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Lahat ng Kabanata ng He was never mine: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

207 Kabanata

Branded

Avery’s POVThe whispers had started small.A friendly customer who wouldn’t make eye contact with me, a woman at the grocery store who pulled her child closer when I walked past, like me being close will contaminate him.I told myself it was nothing. But by the third day, I couldn’t deny it anymore.Something had changed in Ridgefield. The way people now looked at me had changed, from indifferent to being cold. Conversations stopped immediately I entered a room with their backs turned and eyes dropped. Mothers now shielded their children.I didn’t know what they were saying about me.I just knew whatever it was, it was destroying the small safety I’d built here.During the morning shift at the diner, Mr. Peterson sat at his usual booth. He came in every morning without fail, always tipped well and he always asked about the baby with genuine warmth.I approached the coffee pot with a smile on my face as usual. “Good morning, Mr. Peterson. The usual?”He didn’t look up from his menu.

Under Watch

Avery’s POVNina’s hands gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles almost turned white as she drove fast through the traffic towards the emergency clinic.I sat folded in the passenger seat with arms wrapped around my belly, trying to breathe through another wave of cramp pain that hadn’t stopped since the parking lot.“It’s going to be okay,” Nina said for the third time. “You’re going to be fine.”She kept her eyes on the road but her voice was strained which scared me more than the pain did. The silence inside my belly where there should be movement, life, some flutter or something, even made my stomach turn with terror.The clinic was the usual small, understaffed clinic I do use with fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. A nurse took one look at me and rushed through the doorway taking me to an exam room immediately.Nina tried to follow but the nurse stopped her with a firm hand. “Family only in the exam room.”“Nobody is available at the moment, I am her best friend,” Nina prot

Betrayal

Avery’s POVI opened the door and Nina turned around, her phone still pressed to her ear. For one second, our eyes met.Color instantly drained from her face.“I’ll call you back,” she said quickly into the phone and hung up. “Avery. You’re back early. I was just…”“Just what?” My voice cane out flat. “Just telling someone how well your rumor worked? How everyone in town hate me now?”Her mouth opened and then close again. No words could come out.“How long have you been standing there?” Her voice was low and cracked.“Long enough.” I stepped inside, closed the door behind me and locked it. “Long enough to hear about the money you were paid to destroy my life.”She backed up until she hit the kitchen counter as her hands shook. She couldn’t look at me, the way her eyes darted to counter, to the cabinet, all her movement screamed guilt.“Avery, let me explain…” She moved towards me with her hands stretched towards hold me.“Explain what exactly?” I moved closer. “That you told people

Unease

Nate ’s POVThe boardroom at Sterling Industries felt colder than usual despite the expensive heating system running full blast.I sat at the long table with Celeste beside me. She wore a white suit that cost more than what an average person makes in a year. Around us were senior board members, the company’s top lawyers and the CFO, no assistants and no small talk.This wasn’t just the regular routine quarterly meeting, I knew it the moment I walked in. The atmosphere was too tense and controlled.The head of the hoard of directors, Patterson sat directly opposite me with his normal expression that carries no hint of the moment. When he called for this meeting yesterday, he’d used words like “risk” and “image.”In other words, we have a problem, trouble at hand.He opened a folder and spoke without looking at me directly.“We’re reviewing past stability within the company, times where there was minimal public exposure and the public attention was low.” He pulled out a chart and slid

Danger Looms

Avery’s POVI was still standing on Nina's apartment building stairs with heavy bags weight on my shoulders, staring at Jessica.“You’re Marcus’s girlfriend.”The words didn’t make sense in my head.Marcus… Wyatt’s head of security, the man who was always beside him in Seabrook, watching everything for him and also protecting me at the same time.“I know this sounds insane,” Jessica said while climbing another step closer to me then stopped when I gripped the railing tightly. “But please, just let me explain. Five minutes alone, that’s all I’m asking.”I stood there just staring at her.I was already exhausted. My body ached from the hospital, from the confrontation with Nina and from carrying these bags down the stairs.But I wanted to understand everything, to know if Jessica was telling the truth or if this was another lie, like every one does.“Five minutes,” I said. “Then I’m leaving and you don’t follow me.”Then I exhaled slowly them I nodded.“Thank you.” Jessica said. We sa

