Chapter 41

Aria POVThe smell hit me first.Julian’s cologne — cedarwood and something darker underneath, smoky and expensive — had already claimed the air in my room, tangled now with the sharp bite of whiskey. It was a disorienting combination. Too familiar, too much.He was watching me with those green eyes, glassy and slow, fighting to hold focus.“Julian.” I kept my voice even. “I think you should go back to your room.”He blinked. Something in his expression shifted, softened in the way that only happened when his guard had been completely stripped away. “Aria,” he said, his voice rough at the edges, like it had been dragged through gravel. “I like your hair.”Before I could step back, his hand lifted. His fingers were warm as they pushed a loose strand away from my face, tucking it gently behind my ear, his touch so careful it felt almost reverent. My heart stumbled in my chest before I could stop it.I caught his hand and pulled it down. “Just stop. You’re drunk. You don’t mean any of wh

Last Updated : 2026-02-26

Chapter 42

Aria POV The coffee shop was the kind of place that made you feel like the rest of the world could wait. Soft acoustic music drifted from somewhere near the ceiling, low enough that you could talk over it without raising your voice. The air smelled of roasted beans and warm vanilla, and every surface — the wooden counter, the small round tables, the mismatched chairs — had that worn, comfortable look of somewhere people came to exhale. I had needed exactly this. Somewhere small and ordinary and safe.I wrapped both hands around my mug and let the warmth seep into my palms.Vanessa sat across from me, her natural hair piled high on her head, her oversized cream sweater making her look effortlessly put-together in the way she always managed without trying. She had been mid-sip when I told her, and now she was staring at me with her cup frozen halfway to the table, her eyes wide.“For real?” she asked, her voice dropping to a sharp whisper of disbelief.I nodded slowly. “I’m telling you

Last Updated : 2026-02-27

Chapter 43

Aria POVThe hospital smelled the way it always did — antiseptic and something faintly floral underneath, like someone had tried to soften the sterile reality of the place with an air freshener and failed. My sneakers squeaked softly against the polished linoleum as I made my way down the corridor toward Dr. Daniel’s office, my fingers wrapped tight around the strap of my bag just to have something to hold onto.I knocked twice before pushing the door open.Daniel was at his desk, pen in hand, a patient file open in front of him. He looked up immediately, set the pen down, and gestured to the chair across from him with a relaxed smile. I sat, straightening my back the way I always did when I was trying to appear calmer than I actually felt.“I had a chance to see some of your paintings,” he said, his tone unhurried, warm. “The ones hanging in the east hallway. I must say — I’m very impressed.” The design I painted to contribute to the hospital since my mom is here.Something small and

Last Updated : 2026-02-28

Chapter 44

Aria POVDr. Daniel walked into the room quietly, the way doctors always did — like they had learned early on how to carry heavy news without letting it show in their footsteps. His expression was composed, professional, giving nothing away before he was ready to give it.“Her surgery is scheduled for eight o’clock tomorrow morning,” he said, his gaze moving to where I sat at my mother’s bedside.“Okay,” I said softly. Just that one word, because it was all I could manage.I was still holding her hand. I hadn’t let go since I arrived. My thumb moved slowly over her knuckles — back and forth, back and forth — the same absent rhythm I had kept for the past hour, as if the motion itself was doing something useful. As if it was keeping us both anchored.Am I happy or terrified? I genuinely couldn’t tell. Both feelings sat inside my chest at the same time, pressed so tightly together they had become indistinguishable from each other. Tomorrow felt enormous. Tomorrow felt like a door I coul

Last Updated : 2026-03-13

All Chapters of The abandoned wife and her secret son: Chapter 41 - Chapter 44

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44