make her something, and if you want something different… I can have her wear Blackwood designs instead, just for the celebration. I know someone who can get us an appointment,

Thirty-Days of Control

AIDEN Thin lines of morning light slipped through the blinds, cutting across the floor in sharp bands. The brightness irritated me more than it should have. It felt intrusive, like the day was demanding something from me before I was ready to give it. I needed a shower—not just to wake my body, but to rinse off the restless tension clinging to my skin. The kind of tension that came from frustration you could not name out loud. I had appointments and meetings scheduled for the day. People were waiting on decisions from me. I was expected to be clear, composed, and in control. Those expectations usually grounded me, but this morning they only added to the pressure in my chest. What I did not have time for was the complication now living in my space under the polite excuse of a contracted marriage. I pushed myself off the bed, pressing my hands into the mattress as if standing required effort beyond the physical. My body felt heavy and stiff. My shoulders were already tense, drawn t

Lisa Daniels

AIDENI stepped into the shower, letting the water pound against my back—hot, relentless, almost aggressive. A laugh escaped me when I thought about the stunt I’d pulled earlier: waking up, turning on the music, pretending to be asleep. She’d been making demands, testing limits. I wondered how far she thought she could push—and I had a front-row seat to find out. I dressed with care. Shirt smoothed down, every crease aligned. Cufflinks fastened without fumbling. Watch secured around my wrist, its weight familiar and reassuring. Every movement was precise, intentional. There was comfort in that kind of control. It didn’t ask questions. It didn’t hesitate. By the time I faced the mirror, I was all dressed and ready for work. I turned toward the door, already shifting my focus to the day ahead, when voices drifted in from the dining area. I slowed without meaning to. Something about the sound of laughter—soft, familiar—caught at me in a way I didn’t appreciate. Annalise was sitting

Head of Design

ANNALISE “I’m here to officially resume work as Head of Design,” I said, keeping my voice even, measured, professional. “I received my appointment letter yesterday.” The girl seated in front of Aiden froze mid-motion. Slowly, she lifted her head to look at me, confusion spreading across her face in real time. “We… we were hiring,” she said after a moment, blinking rapidly. “How come i didn't even know that?” She glanced at me again, then back at Aiden, her brows knitting together. “But Head of Design?” Her voice dropped, unsteady now. “That position wasn’t even vacant.” Her lips parted slightly, realization dawning. “That’s my position.”The color drained from her face so fast it startled even me. She pushed her chair back abruptly and stood, her movements clumsy with panic. Her eyes darted toward Aiden’s office like it was the only solid thing left in the room. “Mr. Blackwood,” she called out, her voice trembling despite her effort to sound composed. “What is going on

The Challenge

AIDEN I watched Annalise—Lisa, as she insisted on being called now—and something about her presence unsettled me in a way I could not immediately explain. She stood in front of my desk with a calm confidence I saw earlier that felt unfamiliar, almost jarring, as though the woman I thought I knew a bit for one moment had quietly disappeared and been replaced by someone else. She was not fidgeting or avoiding my gaze. She was not pleading. Her posture was straight, her shoulders squared, and her chin lifted just enough to convey resolve rather than defiance. It was the kind of stance people adopted when they believed they belonged in a room, not when they were asking for permission to stay in it. That realization irritated me. For reasons I did not want to acknowledge, my eyes lingered on her longer than necessary. I noticed the controlled rhythm of her breathing and the steadiness in her expression. There was tension in her jaw, but it was restrained, as if she was deliberate

1 2 3 4 5 6

...

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP