All Chapters of Sunlight After the Storm: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

Nathan's POVA call came in almost immediately. The voice on the other end sounded hesitant."Nathan, when did you get back? You were there for the autopsy. It's been years now—don't you think it's time to let go?"The voice kept droning on, but I couldn't hear a single word. I hung up. My eyes stayed locked on their fading figures in the distance.For three years, I dreamed of Emily Cross every single night. Her eyes, her brows, the tiny mole at the corner of her eye—everything was exactly the same. There's no way I could be wrong.I staggered after them, watching as Jake Randall's arm rested on Emily's shoulder."You've been through so much all these years," he said. "Hiding like this just to be with me. Once the baby's born safe, I'll tell Nathan the truth and bring him home from the facility."Not only was Emily alive—she was carrying Jake's child.My fingers curled at my side. I opened my mouth to call out to her, but the words got stuck in my throat.Three years ago, Emi

Jake was rushed to the hospital in a panic. I stumbled around and found some cheap place to crash. Thanks to Jake, I couldn't even go home.Next to the bed, bottles of pills lined the table. I dumped out over a dozen and shoved them all in my mouth. The bitterness spread through my mouth. But that was nothing compared to the pain in my chest.As I lay down on the bed, Emily's forensic pathologist friend called."Nathan, I'll admit it. I helped Emily lie to you. She's not dead."He paused awhile, like he could barely bring himself to say what came next."She'd been sleeping with Jake for a long time. She said if she told you the truth, you'd never agree to the divorce."Nathan, you have to understand—my mom was dying in the hospital. My wife was pregnant. I needed that job. I just did what they told me to. I've already quit. I'm sorry."The line went dead.I lay flat on my back, staring at the ceiling, tears dripping down the sides of my face.So that was it.Emily had been ch

Third-person POV"Lena!" Emily's voice came through gritted teeth, her hands clenched into fists. "What are you doing here?!"Lena Parker had always been Emily's rival. Ever since college, Lena was always one step ahead of her—better grades, better opportunities, always winning. Emily had barely managed to wait her out until Lena went abroad. So why was she back now?Lena shot Emily a lazy glance, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Long time no see. You're looking pretty pregnant."Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she reached out and took Nathan's hand. "I'm here to take my fiancé home."The room went dead silent.Emily stood frozen, her lips trembling. "What fiancé?"She and Lena had never gotten along. Nathan knew that. How could he possibly be marrying her?"I came to make things clear," Nathan said. "From the very beginning, if you had just told me you wanted a divorce, I would never have stopped you. Since we're not married anymore. Who I choose to marry now has nothing to do

After a long, exhausting day, Jake came home to find Emily staring blankly at her phone, her expression dazed.He walked over and tried to put his arm around her. She flinched and pulled away.For the three years Nathan had been gone, Emily had been with Jake. This was the first time she had ever recoiled from his touch.Jake was already frustrated over the disaster at his company. Now, this just made it worse.Emily seemed to notice his dark expression. A flicker of awkwardness crossed her face."You're back? Sorry—I didn't realize it was you. The only way to clear up all this online gossip is for Nathan to explain everything in person. I've called him several times. No one picks up."Jake's jaw tightened. He hadn't even known Emily had Nathan's contact information."I've already had the trending topics taken down," he said. "Give it a few months. No one will remember any of this. Don't worry about it. The only thing that matters right now is our baby."Emily opened her mouth