Semua Bab The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire: Bab 51 - Bab 59

POV: JAXONI went home in a daze.My mind couldn't stop spinning. Couldn't process everything that happened with Isla.I had children. Twins.I'd missed everything. And I had no one to blame but myself.The penthouse was dark when I walked in.It was 11 PM. Ashley should have been asleep hours ago.But I could hear crying. High-pitched. Scared.I followed the sound to the living room.Ashley was on the couch, sobbing. Maria, the nanny, was trying to comfort her.And Vivian was sprawled in a chair, drunk. A bottle of vodka on the table beside her. Half-empty."What's going on?" I demanded.Maria looked relieved to see me. "Mr. Romano. Mrs. Romano has been drinking all evening. She and Ashley had an argument and…""It wasn't an argument!" Vivian slurred. "I just told her the truth!""What truth?" I asked, my voice dangerous."That her father doesn't love her. That nobody loves her. That she's a mistake."I saw red."Maria, take Ashley to her room. Now.""Yes, sir." Maria scooped up the

POV: ISLAThe scandal broke on Tuesday morning.I was in my office when my phone started buzzing. Notifications. Dozens of them. Then hundreds.News alerts. Text messages. Emails.All about Jaxon.I opened the first headline.Billionaire Jaxon Romano Betrayed by Wife; Daughter Not HisMy breath caught.I clicked the article. Read it quickly.DNA test confirmed Ashley wasn't Jaxon's daughter. Derek Hayes was the biological father. Vivian had lied about paternity for three years. Jaxon was filing for divorce. Vivian was getting nothing.The entire scheme had been exposed.I sat back in my chair, processing.Vivian's lie had finally caught up with her.More articles flooded in.DNA Test Reveals Three-Year Deception in Romano MarriageVivian Romano Trapped Billionaire with Another Man's ChildJaxon Romano Divorces Second Wife After Paternity FraudThe press was brutal of course. Photos of Vivian leaving the penthouse with suitcases. Photos of Derek with Ashley. Photos of Jaxon looking exh

POV: JAXONThe day I would meet my children.I barely slept the night before. Just lay awake, terrified and excited in equal measure.What if they hated me? What if I didn't know what to say? What if I disappointed them? What if Isla was right and I was incapable of love?At 6 AM, I gave up on sleep. Showered. Changed clothes three times. Settled on jeans and a casual shirt, Isla had said to dress comfortably, that the twins would be intimidated by suits.The meeting was at 10 AM. Central Park. Near the playground.Neutral territory. Public. Safe.I arrived at 9:30. Too early because I couldn't wait anymore.Isla arrived at 9:55 with Mia.And two small children.My heart stopped.Rowan and Nova.My children.They were smaller than I'd imagined. Rowan in a blue t-shirt with dinosaurs. Nova in a pink dress with sneakers. Both holding Isla's hands.I stood frozen. Unable to move. Unable to breathe.Isla saw me. Stopped about ten feet away."Rowan, Nova," she said gently. "This is... this

POV: JAXONI saw the photos on Friday morning.Someone had sent them to the company email. Anonymously and maliciously.Isla and Reid at a restaurant. Her laughing at something he said. Him kissing her cheek at the end of the night.The jealousy was immediate. It consumed me.I stared at those photos for ten minutes. Unable to look away. Unable to breathe.She was moving on. With him. With Vincent fucking Reid.My competitor. My rival. A man who was everything I wasn't, kind, respectful, someone who'd never hurt her.Someone she deserved.But no, I didn't want her to have him.I stormed to her office at noon.Didn't knock. Just stormed in.She looked up from her computer. "Jaxon? What…""Are you dating him?" I demanded.She blinked. "What?""Vincent Reid. Are you dating him?"Her face went cold. "That's none of your business.""The hell it isn't! You're the mother of my children!""Exactly. YOUR CHILDREN. Not your wife. Not your anything. I can date whoever I want.""So you are dating

POV: JAXONThe drive to the safe house took three hours.Three hours of silence broken only by the twins' excited chatter in the backseat and Isla's white-knuckled grip on the door handle. I kept checking the rearview mirror, watching for tails, for any sign my father's men had followed us.Nothing… for now."Are we going on vacation?" Nova asked, her bright voice cutting through the tension."Something like that, sweetheart," Isla said softly. Her voice was steady, but I could hear the tremor underneath. Fear. She was terrified.I wanted to reach over, take her hand, tell her everything would be okay.I had no right."Will there be a pool?" Rowan piped up."No pool," I said, glancing at him in the mirror. "But there's a big yard. Trees. You can explore.""Cool!" Rowan's eyes lit up.Isla looked at me then. Her expression was unreadable, but I saw the question in her eyes: Can I trust you?I didn't know if she could. I'd broken every promise I'd ever made to her.But I'd die before I