LOGINSELENA POVThe entire cafeteria had gone quiet.Every pair of eyes seemed to be on me. Vanessa sat opposite, her smile bright and hopeful and completely harmless or at least, that was how everyone else in the room was reading it."Would you mind if I stayed at your house for a while?" she asked again. "Just until I find a place of my own. Hotels are honestly exhausting."I couldn't breathe.Say no. Just say no…But how? She hadn't insulted me. She hadn't crossed any obvious line. She hadn't been rude or aggressive or given me a single thing I could point to. She was asking politely, with that open, hopeful expression that made declining feel like an act of cruelty.Alexander's gaze had shifted to me, patient and waiting. He wasn't pushing. He was genuinely leaving the decision in my hands, which somehow made everything worse. If I said no, I'd look childish. Petty. Jealous and in front of everyone, including him.I forced the corners of my lips upward. "Of course." The words nearly ch
SELENA POV"Hi, Selena."Vanessa's cheerful voice floated through the office.For one split second I saw red.The food carrier slipped from my fingers, crashing onto the polished floor.I stormed across the office in three steps, my hand tangling into Vanessa's silky hair before Alexander could react.“Bitch….”“Stay away from my husband.” Her eyes went wide. I yanked her forward and…"Hey — Selena?"Alexander's voice cut through everything.I blinked. The office came back into focus. The food carrier was still safely in my hands. Vanessa was still standing beside the desk, smiling politely. I hadn't moved an inch."Babe?" Alexander was watching me with a slightly concerned expression. "You okay?"Heat rushed to my cheeks. Oh God. I had imagined the entire thing.I forced an awkward smile. "I'm fine." Please tell me nothing showed on my face just now.I cleared my throat and walked toward them. "I brought you lunch."Alexander stood immediately, his expression softening. "You came all
SELENA POV"I'm fine."The words slipped out with a smile, but Alexander didn't look convinced. His brows furrowed slightly as he searched my face."No, you're not.""I'm okay," I said."You've said 'I'm okay' three times in the last five minutes." His voice was gentle, too gentle. That my chest ache because it meant he already knew something was wrong and was simply waiting for me to confirm it."I'm just tired."Instead of leaving it there, he stepped closer until only a breath separated us and brushed a loose strand of hair away from my face. "I know you." His eyes stayed locked on mine. "And I know when something is bothering you."I looked away. If only he knew how much."I really am just tired."He stared at me for a long moment, and I could feel the weight of his attention. Then he sighed softly. "Okay." The word came out reluctant, like he didn't believe me but had decided to trust me anyway.He sat beside me on the edge of the bed instead of leaving. Silence settled between
SELENA POVThe sound of laughter drifted through the house before I even opened my eyes.A woman's laughter. Bright, high, comfortable.My brows pulled together as I stared at the ceiling. Miss Margaret never laughed like that. The maids certainly wouldn't. Alexander had already left for work, hadn't he?Then it came again. That same familiar laugh.My stomach tightened. Vanessa.My irritation arrived before my feet even touched the floor. I pulled on the silk robe hanging beside the bed, slipped into my slippers, and followed the sound down the hallway. With every step down the staircase it grew clearer, warmer, more settled, the laughter of people completely at ease with each other.Then I saw them.Alexander and Vanessa, sitting across from each other at the dining table, laughing over something I hadn't heard. Alexander's shoulders shook with genuine amusement. Vanessa threw her head back freely. For a moment I stood on the stairs and just watched, and something in my chest squee
SELENA POVMy chest tightened so suddenly that for a moment the MC's voice became background noise, distant and irrelevant against the sound of those heels clicking closer across the polished floor, each step echoing strangely inside my head.Grace. It can't be. Grace?But she looked so much like her that my breath had lodged itself somewhere in my throat and refused to move.Instinctively my eyes shot to the stage. To Alexander. I expected something.. shock, pain, the particular devastation I had watched move through him at the graveyard. Instead all I found on his face was simple surprise. "Hey, Selena… you okay?"Linda's voice pulled me back."That's..." I started."Vanessa Greystone," Linda supplied quietly.My brows furrowed. "She looks exactly like Grace."Linda chuckled. "I've only seen her once, but I've worked with Mr. Blackwood for years. I know who she is." She leaned slightly closer. "She's Grace's twin sister."My stomach dropped.Twin sister. That explained everything
SELENA POVI stared at my reflection one last time.The gown hugged every curve of my body, flowing elegantly to the floor before splitting gracefully down one leg. Breathtaking that it still surprised me every time I looked at it, and impossible to ignore. My hands drifted slowly to my stomach. Seven months. A smile tugged at my lips. The baby bump wasn't huge, but it definitely wasn't hiding anymore. We had stopped pretending it was."See you there, Sissy! Linda is already waiting!"Adriana's voice rang through the room and I turned just in time to catch her backing toward the door."Traitor," I accused.She burst out laughing. "Love you too!" Then she disappeared.I rolled my eyes. Linda had been impossibly busy lately, barely time to breathe between schedules, and the moment she had a free evening, Adriana had practically kidnapped her. Those two deserved each other.I turned back to the mirror. My gaze settled on my face. My cheeks looked fuller. Rounder. I pinched one lightly
SELENA'S POV "Grandfather!" The name slipped out of me before I could stop it, excitement bubbling up so naturally it surprised even me. A wide smile spread across my face as I rushed toward him, and without any hesitation I melted into his open arms. His embrace was warm, familiar in a way that d
SELENA'S POV Warmth. That was the first thing I felt..not just the warmth of the room, but the kind that wrapped around you, held you, anchored you in place without asking permission. I stirred slightly, my body sinking deeper into the softness beneath me, and then I realized, I wasn't alone. My
SELENA’S POV My back pressed lightly against the wall, his body just inches from mine, his hand still resting at my waist like it belonged there. The air between us felt heavy, thick with something neither of us was saying. My heart wouldn’t slow down. It only got worse when his eyes dropped to m
ALEXANDER POV "Mm…" Her breath brushed faintly against my jaw as she shifted slightly, and I realized, very abruptly, just how close we were. Too close. "They're gone," she whispered. I blinked, snapping back to myself like I'd been pulled from something dangerous. My hand was still at her waist







