Abigail
I pulled out my phone and typed a quick message to Daniel’s real number, asking if we could meet within the next hour. The response came almost instantly.
“Of course. I’ll send you a location.” A second later, the location popped up on my screen; Centennial City Park. I entered the address into my car’s GPS and started the drive. It wasn’t far, just about fifteen minutes away. When I arrived, I parked under the shade of a large oak tree and took a deep breath before stepping out.
The park was peaceful, the kind of place you came to when the chaos of the world was too much. Birds chirped from the branches above, children ran across the grass with carefree laughter, and couples strolled hand in hand, completely absorbed in each other.
I found a bench under a wide tree and sat down, letting my gaze wander
AbigailI could feel exhaustion pressing down on me as I drove home. A hot bath was the only thing I needed as soon as I got home, as well as a full eight hours of sleep. But of course, I could never catch a break. As soon as I stepped inside the house, I knew something was wrong. I paused in the entryway, my heartbeat slowing to something heavy and cautious. My fingers curled around the strap of my bag as my gaze flicked toward the living room.And there he was, Conrad. Seated on the sofa like he belonged there, like this was his home, not my mother’s. His head lifted as soon as he heard me enter, his gaze locking onto mine. Instantly, my mood went sour.I forced myself to push down the immediate irritation clawing at my throat at the sight of him. After such a long day, this was not what I needed. My t
AlexanderI leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples as the latest audio file played through my headset. The sound of Susanna’s voice filled my ears; agitated, and unmistakably bitter.“…and what does he expect me to do? Just sit around and wait for his scraps like some obedient little wife?”Daniel, seated across from me with a pair of headphones on, was listening to a different recording, but if I were a betting man, I’d stake all my shares on the fact we would give each other similar feedback. This was yet another complaint about her ‘miserable existence’. The audio files Abigail had sent were neatly organized, each one labeled with a date and time. There were nearly a hundred hours in total. So far, between Daniel and me, we had managed to get through thirty-on
Susanna I scrolled through my phone, barely processing the words on the screen. The longer I stared, the angrier I became, my fingers tightening around the device. I shouldn’t have been in this hospital bed. I shouldn’t have had to inconvenience myself like this, all because of Abigail. If not for her, I wouldn’t have had to go to such lengths. If not for her, things would have fallen into place a long time ago. My jaw clenched as I forced myself to breathe in deeply. There was no use getting worked up. I had already done what I needed to do. I had played my part perfectly at the company and when Conrad had brought me to the hospital, I had let the doctors fuss over met so Conrad could get a glimpse of the fragile, wronged woman in need of his protection. Soon, all of this would pay off. The door creaked open, and I immediately brightened, tossing my phone aside. I didn’t even have to see who it was, I could feel it. Conrad. A smile spread across my lips, and for a short moment, m
Abigail The warm water from my shower had done wonders to ease the tension in my shoulders, and as I stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a fresh towel, I felt lighter than I had since I had seen Conrad earlier. Maybe it was the satisfaction of standing up to Conrad, or maybe it was simply the small joys of single hood. After changing into a comfortable set of pajamas, I settled on my bed with a warm plate of food. I wasn’t even that hungry, but something about the simple act of eating a meal with no interruptiosn felt like an indulgence. I propped my phone up against a pillow, letting the familiar voices of a series play in the background as I dug into my meal. I had already seen this show before, so I wasn’t paying much attention, my mind preoccupied with my food and the occasional thought of work that flitted through my mind. Then, a name caught my ear. Genesis. I blinked, my fork pausing midair. It was strange how the name sent a ripple through my thoughts but then something
AbigailI sat stiffly in the backseat of the car, my fingers gripping the fabric of my coat and twisting it before untwisting it. The ride was smooth, but I couldn’t say the same for my nerves. My stomach was a tangled mess of excitement and dread. Liam sat beside me, his leg bouncing slightly, and for once, I didn’t tell him to stop.The driver remained silent as he maneuvered through the city, his eyes focused on the road. But I kept glancing at him, that nagging feeling of familiarity still lingering. I couldn’t place where I had seen him before, but something about him set me on edge. Then, before I knew it, we were pulling up in front of the hospital.I blinked. It wasn’t what I expected. Not at all.In my mind, I had imagined some decrepit, isolated building, maybe some run-down 19th-century monastery-turned-hospital, hidden away from prying eyes. It was what I expected Conrad would have done. But this?This was a modern facility, with sleek glass windows reflecting the city lig
