The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 111 - チャプター 120

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

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

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

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

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