Attack

Avery ’s POV“Long time no see, Avery Monroe.”The voice cut through the darkness like a saw and I froze.The figure stood up and stepped forward into the light, blonde hair styled perfectly, designer coat that doesn’t belong in this building and those cold eyes I recognized immediately.Celeste Cross…The woman who’d threatened me in a hospital hallway months ago, who had told me to disappear or she would make me.Jessica moved instantly, stepping in front of me. “Get behind me.”Celeste's lips curved into a smile, nothing warm in it.“How sweet. You have a bodyguard now.” She said.She snapped her fingers.Two big muscle men stepped out from the shadows inside my apartment.My heart slammed against my chest.“What do you want?” My voice shook despite my effort to keep it steady. Celeste walked around the apartment like she owned the place, her heels clicking softly. The men moved too, blocking the doorway behind her. “I want you gone, permanently this time.” She said, her eyes dr

Too Late

Wyatt’s POVI checked my phone again, nothing I had checked for the seventh time in ten minutes, no reply, no missed call and no check-in.Jessica was supposed to report to me by six, at most seven PM and now it was past nine, two plus hours of silence.Marcus sat rigid in the passenger seat beside, he clenched his jaw tight. He dialed again, the phone rang once, then it went straight to voicemail.“Phone’s off or dead.” He said, his eyes fixed on the road.“She wouldn’t turn it off, not when she hasn’t reported back to us.” My hands tightened on the steering wheel until my knuckles went white. We were already on the highway going to Ridgefield.Something was wrong.Jessica never missed check-ins. Never. In weeks of watching Avery, she’d been perfect, reliable and consistent.Marcus tried her phone again, it went straight to voicemail, again.“What was her last message?” I demanded.Marcus scrolled through texts with his thumb. “Five-fifteen PM, she said Avery left Nina’s apartment.

Lost

Wyatt ’s POVThe ambulance screamed through Ridgefield, the sirens cutting through the silent night. I grabbed Avery’s hand again, it was cold in mine.The line kept falling, it was weak seconds by second.I couldn’t breathe deep and I couldn’t look away from that screen showing her life fading right in front of me.“Come on,” the paramedic muttered, pressing the monitor on her belly again. “Stay with us.”The line dropped again and then it flattened.The steady beep turned into one long flat tone that made my stomach twist.I know that sound…“We’ve lost the fetal heartbeat.” The paramedics said, his voice went professional and detached like it wasn't the first time he said those words.“How far out?” he called to the driver.“Two minutes!” The driver shouted.Two minutes…the baby didn't have two minutes.I rested the back of my head against the ambulance wall, my chest was tightened like something was crushing it from inside. I had seen violence before, my mothers death, and I'd cle

Something’s wrong

Nate ’s POVI was in my office going through some documents when I remembered I hadn't checked up on Celeste. I picked up my phone and dialed her number.“Hey, how’s the meeting going?”There was silence, followed by a quick and shallow breathing. Celeste?" I called out. "It's fine." She answered, rushing her words. "The meeting went well. We went over zoning, environmental requirements, and some infrastructure concerns. I think we can work around them and…""Slow down.” I stood up from my seat and started pacing around the room. “Are you okay?""I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine? She let out a small laugh “I'm just tired, long day. The property developer is difficult and his lawyer kept asking about…"She was talking on and on. Celeste never rambles."You sound upset.""I'm not upset.” Papers rustled on her end. “I'm just exhausted. This deal is complicated.""What time did your meeting end?"There was silence, not the kind caused by bad reception."Around ten.” She said finally. “W

Powerless

Wyatt ’s POVSome detectives arrived at Ridgefield General around ten in the morning.I watched from the hallway as Marcus helped Jessica into a private consultation room. Her face was still swollen, one eye nearly closed and she could barely walk two steps without wincing in pain, each step made her grip his arm tightly.Detective Eric Wheeler was older with gray hair and tired eyes. His partner was younger, didn’t say a word, just took notes.Jessica sat across from them, her hands clenched on her laps, shaking“Can you tell us what happened?” Eric asked, his voice was gentle but firm..“They were already inside the room when we got there. They were two men and a woman, I didn’t see them clearly.” She swallowed hard. “They came from behind, hit me first and I went down. Everything went… blurry.”“Can you describe them? Height? Build? Any distinguishing features?”She shook her head, tears streaming down her bruised cheeks. “It was dark in the room. They all wore black and masks. I

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