81. A New War Begins

Lena’s POVI wake before the sun staring at the ceiling with my heart beating too fast. The house is quiet and I lie on my side, one hand curled over my stomach like it belongs there. The baby moves sometimes at this hour, slow, soft kicks that feel like tiny reminders that life is still happening inside me even when everything around me feels broken.I close my eyes and try to picture how things used to feel safe and simple as if the worst thing I had to worry about was burnt toast at Ruth’s café or whether Keenan would forget to lock the back door again that feels like another lifetime now, every creak of the house makes my chest tighten and I hate that fear lives in me now.I press my palm harder against my stomach and whisper under my breath, “You are okay, we are okay.” Even though I’m not sure I believe it.Through the thin wall, I can hear Keenan moving around in the kitchen he takes care of me without making it a big thing, he saved me more than once even when he didn’t know h

Last Updated : 2026-02-10

82. Quiet Changes

Lena’s POVFour weeks have passed since the storm rolled across Achwick like it wanted to erase everything in its path and yet the town is still standing, breathing and somehow growing instead of breaking.From the front window of the café I watch it every morning the slow reshaping of a place that used to feel frozen in time. New gravel spreads across the main road, bright streetlights line the walkway toward the pier, and workers in neon vests move in steady rhythm as if this little town has always been meant for something bigger.The air smells like fresh paint and ocean salt mixed together and sometimes I catch myself forgetting what this place looked like before all of this began I remember when Achwick felt tired, worn, and ignored like a forgotten postcard tucked into a dusty drawer.The café bell rings as another customer walks in and I turn away from the window long enough to smile, pour coffee and hand over a warm slice of lemon loaf that Ruth insisted we bake before sunrise

Last Updated : 2026-02-11

83. Keenan and James Begin

Keenan’s POVI spend the entire morning talking myself out of asking him and then talking myself back into it and pacing like a man who doesn’t know what to do with his own body.The bookstore is quiet and my hands keep fidgeting straightening stacks that don’t need straightening, sliding books into place that were already perfectly lined up, running my thumb along spines like they might suddenly whisper answers to me and every time the bell over the door rings my heart jumps like I’m waiting for a verdict.I’m ridiculous thirty-four years old, been shot, survived chaos, lived through family drama, watched my best friend get kidnapped, seen the worst of people and I’m shaking like a kid with a crush because I want to ask a man to dinner.James has been in town for almost 4 week now. He comes by the shop every other day under the excuse of “checking on Jess” or “just browsing,” but we both know he is really here for me and I’m here for him. He leans against the counter sometimes while

Last Updated : 2026-02-11

84. Ethan’s Big Plan

Ethan’s POVI have stood in boardrooms full of men who measure worth in numbers and silence in dollars. I have signed contracts that moved more money in one afternoon than this island sees in a year.None of that made my hands sweat the way this does.The Achwick community hall smells like coffee, wood polish, and suspicion. Folding chairs scrape against the floor as people settle in. Some nod at me politely. Some don’t look at me at all. A few whisper. I don’t blame them.I’m the outsider. The rich one. The one who came in loud once before and broke things.I clear my throat and step toward the front.“Thank you for coming,” I start. My voice sounds steady. That’s something. “I’m not here to take anything from this town. I’m here to invest in it — and not in a way that pushes you out.”A man in the second row folds his arms. “That’s what they all say.”Fair.“I know,” I reply. “And I don’t expect you to trust me because I say the right words. I expect you to trust me after you see wh

Last Updated : 2026-02-12

85. The Millers’ Real Agenda

Lena’s POVI knew the invitation wasn’t just about dinner.It arrived in a thick cream envelope with my name written in careful script like something out of a movie about wealthy families and secrets. The paper smelled faintly of perfume when I opened it and I hated that even that small detail made my stomach tighten.“A proper family evening,” my so-called mother had said over the phone earlier that day. “Just us you deserve to feel where you come from.”Where I come from.I have come from so many places that sentence feels almost insulting.Keenan stands in the doorway of my bedroom while I stare at my reflection. I’m wearing a simple blue dress that still fits over my growing belly, even though I can see the curve more clearly now. My son shifts inside me, a slow roll beneath my skin, and I press my hand there without thinking.“You don’t have to go,” Keenan says gently.“I know.” I smooth the fabric over my stomach. “But if I don’t they will just keep pushing.”He leans against th

Last Updated : 2026-02-13

86. Ryan's move

Ryan’s POVI knew the second Maya went down that I needed a new angle.I didn’t panic. I don’t panic. I adjust.That’s the difference between me and people like Ethan. He reacts. I plan.When I found out Lena suddenly had “biological parents” who appeared out of nowhere, I didn’t believe it for a second. Nobody just shows up like that unless there’s money involved. And the Millers have always cared about money.Samuel Miller’s brother was Lena’s real father. That part took digging. A lot of digging. But once I saw the financial structure, the inheritance clauses, the trust documents, everything made sense.Samuel and his wife Chanel couldn’t inherit the fortune. The company. The empire. It all goes to the only living child of Lena’s father.Lena.They killed her parents in a staged accident when she was a baby. They thought she died too. That’s what they told everyone. That’s what the records show. But Lena survived and ended up in the system. They only realized she was alive years la

Last Updated : 2026-02-14