All Chapters of Half the Blessing, Half the Heart: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

Belinda's POVThe cold diamonds sent a chill down my chest and my spine. I felt like a fish forcefully taken out of the water as I flopped and thrashed about desperately."Did you forget how Alvin died?" I growled at my husband, Aston Powell.Three years ago, Aston's elder brother, Alvin Powell, had discovered Tamara Davies' affair, and he'd died in a horrible car crash while chasing down the scoundrel.Aston had been absolutely heartbroken and nearly had Tamara beaten to death, but I was the one who stopped him in time. Instead, he gave orders that she was to be locked up in the chapel to repent for her sins for the rest of her life.However, now, Aston just sighed and said, "Tamara's been suffering for years. I'm sure that Alvin will have already forgiven her by now."My daughter, Hailey Powell, then pursed her lips in dissatisfaction while leaning into his embrace."Mommy's mean and horrid! She's always so bossy! You're the one who can't get pregnant anymore, and you're still

Meeting my stunned gaze, Alvin slowly said, "Grandma once told Aston that he was never to return to the country, ever. But he broke the rule and disobeyed Grandma's order for the first time, all just for you."You're both like star-crossed lovers at this point, but I don't find it the least bit touching at all."What Alvin said next plunged me into an icy abyss. He took the tablet from Tamara and casually told me that he wasn't as empathetic as Muriel, who still harbored a very slight affection for Aston.He told me that the horrific car accident that was about to happen to Aston on the highway would take his life and make him completely disappear from the world."But you know, when I think about how horribly you're going to be crying after his death, I feel a little bit sorry for you," Alvin said, laughing in my ear."Should I tell the driver to hit the brakes a little earlier to spare his life? But if I do that, you must come back with me afterward. Aston only deserves the scrap

Third-Person POVAston sat on the float with Hailey and Tamara. He looked at Hailey's radiant smile and suddenly thought of himself back when he'd been a child.He'd lived with his mother, Lindsay Barrera, in Barclena since he could remember. Lindsay was mentally unstable and rarely had any moments of normalcy.However, she would be lucid for half a day on his birthday every year, showing him rare tenderness and hugging him while calling him her most precious gift from the heavens.However, Aston knew that she would still relapse into a madwoman after this brief moment of tenderness. She also had manic episodes every now and then.She would torture herself and also make her family weep for her. Fortunately for her, Aston was her only family.Soon after, on his 17th birthday, he'd rushed home eagerly with a bunch of freshly-picked sunflowers in hand, only to find out that Lindsay was dead.A sprightly old woman stood before Lindsay's body. Her face was filled with sorrow. It was

Third-Person POVAston searched high and low all over Southbay for Belinda, but still found no trace of her. So, he had all of the creditors who saw her last rounded up, and he tortured them until they finally spilled.As expected, the creditors folded and showed Aston the text messages from Tamara and videos they'd taken of Belinda.The blood flowing from Belinda's body was absolutely horrifying. Aston broke down and dragged Tamara back to the chapel, where she'd previously seduced him and slept with him.Then, he watched coldly by the side as the creditors were forced to beat her up just as they had beaten up Belinda. They hit her until the entire floor of the chapel was soaked in blood.He was so deranged that it just sent chills down everyone's spines.Under massive fear and pressure, Tamara finally cracked and told him the full truth of everything that had happened seven years ago.Belinda had never seduced Alvin. Everything had just been part of Muriel's devious plans.Th