Alle Kapitel von I Married the Man Raising My Real Daughter : Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 10

Chapter 2Isabella's POVThe air around me turned suffocating. I found it suddenly difficult to breathe, my stomach churning violently.No. I must have misheard him. That was the only explanation, because how could I not be the biological mother of Chloe?A child I had carried for nine months. A child whose birth had nearly cost me my life, due to complications during labour. Marcus had to be mistaken, or worse, he had to be lying to the doctor deliberately.Perhaps he had known I was nearby. Perhaps he had even hoped I would overhear, so that I would be wounded by it, because these days, he seemed to relish any opportunity to see me suffer.Doctor Frank's eyes flickered with confusion, and for a moment it appeared he wanted to press further, but instead he simply nodded."Very well, sir. I must attend to other patients now." He excused himself, and Marcus waved him off dismissively.The moment I saw Marcus begin to turn, I slipped into a corner and pressed myself against the wall, le

Chapter 4Isabella's POV"Truly?" My mother finally spoke again, and I nodded, though she could not see it."Yes. Expect me. And please tell Daddy and my brother that I am deeply sorry for refusing to listen to them, all those years ago.""Oh, thank God! My prayers have finally been answered. Bless you, my darling. Will you be bringing Chloe with you?" She asked, and I let out a hollow laugh."No, Mum. She is not mine." I told her, and ended the call before she could begin screaming questions down the line.Olivia had heard the entire exchange, and her eyes widened as though they might fall from their sockets entirely."Wait. Do not tell me you never knew your daughter had died, and that you have been raising someone else's child this entire time?" She gasped, finally piecing it all together.I laughed bitterly, smoothing my hair as I walked toward my car, offering her no answer at all."Mrs. Reed. Mrs. Reed." Someone called after me, and I flinched.Mrs. Reed. A name I once wore with

Chapter 6Isabella's POVI remained standing in that corridor long after he disappeared behind the ward doors, my legs refusing to carry me anywhere else.The smell of antiseptic clung to the air, sharp and clinical, mixing with the faint bitterness of hospital coffee someone had left forgotten on a tray nearby. Somewhere down the hall, a machine beeped steadily, patient and indifferent, while my own heart continued to slam against my ribs as though it did not know the danger had passed.Why did he look at me like that?I pressed my palm against my chest, willing it to settle. It was not simply the fright of nearly striking a child, though that alone had been enough to leave me shaking. It was the way his eyes had held mine, cold grey eyes that seemed to search my face for something he could not name, the same way I had searched his.I knew him. Not intimately, not by name until Doctor Frank had addressed him, but I knew that face. I had carried it in some buried corner of my memory f

Chapter 8Isabella's POVMy mind scrambled for something, anything, to undo the damage of those four careless words, but nothing came. I had walked straight into his trap with my own feet, and now there was no path leading back out of it."That name means nothing to me. Hart is a common enough surname." I forced the words out, though even I could hear how hollow they sounded against the sharp, satisfied glint in his eyes."It was not common ten seconds ago, when you demanded to know how I had learned it." His voice was maddeningly calm, a man who already knew he had won and felt no need to raise his voice about it. "You gave yourself away, Isabella Hart."The way he said my full name, slow and deliberate, as though turning a key in a lock, sent a cold ripple down my spine. I pressed my nails hard into my palms, willing my expression to stay smooth even as panic rose in my throat like floodwater.I must leave. Now, before he asks another question I cannot answer."I have told you every

Chapter 10Isabella's POVI did not drive home that night. I drove straight to Reed Corp, my knuckles pale against the steering wheel, Marcus's threat still echoing in my ears long after the call had ended.You will regret walking away from me before this is over.Seven years of swallowing my voice, of shrinking myself smaller and smaller so he could stand taller, had finally reached their end. I was done being afraid of that man.The building rose ahead of me, glass and steel catching the last of the streetlights, and I parked without bothering to consider whether visitors were permitted at that hour. Let the security guards try to stop me. I had built this rage in my chest slowly over the entire drive, and by the time I stepped out of my car, I felt as though I might combust if I did not release it somewhere.The lobby smelled of polished marble and the particular chill of an air conditioner left running long after everyone sensible had gone home. My heels struck the floor sharply a