Lahat ng Kabanata ng Married Twice, Loved Once : Kabanata 101 - Kabanata 110

The church emptied slowly.Not because people wanted to stay—but because no one knew how to leave after witnessing something that ugly.Reporters were pushed out. Phones were lowered. Whispers faded into awkward silence.Soon, only a few people remained.Damian stood at the altar, still in his white suit, hands hanging uselessly at his sides. His tie was loose. His eyes were empty. Not angry anymore—just hollow.Max hovered nearby, unsure whether to speak.Aria stood a few steps back, watching him without moving closer. She knew better.Grandma Eleanor sat calmly in the front pew, her walking stick resting against her knee, eyes fixed on her grandson.The pastor cleared his throat.“I… I think we should give him space.”No one argued.One by one, they stepped away.The heavy church doors closed.That’s when it hit him.Damian’s knees buckled—not dramatically, not loudly. Just… suddenly.Max caught him before he fully collapsed.“Damian—hey—hey, sit, bro. Sit.”Damian didn’t resist. He

The hospital room was quiet in the way only hospitals could be—too clean, too still, like the air itself was holding its breath.Damian lay on the bed, monitors softly beeping beside him. His face was pale, lips dry, chest rising and falling unevenly. The white suit he had was gone, replaced with a thin hospital gown that made him look… smaller. Human.Aria sat in the chair beside the bed, arms folded tightly across her chest.She had told herself she was only here because of Grandma Eleanor.That was the story she repeated in her head.I’m here for Grandma. I’m here out of responsibility. I’m here because it’s the right thing to do.Not because she cared.Not because her chest tightened every time his breathing changed.Not because she hadn’t left the room once since he was admitted.A nurse stepped in quietly, checking the IV line.“His pressure is still high,” she said softly, glancing at the monitor. “But it’s coming down.”Aria nodded. “Thank you.”The nurse hesitated, then smile

The hospital room was calm, almost too calm.Aria stepped in first. “Hi, Grandma,” she said softly.Eleanor looked up and smiled. “Aria, my dear.” She opened her arms and hugged her briefly.“Good day, Mrs. Cross,” Mr. Carter said respectfully as he followed his wife inside.“You’re welcome,” Eleanor replied, gesturing for them to sit.They all took their seats. Damian lay asleep on the bed, his face pale, machines humming steadily beside him.Aria glanced at him, then looked away.“Aria told us what happened,” Mrs. Carter said quietly. “We were very shocked. We just wanted to know… is he getting better?”“Yes,” Eleanor answered. “There has been improvement. His blood pressure is stabilizing. The doctors say the worst has passed.”“That’s good to hear,” Mr. Carter said, nodding. “No matter what happened, no one deserves such a shock.”Eleanor sighed. “Shock is one thing. Betrayal is another.”Mrs. Carter leaned forward. “That Selene girl… or whatever her real name is. It’s unbelievabl

Evening at Cross Mansion was supposed to be quiet.Supposed to be.Damian lay on his bed, one arm over his eyes, the other holding his phone he hadn’t looked at in ten minutes. His body felt heavy. His mind felt worse.Peace. Finally.The door knocked.Once.Twice.Damian groaned. “I’m not dead.”The door opened anyway.Aria stepped in, handbag still on her shoulder, heels kicked off in her hand like weapons.“Good evening,” she said brightly. “How are you feeling?”He didn’t move. “Still alive. Unfortunately.”She walked further in. “On a scale of one to ten?”He peeked at her. “What scale?”“Pain.”“Emotional or physical?”She blinked. “Both.”“Then twelve,” he said flatly.She nodded seriously. “Okay. That’s progress.”He removed his arm from his face. “How is twelve progress?”“Yesterday you were at ‘don’t talk to me,’” she said. “Today you’re answering.”“I am regretting it.”She smiled and dropped into the chair beside his bed. “Did you eat?”“Yes.”“What did you eat?”“Food.”“

“Dad, you said it was urgent,” Vivienne said as she took her seat. “What’s going on?”“Yes, dear,” Mrs. Carter added calmly. Her eyes shifted to Jessica. “Miss Jessica, please give us a moment. We’d like some privacy.”“Of course, ma’am,” Jessica replied politely before stepping out and closing the door behind her.The room fell into a brief, uncomfortable silence.Mr. Carter cleared his throat. “Girls, we have a situation on our hands.”Aria leaned back slightly. “What kind of situation, Dad?”“For a while now,” Mr. Carter said slowly, “some internal files have gone missing. Not small ones—major business proposals. On top of that, confidential offers we’ve sent to clients are being leaked before final approval.”Mrs. Carter frowned. “We lose the clients shortly after. Almost every time.”Vivienne stiffened. “Leaked? Are you saying someone inside this house, inside the company is responsible?”“That’s exactly what we’re trying to determine,” Mr. Carter replied. “This has been happenin