บททั้งหมดของ The Secret Heir’s Return : บทที่ 81 - บทที่ 90

The weight of the debt had never fully lifted.Isabella sat at her kitchen table, surrounded by bills she couldn't pay, her head in her hands. The money from Patricia had helped keep them afloat for months, but the medical expenses kept coming. Eleanor's treatments. Lucas's dental work. Lily has endless appointments with the pediatrician.She was drowning again.And this time, there was no mysterious benefactor to save her."Isabella." Sebastian's voice came from the doorway. "You look like you haven't slept.""I haven't." She looked up at him. "What are you doing here?""Damien asked me to check on you. He's stuck in New York, dealing with the fallout from the trial." Sebastian crossed the room, sitting across from her. "What's going on?"She hesitated. Then she pushed the bills toward him.Sebastian scanned them, his expression shifting from concern to something she couldn't name."This is bad," he said."I know.""How long have you been hiding this?""Months." Her voice cracked. "I

The pier was empty at noon.Isabella stood at the railing, the wind whipping her hair, her eyes scanning the horizon. Sebastian was hidden behind a cluster of fishing shacks, his security team surrounding the area. She could feel his presence, steady and reassuring, even from a distance.A figure emerged from the fog.Tall, elegant, with silver hair and green eyes. She was beautiful in the way that statues were beautiful, cold, distant, untouchable."Isabella." The woman approached slowly, her hands raised. "Thank you for coming.""Who are you?""My name is Rebecca Webb." She paused. "I'm Marcus's sister."Isabella's blood ran cold. "Another Webb.""The last one." Rebecca's voice was soft. "I've been watching you for years. Waiting for the right moment to introduce myself.""Why now?""Because I know about the contract. I know about the arrangement. And I know that Marcus is planning to use it against you.""What do you mean?""Marcus has allies who would love to see you destroyed. If

The lighthouse keeper's cottage stood at the edge of the cliff, its windows dark, its door hanging open.Isabella stood in the doorway, her heart pounding, her eyes scanning the shadows. Thomas Webb had disappeared into the fog, his threat still echoing in her ears. I'm here to finish what he started.Damien was behind her, his hand on her back, his presence steady and reassuring. His security team surrounded the cottage, weapons drawn, radios crackling."He's here somewhere," Damien said."I know." Isabella stepped inside.The cottage was small, with a living room, a kitchen, and a narrow staircase leading to the second floor. Everything was covered in dust, untouched for years. Except for the table in the center of the room.On it lay a photograph.Isabella picked it up, her hands shaking. The image showed her mother not Eleanor, not Catherine, but Margaret. Margaret Thorn. Standing in front of this very cottage, a baby in her arms."She brought you here," Thomas said from the shado

The morning after their confession, everything was different.Isabella stood in the kitchen, making coffee, her hands steady despite the chaos in her heart. Sebastian sat at the table, reading the newspaper or pretending to read it, his eyes fixed on the same page for ten minutes.They hadn't talked about what happened. Hadn't acknowledged the words they'd exchanged in the darkness.But they were both thinking about it."Sebastian." She set a cup of coffee in front of him. "We need to talk."He looked up, his blue eyes wary. "About what?""About last night." She sat across from him. "About what you said.""I meant it." His voice was quiet. "Every word.""So did I."They sat in silence, the weight of their honesty pressing down on them."What do we do now?" he asked."I don't know." She took his hand. "But I think we need to be careful. For Lucas. For Lily. For everyone who's counting on us."Sebastian nodded slowly. "Friends first. Always.""Friends first." She squeezed his hand. "Alw

The pier was shrouded in mist.Isabella stood at the railing, Sebastian beside her, his hand on her back. The fog rolled in from the ocean, thick and gray, swallowing the world beyond the wooden planks. Somewhere in the distance, a foghorn moaned.She hated this place. Hated the secrets it held, the ghosts that lingered.But she was tired of running.A figure emerged from the mist, tall and slender, walking with the careful grace of someone who had learned to be invisible. As she drew closer, Isabella's breath caught."Sarah?" she whispered.Her half-sister. The woman who had disappeared months ago, leaving only a note behind. I need to find myself. She had never explained what that meant."Isabella." Sarah stopped a few feet away. "Thank you for coming.""You're the one who sent the letters?""Some of them." Sarah's voice was soft. "Not all.""Then who?"Sarah reached into her coat and pulled out a photograph. "Her."Isabella took it with shaking hands.The image showed a woman she h