All Chapters of The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire: Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

177 Chapters

The First Week

POV: ISLAThe first week was… a lotThat's the only way to put it.I was recovering from emergency surgery. Stitches. Pain. Exhaustion.But none of that mattered.All that mattered was Asher.My tiny, premature son fighting for his life in the NICU.They wheeled me down to see him multiple times a day.I couldn't walk yet. But I needed to see him.Needed to know he was still alive. Still breathing. Still fighting.Each time I saw him, my heart broke a little more.He was so small and so fragile.Tubes and wires everywhere. Machines beeping. Monitors flashing numbers I didn't understand.But he was alive.That's what mattered.The twins came to visit.But they couldn't go into the NICU, some rules about germs and young children.But they could look through the glass.Mia brought them, held their hands as they pressed their faces to the window."Where is he?" Nova asked.I pointed to Asher's incubator. "There. See? That's your baby brother.""He's so tiny!" she whispered, eyes wide."Bu

The Crash

POV: JAXONWhen Isla fainted, I caught her… barely.The nurses rushed to help, but I held her.Wouldn't let go.Couldn't let goBecause in front of us, doctors were working on our son.Our tiny, fragile son who'd stopped breathing."What's happening?" I demanded. "What's wrong with him?""Apnea," one doctor said, working quickly. "Common in preemies. His breathing paused.""Is he okay? Is he breathing?""We're working on it."They had a tiny mask over his face. Squeezing air into his lungs manually.Chest compressions on a baby so small my hand could cover his entire body.Minutes felt like hours.I held Isla. Watched our son and prayed.Please. Please. Not after everything.Finally, finally the monitor beeped.Steady. Regular."He's back," the doctor said. "He's breathing."I nearly collapsed with relief.A nurse was checking Isla's vitals. "She just fainted from stress. She'll be okay.""And Asher?""Stabilized. But Mr. Romano, this can happen with premature babies. Their systems ar

Going Home

POV: ISLAFive weeks felt like five years, but finally… finally we got the call."Asher's ready to go home," the doctor said.I almost didn't believe it."Really? Are you sure?""He's hit all his milestones. Six pounds now. Breathing well. Eating well. Regulating his temperature. He's ready."Jaxon wrapped his arms around me."We're bringing our boy home," he whispered."We're bringing him home."The twins were ecstatic when we told them."Our brother is coming home!" Nova screamed, jumping up and down."Finally!" Rowan added. "We've been waiting forever!""I know, baby. But he needed to get strong first.""And now he's strong?""So strong."They ran around the house, announcing it to everyone.To Mia. To the security team. To anyone who would listen."Our baby brother is coming home!"We prepared the house like we were preparing for royalty.The nursery was already done. But we added special equipment the hospital required.Monitors. A special breathing alarm that would go off if he

The Call

POV: JAXONThree months after Asher's birth, life had found a new normal.Chaotic. Exhausting. Beautiful.Three kids under five was no joke.The twins were in preschool now. Asher was thriving, almost nine pounds, hitting all his milestones.Isla was back at Apex part-time. I was consulting from home, being present.We were tired. Always tired.But happy.Really, genuinely happy.The call came on a Tuesday afternoon.I was feeding Asher when my phone rang.Unknown number.I almost didn't answer.But something made me pick up."Jaxon Romano?" A professional voice. Official."Yes. Who's this?""Special Agent Drew, FBI. We spoke a few months ago regarding your father's case."My blood ran cold. "What about it?""I'm calling to inform you that Dante Romano died this morning in prison. Heart attack. Natural causes."I stood there. Bottle in one hand. Phone in the other.Dante was dead.My father was dead.I felt... nothing.No grief. No relief. Just nothing."Mr. Romano? Are you there?""Y

Aftermath of the Refusal

POV: ISLAFor two weeks after Jaxon refused Dante's inheritance, nothing happened.Life went on. Normal. Peaceful.The twins went to preschool. Asher continued thriving. We had family dinners. Movie nights. All the ordinary moments that made up our extraordinary life.I started to relax.Started to think maybe Dante's final manipulation had died with him.I should have known better.It started small.Our car was keyed in the driveway one morning.Not just scratched. Carved.Deep gouges spelling out a word: TRAITOR."What the hell?" Jaxon said, staring at it.I felt sick. "Who would do this?""I don't know. But I'm calling security."Clifford came over immediately. Reviewed the security footage.But whoever did it knew where the cameras were. Avoided them perfectly."Professional," Clifford said grimly. "This wasn't random.""You think it's related to the will?" I asked."Has to be. The timing's too convenient."We filed a police report. Increased security. Tried not to panic."It's ju

