All Chapters of Lost in Thy Arms: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

62 Chapters

MAY'S BURDEN

CHAPTER 41: MAY'S BURDENThe house was quiet when May returned from the hospital.She had taken a cab back, the same way she had come, the brown envelope from Dr. Patel tucked deep inside her bag beneath her scarf and her worn leather wallet. The driver hadn't spoken. She hadn't either.Now she stood in the kitchen, still in her coat, staring at the refrigerator like it held answers.It didn't.She opened the fridge anyway. Pulled out a pitcher of water. Poured herself a glass. Her hand trembled slightly as she raised it to her lips.The medication was still in her bag. She would need to hide it. Find a place Maria never looked. The back of the bathroom cabinet, maybe. Behind the spare towels.Maria could never know. Not yet. Not when she was finally happy.May set the glass down and pressed both palms against the kitchen counter. The weight of the day — of the doctor's words, of Alfred's ultimatum, of the lie she was already weaving — pressed down on her shoulders.Three days.In thr

MAY'S RULES

CHAPTER 42: MAY'S RULESThe morning rush at May's Hearth was in full swing when May slipped into her office and closed the door behind her.She could hear the muffled sounds of the restaurant through the walls — the clatter of plates, the murmur of customers, Tara's bright voice taking orders. Usually, these sounds comforted her. They were the heartbeat of the place she had built from nothing, the proof that she had carved out something good in this world after everything else had been taken from her.Today, they felt distant. Like music playing in another room.May set her bag down and lowered herself into her chair. Her body ached in ways it hadn't a month ago. She ignored it. There was too much to do.She pulled out her phone and stared at Alfred's contact.Three days, she had told him. Three days to prepare Maria for his arrival.But the truth was, she hadn't found the right moment. Hadn't found the right words. How do you tell a girl who has already lost so much that the father w

THE STEPFATHER'S SHADOW

CHAPTER 43: THE STEPFATHER'S SHADOWThe office was too quiet.Sylvester sat behind his mahogany desk, the surface littered with papers he had spent the last three hours pulling from old files. Property deeds. Transfer documents. His late wife's signature — Hailey's elegant, looping handwriting — stared up at him from every page.He had not thought about Hailey in years. Not really. She had been a means to an end, a stepping stone to the life he believed he deserved. When she died, he had barely mourned. There had been too much to do. Assets to secure. A daughter to dispose of.And now that daughter was back.Not in his life — he had made sure of that. But she was in the city. Working for Francis Huston.The Francis Huston.He knew this because he still kept tabs in her afraid she would come back for her inheritance.Francis.A man whose name alone could open doors Sylvester had been trying to pry open for decades.If Maria ever decided to come after what was hers —Sylvester slammed a

SINISTER PLAN

CHAPTER 44: SINISTER PLAN "Then what do we do?"“We don't panic." Celeste crossed the room and settled herself on the edge of his desk, crossing her legs. She knew the pose. Knew the way the light caught her collarbone, the curve of her knee. Sylvester's eyes dropped — just for a second — and she smiled inwardly. "We watch. We wait. And if she makes a move, we deal with her.""Deal with her how?"Celeste tilted her head. "The same way we dealt with her before. We remind her of her place. We remind her that no matter how high she climbs, she's still the same worthless girl you threw out."Sylvester was silent. Somewhere deep in his memory, an image surfaced — Maria on the floor, his hand raised, the sound of his palm connecting with her cheek. He had felt powerful then. Righteous. Celeste had told him it was necessary. Discipline. Training.He had believed her."If she's with Huston," he said slowly, "it's not that simple.""It is if we're smart about it." Celeste leaned closer, her v

KENZIE REACHES OUT TO JANE

CHAPTER 45: KENZIE REACHES OUT TO JANEThe lecture hall emptied slowly.Jane packed her laptop into her bag, moving at a deliberate pace. She wasn't in a hurry. She hadn't been in a hurry for anything since the night of the party. Everything felt slightly muted now, like the volume of the world had been turned down.Her phone buzzed in her pocket.She didn't check it. She already knew who it was.Kenzie had called five times since yesterday. Texted more than that. She had read every message, saved every voicemail, and responded to none of them.She wasn't ready. She didn't know if she'd ever be ready.But she also couldn't bring herself to block his number.---The hospital was bright and sterile when Jane arrived.Sophie was sitting up in bed, propped against pillows, looking more like herself than she had in days. The bandages were still there, the monitors still beeping, but her eyes were sharp again. Alert."You missed Professor Hendricks today," Jane said, dropping into the chair

