جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

Rue’s POVThe doctor’s words hit harder than any slap.“Her condition has worsened.”Soft-spoken and sympathetic a bit rehearsed. But it didn’t matter how gently he said it, it still felt like the floor was ripped out from under me.I blinked at him, but my legs buckled before I could find my voice. I caught the cold edge of the plastic armrest and sank into the chair, holding it like it could anchor me.No. Not today. Not Iris.She was only three. She hadn’t even blown out her birthday candle.I fumbled for my phone, numb fingers trembling so badly I nearly dropped it twice before managing to dial Aiden’s number.One ring.Two.Voicemail.I tried again. And again.Each unanswered call scraped at my nerves like claws. My heartbeat was thundering in my ears. The walls of the hospital felt too tight, too close. I was suffocating.Fifth try. The line clicked.Relief surged, but it vanished just as fast.“Mommy! You said I could get the red panda and the pink one!”The child’s voice, hig

Aiden’s POVI had just finished checking on Iris when I heard the nurse shouting, something about an explosion in the first-floor restroom. Panic surged in my chest. I knew Haven had headed in that direction earlier. Without thinking, I took off down the hallway, boots thudding against the tile as smoke curled around the edges of the corridor. The air was thick with the scent of burning plastic and the high-pitched whine of alarms.I forced my way through the smoke, ignoring calls to stop, shoving aside debris until I found her. Haven was dazed but conscious, crouched near the shattered sink, blood running in a thin line down her cheek. I pulled her into my arms, carried her out myself, refused help even as staff ran forward.It was only after she was safe that I heard, Rue had been in there too.The breath left my lungs. I rushed back in, the haze of dust and smoke blurring my vision until I saw her, half-covered in rubble, blood streaking her temple, her chest rising and falling fa

Aiden’s POVIt’s been five years since Rue walked out of my life, since she disappeared with our daughter and took whatever remained of my soul with her. And still, the emptiness refuses to leave me.Time was supposed to numb it. Everyone said it would. That the sting of betrayal would dull, that grief would eventually give way to peace. But for me, it didn’t. If anything, the edges grew sharper, more jagged, carving deeper every time I remembered how she looked at me before she left. The stubborn defiance in her eyes. The bitterness in her voice. The silence she left behind.Every year since then, I’ve found myself replaying the same damn scenes, the sting of that divorce decree, the eerie way she vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind. No goodbye. No clue. Nothing.I’ve lived every season haunted by the thought of her out there, maybe just across the city line, maybe sipping coffee with Iris, maybe laughing. Peaceful. Untouched. Unbothered.While I rot in this slow-burning

Rue’s POVThe satin of my dress hugged my frame like a second skin, smooth but suffocating. As I stepped into the soft-lit VIP room, a hush of silence met me. No chattering guests, no orchestra playing, just that kind of heavy stillness that presses on your chest, the kind that warns you: you’re not just here to be seen, you’re here to make waves.The dress wasn’t just chosen for beauty. It was armor. My hair was pulled into a sleek, twisted bun, showing the delicate lines of my neck and the glint of diamond studs. My eyes were lined in smoky black, my lips a deep wine. I looked like someone who belonged in the room, even if my stomach twisted with nerves.Cole stood near the tall window, the city lights painting a silver outline over his dark suit. He had the calm, unreadable expression of a seasoned diplomat, his hands in his pockets, one brow lifted as he studied me.“You okay?” he asked softly, his sharp grey eyes locking with mine.“I’m here, aren’t I?” I replied, exhaling.“Yo

Rue’s POVCole didn’t even have to ask. I could tell from the way his eyes flicked between Aiden and me that he was waiting for my say on the matter. “Don’t,” I said flatly.Aiden’s brow creased. “Don’t what?”“Don’t work with him.” My voice was steady, unshaken. “Not now. Not ever.”Aiden’s gaze was like a piercing sword. A muscle ticked in his jaw, but when he spoke, his tone was deceptively calm.“Rue, are you still holding a grudge?” He tilted his head slightly, studying me like he could read my mind. “Or you want me to beg you? You want me to regret what happened between us?”I almost laughed at the audacity. “You think too much of yourself. I don’t care about you, Aiden. You made me realize how futile it was to care—” I stepped forward, meeting his eyes without flinching, “— I don’t even regret divorcing you.”His nostrils flared, the only visible crack in that carefully cold mask. But I didn’t give him the satisfaction of a second glance. “We’re done here,” I said, turning to