The Decision

POV: ISLAWe packed overnight bags in silence.The essentials. Clothes for the kids. Diapers for Asher. Medicine. Documents.Everything we'd need to disappear again.The twins were supposed to be asleep. But I heard them whispering in their room.They knew something was wrong.Kids always know.Jaxon was in the nursery with Asher, packing his baby bag.I stood in our bedroom, holding a photo from our wedding.The second one. The real one.Us. Happy. In love. Finally whole.And now we were running again.Hiding. Cowering. Letting fear control us.No.Something inside me snapped."I'm not doing this," I said out loud.Jaxon appeared in the doorway. "What?""I'm not running. I'm not hiding. I'm not doing this anymore.""Isla, they threatened the kids""And they'll keep threatening!" My voice rose. "Don't you see? We can run to the ends of the earth and they'll still find us. They'll still threaten us. Until we're dead or they are.""So what do you suggest?""We end this. We testify. We p

Protective Custody

POV: JAXONThe federal safe house was nothing like the ones we'd used before.This one was underground.Literally underground.A repurposed bunker from the Cold War era, converted into a secure facility for high-risk witnesses.Concrete walls. No windows. Artificial lighting 24/7.And completely, utterly claustrophobic."This is where we're staying?" Isla asked, looking around the small apartment they'd assigned us.Two bedrooms. One bathroom. A kitchenette. A living area barely big enough for a couch.All of us. For SIX WEEKS."It's temporary," Agent Drew said. "Once the trial is over, you can go home.""Six weeks underground," I said. "With three kids.""I know it's not ideal. But it's the most secure location we have. No one can find you here. No one even knows this place exists."After he left, Isla and I looked at each other."We can do this," she said. But she didn't sound convinced.The first week was hell.The twins struggled with the confined space.No yard to play in. No par

The Confession

POV: ISLAJaxon told me about the prosecutor's request late that night.After the kids were asleep. After we'd cleaned up dinner. After we'd pretended everything was fine for one more day."They want me to confess to everything I did as part of the Romano organization," he said quietly. "Publicly. In court. On record."I set down the dish I was washing. "What exactly did you do?"He couldn't look at me. "Money laundering. I helped move money through shell companies. Made it look legitimate when it wasn't.""What else?""Fraud. Forged documents. Lied to banks, investors, the IRS.""What else, Jaxon?""Witness intimidation. I threatened people. Made them too scared to testify against my father. Against the organization."My hands were shaking. "Did you hurt anyone?""Not physically. But I destroyed people's lives. Their businesses. Their reputations. I was good at it… Really good.""When did you stop?""When I met you. When I realized I didn't want to be that person anymore. But Isla, I

The Trial Begins

POV: JAXONThe trial began on a Monday morning.Federal courthouse. Downtown Manhattan.Media circus outside. News vans. Reporters. Cameras everywhere."United States versus Romano et al."Fifteen defendants. All remaining Romano associates. Distant family members. Business partners. People who'd built careers on my father's criminal empire.All of them looking at me like I was the enemy.Which I was.I was the one who'd turned. Who'd exposed them. Who was about to testify against them all.Traitor. That's what they saw.Savior. That's what I hoped I was.Isla sat in the gallery.They'd allowed it after extensive security screening.She wanted to be there. Wanted me to see her face when things got hard.And they would get hard.The defense attorneys were some of the best money could buy. Aggressive. Ruthless. Willing to destroy me to save their clients.I sat at the witness stand, sworn in, ready.The prosecution went first."Mr. Romano, can you state your relationship to the defendan

Vivian's Testimony

POV: ISLAVivian sat on the witness stand looking nothing like the broken woman Jaxon had visited in prison months ago.She was clean. Sober. Put together.And smiling like she'd already won."Ms. Winters," the defense attorney said, "can you describe your relationship with Jaxon Romano?""We were married for two years. After his divorce from his first wife.""And during that marriage, did you have insight into his business dealings?""Yes. He talked about them frequently. Bragged, really.""Objection," the prosecutor called. "Hearsay and characterization.""I'll rephrase," the defense attorney said smoothly. "Did Mr. Romano discuss his involvement with the Romano organization?""All the time. He loved it. The power. The control. He wasn't some trapped victim like he's claiming. He was an eager participant."I grabbed Jaxon's hand. It was ice cold."Do you have evidence of this?" the defense attorney asked."I do."She pulled out her phone. The bailiff took it, connected it to the cou

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