Lahat ng Kabanata ng Traded For His First Love : Kabanata 161 - Kabanata 170

Elliot POVThe courthouse hallway still echoed with Sammy and Avie’s words, each one lodged in my chest like a truth I couldn’t ignore. I left the courtroom with tense shoulders, my tie feeling like a noose choking me. Sammy, with his steady voice, pleading for a united family and rejecting Jennifer, and Avie, with her toddler sweetness, begging for me and Reese—it all swirled in my head, a reminder of how badly I’d failed them. The judge had ended the session, but the weight of that day clung to me. The defenses would continue, and I still didn’t know how to fix what was broken.As I descended the building’s stairs, London’s damp air cutting into my face, Jennifer caught up, her heels clacking on the polished marble. Her face was flushed, her eyes sparking with indignation. “Elliot, this is absurd!” she snapped, her voice sharp, heedless of who might hear. “Your kids are ruining everything! Sammy painted me as the villain in there. How dare he say I’m not family? I’m trying to help,

Reese POVThe London night had a glow of its own, as if the city refused to sleep, even under the fine rain that still fell, leaving the sidewalks glistening beneath the streetlights. Josh and I had wandered along the Thames, past illuminated bridges and lively streets, until we found a small, nearly deserted square where the bustle was quieter. We sat on an iron bench, the metal’s chill seeping through Josh’s coat, which I still wore, as we ate fish and chips wrapped in paper, bought from a street vendor. The scent of fried food mingled with the damp air, and the distant rumble of a double-decker bus echoed in the night. Before us, the city pulsed—lights reflected on the river, the London Eye’s silhouette turning slowly against the dark sky. It was beautiful, but my mind was heavy, weighed down by what loomed tomorrow: the custody trial’s verdict for Sammy and Avie.I bit into a chip, trying to anchor myself in the moment, but anxiety was like a current pulling me under. “You’re qu

Reese POVMy head was buzzing when I arrived at the Goodwin mansion, probably from the drinks I shared with Josh during our stroll through the streets of London earlier. Now, Josh had just dropped me off at the Goodwin estate before heading to the city for some fun.“I’m one step away from a marriage where I’ll be happy forever, Venus. So, I think I deserve a proper bachelor party, don’t you?” Those were his last words to me. I didn’t judge him, but only he could truly understand his own pain.The Goodwin mansion still felt intimidating to me, but compared to the cold outside, the cozy warmth inside was welcoming. I took off my coat and scarf as I climbed the stairs, heading straight to the children’s room. I knew Alice and the household staff would have taken good care of my babies, so I wasn’t too worried, but even so, I wanted to see them before going to bed.Elliot was there in the room, sitting in an armchair nearby, reading a book while watching over our sleeping children. Seein

Reese POVThe pale London sun barely filtered through the heavy curtains of my room in the Goodwin mansion, casting the space in a dim light that matched the weight in my chest. I woke alone, the bed cold where Elliot should have been, and his absence hit me like a wave of doubt. He’d left for the courthouse without a word, without a note, without even looking me in the eye. Had he regretted our night? The passion that consumed us, the whispered promises, the love we rekindled? My heart raced, fear that it had all been a mistake choking me. But I couldn’t let myself crumble. Today was the verdict, the day that would decide Sammy and Avie’s future, and I needed to be whole, for them.I got up, my body exhausted, and got ready almost on autopilot—a navy blazer, my hair in a low bun, my face made up to hide the dark circles. As I applied lipstick, Alice walked in, holding a cup of tea, her face soft but worried. “Venus, you look like you didn’t sleep a wink,” she said, sitting on the e

Reese POVThe marble hallway of the courthouse seemed to melt away around us as I clung to Elliot, my face pressed against his chest, tears soaking his shirt. My heart still raced, the echo of the words he’d spoken in the courtroom—“Reese is the best mother they could have”—reverberating in my mind like a promise I never expected to hear. I trembled, not from cold, but from an emotion so overwhelming it felt like my body couldn’t contain it. “Elliot,” I whispered, my voice choked, “thank you. Thank you for this. You… you gave me everything today.”He hugged me tighter, his arms firm yet gentle, as if I were something precious he feared losing again. “No, Reese,” he murmured, his voice hoarse, almost breaking. “I’m the one who needs to apologize. I hurt you so much, made you suffer so much. Anger blinded me, made me act without thinking of the consequences, without considering what I was doing to you, to Sammy, to Avie.” He paused, his chest rising and falling with a heavy breath. “But