FORTY ONE

THALIAThe freaking visitor was my boss.Adrian Vale.What in the world?!For a brief second, my mind refused to process what I was seeing, because the connection did not make sense fast enough for me to catch up with it. He stepped into the room with his usual composed ease, his presence filling the space without effort, and before I could even react, he was already moving toward Dr. Carter.“Evelyn,” he greeted warmly.Dr. Carter’s face lit up in a way I had rarely seen before, and she stood immediately, closing the distance between them as she pulled him into a hug that spoke of familiarity, not politeness.“It took you long enough,” she said, though there was clear affection in her tone.I remained where I was, watching the interaction unfold with quiet shock settling deeper into my chest.So this was what he had meant.During my interview, Adrian had mentioned knowing Dr. Carter, but I had not imagined it was like this. Dr. Carter was not someone who formed close relationships e

FORTY TWO

THALIAI closed my eyes briefly, already feeling the familiar wave of exasperation rise.“Dr. Carter—”Before I could finish, Adrian let out a low chuckle.I turned to him, narrowing my eyes slightly, silently warning him not to encourage her, but he only leaned back in his chair, looking entirely too relaxed.“I mean,” he said lightly, his gaze shifting to me, “it would be hard not to be attracted to someone like Thalia.”My breath caught.It was subtle. Almost careless in delivery. But there was something in the way he said it that made my heart skip in a way I hadn’t expected.After chasing Brandon for so many years and getting ignored, I’ve totally forgotten I am an attractive woman. Heat rushed to my face before I could stop it.“Adrian,” I said quickly, trying to regain control of the moment, “we are not doing this.”Dr. Carter only smiled, clearly pleased with herself.“If you say so,” she said, waving her hand dismissively.I exhaled slowly, choosing not to engage any further

FORTY THREE

BRANDONThe drive to Clara’s house should have felt short, but my mind refused to stay on the road for long.It kept dragging me back to the same image.Thalia… stepping out of a stranger’s car.I had not seen the man clearly, but that did not matter. What unsettled me was not who he was, but how she looked.She had seemed… lighter. Unbothered.And then she smiled.Not the distant, restrained version I had grown used to, but something real. Effortless. Warm.I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.When had she stopped smiling like that with me?I had gone there to see if she was struggling, to confirm whether she would eventually have to come back.But that intention had vanished the moment I saw her.Because she did not look like someone who needed anything from me anymore.And for some reason, that bothered me more than it should have.I exhaled slowly and forced my attention back to the present as I turned into Clara’s driveway. The house stood quiet, the soft glow from the win

FORTY FOUR

CLARAI had always hated Thalia Wentworth.Not the kind of shallow dislike that came and went with time, or the kind that could be softened with distance and understanding. What I felt for Thalia had roots that stretched too deep for that. It was something that had grown quietly over the years, fed by every reminder that no matter how hard I tried, I would always come second to her in the eyes of everyone who knows both of us.She used to call me her friend.Even now, the memory made something bitter twist inside me.Friend.The word had always sounded like a lie. No, it was a lie.Thalia had been born into a world I could only stand on the edges of, a world filled with wealth, privilege, and opportunities that had never been meant for someone like me. I was just the daughter of the Langford family’s maid, the girl who lingered in the background while she stood at the center of everything.We had grown up in the same environment, but we had never lived the same life.She had rooms

FORTY FIVE

CLARAFor a moment that felt heavier than it should have, everything between us narrowed into the small space I had carefully created.I watched Brandon closely, every part of me alert, every thought sharpened with expectation as his hand finally moved. I had seen that shift before in men, that subtle hesitation that meant the barrier was thinning, that control was slipping just enough for desire to creep in.It was working.I stayed still on purpose, letting him come closer, letting him make the first real move. My pulse quickened as I imagined the moment he would finally give in, finally pull me closer like he used to when things between us were simpler, when I had not yet been replaced by Thalia.“Brandon…” I said softly, letting his name linger in the air the way I knew it sometimes affected him.His eyes flickered down briefly, and I felt that small surge of satisfaction.Yes.He was thinking about it.His hand lifted toward me, slow and deliberate, and I held my breath withou

Alle Kapitel von I LEFT WHEN HIS EX CAME BACK WITH HIS SON: Kapitel 41 – Kapitel 45

FORTY ONE

FORTY TWO

FORTY THREE

FORTY FOUR

FORTY FIVE