AbigailI struggled, twisting and jerking in Liam’s grip, but he wouldn’t let go. “Liam—stop! Let me go!” I gasped, wrenching my arms, but his hold was as strong as stone. He was avoiding my gaze, his jaw clenched tight.He knew this was wrong. I could see it in the tension lining his body, in the way his fingers trembled against my arms. But he still held me there. A sharp pain of betrayal tore through my chest, so raw and unexpected that for a moment, it was worse than my fear.Liam, the brother I had grown up protecting, the boy I had loved despite all his flaws, had just handed me over. Like I was nothing.Like I was disposable.“Liam,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “Why?”Still, he wouldn’t look at me. “I’m sorry, Bee,” he said quietly. “I didn’t have a choice.”“You always have a choice!” I shouted, my voice rising in panic. I struggled against him, shouting for help, but no one came. The hospital was busy, the staff likely preoccupied elsewhere, and this part of the floor was
AbigailI had never seen him look like that before—not even in his worst moments. It was a cold, seething anger that made the air around him feel heavy, suffocating.He didn’t say a word, but his gaze was enough to make me freeze where I sat, trembling on the cold stairs. I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. I was pinned in place by those furious eyes, the weight of his presence bearing down on me like a physical force.“Conrad!” Susanna shrieked, her voice shrill and hysterical. She reached out toward him from where she lay on the landing, her bloodied hands clutching at the air. “Conrad, help me! She pushed me! She’s trying to kill me! She—” Her voice broke off into sobs, and she cradled her stomach, rocking back and forth.Her words didn’t shock me. I couldn’t even find the strength to respond. The pain in my stomach was all-consuming, pulling me under like a riptide. I felt numb and raw all at once, my mind barely able to process what was happening.Conrad’s eyes flicked to Susa
AbigailThe room they took me to was cold and sterile, the kind of cold that seeped into your bones and made you feel small and helpless. I barely registered the nurses and doctors who hovered around me, their faces obscured by my tears and the blinding white fluorescent light overhead. My body felt heavy and numb, like I wasn’t really in it anymore.I was crying, I knew that because I could hear the sound of my own broken sobs echoing in the quiet room. “Please,” I begged, over and over again. “Please don’t leave me. Please, baby, stay with me. Please…”The words tumbled out of me like a mantra, a desperate prayer to a God I wasn’t even sure could make out what I was saying. They didn’t respond to me, the nurses and the doctor. They just worked, their hands efficient and detached as they stripped me of my clothes and began their checks. I flinched at the cold touch of gloved hands on my skin, but I didn’t fight them. What would have been the point? The battle was already lost. My han
ConradI buried my face in my hands, my fingers pressing hard against my temples as if I could physically force the anger out of my mind. But the rage inside me was an uncontrollable wildfire. It filled my veins, burned through my chest and roared in my ears like a storm that would not end.Susanna had lost the baby.The words the doctor had told me replayed in my head over and over again, each repetition slicing into him like a freshly sharpened blade. The doctor’s voice had been flat and clinical but to me, it might as well have been a gunshot.And it was her fault. Abigail, that conniving, heartless woman had killed Susanna’s child out of pure, disgusting jealousy.I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. I hated her. I hated her so much I could barely breathe. Even now, as I thought about her, I could picture her face while my Susanna was been curled up in a hospital bed, devastated and empty.She didn’t even have a shred of remorse. Not a single tear shed for what she
Alexander The sharp knock on my office door pulled me from my thoughts. I blinked, dragging myself back to the present, and let out a deep breath before speaking. “Come in.”The door opened, and Daniel stepped inside, a file tucked under his arm. His usual composed expression was there, but I caught the faintest glint of excitement in his eyes as he walked toward my desk. That alone told me he had found something good.I leaned back in my chair, tapping my fingers against the armrest as I watched him place the file in front of me.“You have something?” I asked, my voice even.“I do,” Daniel confirmed, smoothing his tie as he stepped back. “I was looking into Liliana, as you requested, but while I was digging into her background, I came across some troubling information about her son, Harry.”I frowned, my gaze dropping to the file in front of me. The boy had barely crossed my mind before now. I knew he existed but I had never given him much thought. He was just a teenager, hardly sig
Alexander The words on the document blurred together, a jumble of black ink on white paper that refused to form coherent sentences. I blinked, shook my head, and tried again. The numbers, the projections, the carefully outlined strategies for the next quarter—all of it should have demanded my full attention. And yet, my mind drifted, pulled back to the last time I saw Abigail.Her eyes haunted me. I thought back to that day I had taken her to the hospital after Susanna had caused a fiasco at the company, the way Abigail had looked at that ultrasound picture of her baby, her eyes filled with a fragile kind of happiness, as if she couldn’t quite believe that joy belonged to her. And then, I remembered the look in her eyes when she lost it all. When I had seen her in that hospital bed, almost as pale as the sheets she was lying on. I let out a sharp breath, rubbing a hand down my face. The weight of guilt sat heavily in my chest. The worst part was knowing that maybe, just maybe, I had