WITHDRAW COMPLAINT

CHAPTER 46: WITHDRAW COMPLAINTThe hospital room was too quiet.Jane has gone. The little noise she brought left with her as well.Sophia had been staring at the same patch of ceiling for the better part of an hour, counting the cracks in the plaster. Seven. There were seven. There had been seven yesterday too. They hadn't multiplied. She was almost disappointed.Five days since she'd woken up properly. Five days of hospital food and sponge baths and nurses who spoke to her like she was made of glass. Five days of her mother's tearful visits and her brother's grim, exhausted face appearing in the doorway at odd hours.And five days without her father.She hadn't asked. Not directly. When her mother came, Sophia watched her hands — twisting in her lap, fiddling with her wedding ring. When Francis visited, she noted the way his jaw tightened whenever she mentioned anything close to the topic. Something had happened. Something no one wanted to tell her.The door opened.Sophia's head tur

FATHERS PLEA

CHAPTER 47: THE FATHER'S PLEAThe drive from the hospital to the office was a blur.Francis didn't remember getting into the car. Didn't remember starting the engine or pulling out of the parking lot. His hands moved on autopilot, gripping the wheel, navigating the familiar streets while his mind replayed the same three words over and over.“You hate your dad. But Sophie doesn't”“Doesn't matter.““It does. You restricted her happiness and this is same as your dad.“His inner voice argued with him.The office tower rose ahead of him, all glass and steel. FE Huston Enterprise. His name. His empire. Built from nothing but rage and ambition and the desperate need to prove he was nothing like the man who raised him.He pulled into his parking spot. Killed the engine. Sat in the silence.He slammed the door on his way out.---The office was a fortress.Francis buried himself in it. Reports. Emails. Budget reviews. Anything that required logic and precision and left no room for feeling. Hi

BELONGS TO ME

CHAPTER 48: BELONGS TO METhe elevator doors opened to a wave of whispers.Maria stepped onto the main office floor at exactly 2:07 PM, her bag slung over one shoulder, a stack of reports tucked under her arm. She had spent the morning at the hospital with Sophia, waiting until she drifted off to sleep before slipping away. ---The door to Francis's office was solid oak. She knocked twice."Come in."She stepped inside, closed the door behind her, and let the professional mask slide fully into place."Your two o'clock meeting has been pushed to three. The Henderson file needs your final signature before close of business. And Patricia asked me to remind you that you haven't eaten since breakfast."Francis was seated behind his desk, sleeves rolled up, reading something on his tablet. He didn't look up."Is that all?""The quarterly projections are on your desk. I've flagged the discrepancies in red. Also, your mother called. She said — and I quote — 'tell my son to pick up his phone

MAY TELLS MARIA

CHAPTER 49: MAY TELLS MARIA (PARTLY)The house was quiet when Maria stepped through the front door.Francis had dropped her off.Too quiet. Usually by this hour, Aunt May was already in bed, her reading glasses folded on the nightstand, the house settled into the soft, sleeping dark. But tonight, the living room lamp was still on.May was sitting in her armchair by the window, still in her day clothes, her hands folded in her lap. She looked up when Maria entered, and her smile was warm — but tired. The kind of tired that had nothing to do with sleep."You're still up," Maria said, setting her bag on the entry table. "It's past eleven.""I wanted to wait for you." May patted the arm of the sofa beside her. "Come. Sit with me."Maria hesitated. There was something in her aunt's voice — a weight she couldn't quite place. She crossed the room and sat down, tucking her legs beneath her."Is everything okay? Is it the restaurant?""The restaurant is fine." May paused. "Do you remember the

FATHER-DAUGHTER

CHAPTER 50: FATHER-DAUGHTER"Who was that on the phone?"The question hung in the air like a held breath.May didn't answer. Her lips parted, then pressed together. Her hand, still trembling, reached down to pick up the fallen phone. She held it against her chest like a shield."Aunt May." Maria's voice was harder now. "Who was that?"May looked at her — really looked. At the girl she had raised, the woman standing barefoot on the bottom step, her bag forgotten on the entry table, her eyes blazing with the beginning of something she didn't yet understand."Your father."The words fell like stones into still water.Maria didn't move. Didn't blink. For a long moment, she didn't even breathe."What?""Your father, Maria. Alfred. He's here. He's been here. He came back."The silence that followed was worse than any scream.Then Maria's face changed. The anger drained away, replaced by something rawer. Something that looked a lot like betrayal."Now it makes sense." Her voice was barely ab

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