Se connecterMARY'S POV: "Don't." I held up my hand, stopping him. "Don't pretend like this is about love. If you loved me, you wouldn't have done any of the things you did." He was quiet for a long moment. Then, slowly, he shook his head. "I know I've made mistakes," he said. "I know I've hurt you. But that doesn't change the way I feel about you. That doesn't change the fact that you're the mother of my child. That you're my wife.” I opened my mouth to respond, to tell him that words meant nothing, that promises meant nothing, that he had said all of this before and broken every single one. But before I could speak, he moved. His hand came up to my face, cupping my cheek, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw. The touch was gentle, familiar, the same way he had touched me a thousand times before. My skin remembered it. My body remembered it. I hated that. "You want this too," he murmured, leaning closer. His breath was warm against my skin. "Don't you? Our daughter is so adorable. Haven't
MARY'S POV:I couldn't understand why Alistair was acting like this.After disappearing with Vesper for so long, after missing our daughter's birthday, after leaving me in a jail cell overnight, after throwing parties for another woman and plastering his face across the internet with her at his side, he had suddenly returned as if nothing had ever happened.As if he hadn't broken every promise he had ever made.As if I hadn't spent weeks crying myself to sleep.As if our marriage wasn't already dead and buried.He stood there in the bathroom doorway, fully dressed in his tailored suit, his hair perfectly styled, his shoes polished to a mirror shine. Every inch of him screamed wealth, power, control. He looked like he had just walked out of a board meeting and we not like a man who had been trying to destroy his wife's life.And I was completely naked.The contrast filled me with humiliation. I had been about to step into the shower, my body still damp from the steam, my hair loose aro
ALISTAIR'S POV:I thought about the question she had asked me earlier. About the divorce. About whether I had anything to say.Had she really cheated on me?The thought was unbearable. The thought of her with someone else, her hands on another man's skin, her laughter filling another man's ears which made my blood run cold.I would never allow that to happen.I still believed she loved me. I had to believe it. She had loved me for so long, had given me everything, had built her whole life around me. She simply couldn't accept Vesper's presence yet. Maybe she was confused. Maybe she was lashing out. Maybe another man had taken advantage of that confusion.But she still loved me. She had to.How could I make her stay?My mind wandered back to when she had been pregnant with Elowen. She had been so happy. Every day she clung to me, talked excitedly about the future we would build together. She had been radiant, glowing, full of hope and love and the certainty that everything would work o
ALISTAIR'S POV:I drove home faster than I should have.The streets blurred past, familiar and unfamiliar all at once. I knew this city. I had built my life here, my empire, my reputation. But right now, none of it mattered. All that mattered was getting home.The sun was setting and casting long shadows across the road as I gripped the steering wheel tighter.I thought about Mary. About the way she had looked at me in the bedroom. About the suitcase on the bed, half-filled, waiting. About the coldness in her voice when she had asked me if I had anything to say.She had asked me about divorce.She had asked me if that was the whole reason I had been doing all of this.I hadn't answered. I hadn't known how. Because the truth was, I didn't want a divorce. I had never wanted a divorce. I wanted her. I wanted our life. I wanted everything to go back to the way it was before Vesper came back, before everything fell apart.But I couldn't say that. I couldn't admit that I had made a mistake.
ALISTAIR'S POV:But sometimes, in some of the moments, I had missed it.I thought about the way Mary used to look at me when I wore it. The pride in her eyes, the small smile that played at the corners of her mouth. She had bought it with her own money, saved up for weeks, picked it out with care. It had been a gift of love and not obligation.And I had thrown it away.I had told her it wasn't appropriate for someone like me. I had told her it was too casual, too ordinary, too common. I had watched her face fall, watched the light dim in her eyes, and I had said nothing to comfort her.The collar of the Chanel suit pressed against my throat, tight and uncomfortable."I knew you'd like it," Vesper said, her voice cutting through my thoughts. "You look so handsome."I smiled. "Thank you."But the collar was still tight, and my mind was still elsewhere.*Who had Mary gone to meet today?I had asked Marl, casually, over the phone. The conversation had been brief, clipped, the type of exc
MARY'S POV:The boutique was so silent which came from thick carpets and soundproofed walls and sales assistants who knew when to disappear. I sat in the leather chair near the fitting rooms, my legs crossed, my phone in my hand and my mind somewhere else entirely.The chair was comfortable. Everything in this place was comfortable. The lighting was soft, the air smelled of expensive perfume, and the sales assistants moved with the silent efficiency of people who had been trained to anticipate every need. It was the kind of establishment that catered to people like me, people who had more money than time, more ambition than patience.Vesper emerged from behind the curtain, twirling slowly, her arms outstretched. She was wearing a dress, something red and expensive. The fabric caught the light, shimmering with every movement, clinging to her body in all the right places."So?" she asked with a smile. "Which one do you like better?"I blinked.I hadn't paid attention to either outfit. M
3RD POV:“Yes, promise you are not cry?” Andrew added and Hannah chuckled and sniffled raising up her pinky and the three of them interlocked the fingers and she kissed it.“I promise.” They all smiled and she watched as they walk off and Elijah only let out a breath and waved at them which they ig
3RD POV:Then a brief moment passed, and his heart beat raced and he randomly sent the picture again to Jacob and asked, “How old do these kids look?” and paced back at forth waiting.Jacob responded tiredly, “Maybe seven or six or ten.” Then he looked at Andrew’s picture noticing the same color o
ELIJAH'S POV:The smear campaign started on a Thursday.I had expected something. When you begin to move against a man like Aldric Voros you have to expect a response because men like that do not absorb pressure without redirecting it somewhere. I had talked to Hannah about this. I had told her it
ELIJAH'S POV:"A fake name with a decent fake document. Not amateur work. Someone who knew what they were doing or had access to someone who did.""And the car itself. Where did it go after?""Returned to the airport branch," Bates said. "Two days after the fire. Which tells us whoever it was eithe







