"Miss! Miss!" The doctor's urgent voice finally pulled Emily out of her daze. She blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the situation. "I'm sorry, we lost her.” He stated it solemnly before turning and exiting the room without another word.Her gaze fell upon the bed, and her heart sank as she watched the nurses gently drape a blanket over Amara's still form.A lump formed in her throat as reality began to set in. "Is she truly dead?" she whispered, desperately hoping this was all some cruel prank despite the doctor's words.But the nurses remained silent, their solemn expressions speaking volumes as they filed past her, leaving her alone in the room with the shrouded figure.Tears welled up in her eyes as she slowly approached the bed, her steps heavy with grief. Trembling fingers reached out to caress the blanket-covered form. "So you decide to leave me in this cruel world..." she choked out, the finality of Amara's passing hitting her like a tonne of bricks.The harsh realit

On the way to the wedding hall, Alex sighed and closed his eyes, with Isabella sitting beside him in the car."You can do this, Alex. Just get through this, and then there's only one more thing to handle before it's over with her." He thought to himself, trying to muster some motivation.He dreaded the thought of kissing Isabella at the podium in front of everyone, but he knew it was unavoidable. The memory of the scene at the court they had just left replayed in his mind, filling him with disgust. The vows, which could have been an obstacle, were now behind them thanks to the compromise—the agreement after divorce—and this brought a fleeting smile to his lips.She noticed his brief smile and could not resist the urge to tease him. She loved having that power over him, making the formidable Alex seem weak and pliable. She loved having that power over him—making the formidable Alex, whom everyone else saw as strong, seem weak and pliable.She leaned her head lightly on his shoulder,

Alex's brow furrowed as he scanned the contents of the file, revealing a school application form for a child named Jason. Confusion clouded his features; he had assumed it belonged to one of Isabella's stepbrothers, given their shared surname, until a stark realization struck him—none of them bore that name.He clutched the file, his gaze sweeping over the depths of her closet, where he had found the document. "Who could this belong to?" he muttered, his voice laced with bewilderment. "And why would she keep it hidden away like this?""Whatever." A part of him yearned to return the file to its resting place, dismissing it as none of his concern now that he had retrieved the item Isabella had requested. Yet, an insistent voice within him urged him to unravel the mystery—to uncover the child's identity and their connection to her.Driven by this curiosity, he resolved to task the private investigator, who had previously failed to uncover Isabella's motives for agreeing to their marr

While Alex was at his workplace on that day, he made phone calls to his own parents and Isabella's parents. The purpose of these calls was to arrange a meeting at his house, which was to take place the following morning.That was his plan: to expose Isabella's secrets during the meeting. He believed her parents were already aware of her hidden child. By revealing that and her other secret, he intended to abruptly end his marriage with Isabella in front of their families.On getting home, he met Isabella in the living room."What is happening tomorrow?" Isabella asked him."Oh. I guess your father already called to inform you about it." He chuckled."Just answer my goddam question!" Alex smiled because she thought she was still in control of him. Only if she knew."You'll find out about it tomorrow, Isabella," he said. "For now, let's just get some rest." He turned towards the stairs.Her eyes flashed with indignation. She sprang up from the sofa, her fists clenched at her sides.

Isabella hung her head, unable to meet anyone's gaze as the heated argument between her father and Alex's parents escalated. Shame burned her cheeks, and disappointment settled like a lead weight in her stomach. This was her chance—her one opportunity to prove her father wrong, to show him she could excel. She had been so sure of herself and confident in her abilities. But now, as the adults' voices rose in anger, that prospect crumbled before her eyes as any hopes of redemption slipped through her fingers like grains of sand, leaving her adrift in a sea of humiliation and defeat."Like he said, you should leave this house today!" Alex's father spat before storming out of there with his wife in annoyance.There were now three in the room: Isabella, her father, and her stepmother."I was always pushing you, saying those words about you, thinking that would motivate you to accomplish this small mission, but you still ended up disappointing me, you loser."She could not dare look at her