Abigail Marceline's expression was one of sheer condescension. “Do you think I need Susanna’s sloppy plans to strike at you, Abigail?” She let out a low, humorless laugh. “I am the matriarch of the Remington family. I don’t stoop to such pathetic schemes.”I barely registered her insult. I was too focused on the implications of what she had just admitted. Susanna had done all of this—schemed, manipulated, and tried to eliminate my baby—without Marceline’s blessing.Which meant one thing: Susanna wasn’t working for Marceline.She had a safety net, but it wasn’t who I thought it was. It wasn’t the Remington family at all. It was someone else, someone powerful enough that even Susanna, with her delusions of grandeur, had felt secure enough to act.And suddenly, I knew. Whoever it was, had to be the father of her child as well. I lifted my gaze to Marceline, carefully studying her. She was many things—calculating, ruthless, controlling—but she was also proud. Too proud to ever align her
Abigail The moment I saw the syringe glint under the light, a terrible realization settled over me like a suffocating shroud. Liam who had just been pleading for my help, was still Marceline’s pawn. He wasn’t going to beg anymore. He was going to force me into submission if that was what Marceline wanted.I didn’t know what was in that syringe, but I knew one thing with absolute certainty—I could not let its contents anywhere inside my body.His sudden movement sent my pulse skyrocketing. I wrenched my arm back, but he was faster, his fingers locking around my wrist with a desperation that sent cold dread rushing through my veins. He was stronger than me, especially in my current state. My body was still exhausted from everything I had been through. But panic was not an option. If I panicked, I would lose.His voice was hoarse when he spoke, the same desperation from before creeping into his tone. “Please, Abigail. Just stay with Conrad. It’ll fix everything.”He still thought there
MarcelineMy nails dug into the smooth fabric of the armrest as I kept my expression neutral listening to Abigail's words. Her confidence was needling under my skin like splinters I couldn’t remove. I had always doubted Abigail had much of a spine, which was one of the reasons I had tolerated her for so long. So what was this audacity? When and where had she decided she had a sharp tongue to use so boldly against me? It made me furious. Negotiating with Abigail was beneath me.Sitting here, listening to her break down my strategy, made me want to snap my fingers, spur my men into action and be done with this mess. There were so many simple ways to end this entire ordeal I could have employed a long time ago.It would have been so easy too. All that would have been needed was a word in the right ears. Then a simple accident would have occurred. A body washed ashore, or perhaps one that simply vanished.She could have snatched away in the parking lot of the company, or taken a bullet t
AbigailMarceline lifted a shoulder in a delicate shrug but she said nothing more. For the first time since this conversation began, Liam met my eyes. I wished he hadn’t, because the moment he did, I saw it; the shame, the desperation.The absolute wreck of a man he had become. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. "It wasn’t supposed to be a big deal," he muttered, his voice rough. "I’d just started smoking… you know, to take the edge off. Looking for university funds was—" He exhaled, shaking his head. "It was stressful. I was worried about the future, about making it, and then one of the gardeners invited me for a smoke as I was leaving the house one day. I figured, why not? It was just one time."My stomach twisted. "One time," I echoed, my voice hollow. Liam nodded weakly. "But it didn’t stop, did it?" I asked, my hands trembling at my sides.He hesitated before answering, "No."I shut my eyes for a fraction of a second, inhaling sharply through my nose, willing the fury bubbli
AbigailI stared down at Liam, my body rigid with fury. The man kneeling before me, clutching at my dress, was supposed to be my brother, but right now, I could barely recognize him. "You owe Marceline money?" My voice was sharp, my tone disbelieving. "How, Liam? When did you borrow money from her?" Liam opened his mouth, but before he could form a single word, my gaze snapped to Marceline. "You," I spat, my anger redirecting itself at the woman watching us with a small, knowing smile. "You've gone too far. It wasn't enough for you to sneak around behind my back and meet with my brother in secret, but now you’ve loaned him money, too? Who gave you the right to do that?" Marceline didn't react or try to defend herself. She simply watched, and her silence only enraged me further. "You’re despicable," I seethed. "Manipulating my brother, pulling him into whatever twisted scheme you’re running—" "Abigail, stop!" Liam cut me off, his voice rising in desperation. I turned back to him
Abigail The room felt like it was shrinking around me, the walls closing in inch by inch. But Marceline wasn't finished yet. She turned her gaze to another man, the one standing near the entrance leading deeper into the house. He was a broad-shouldered figure, his expression neutral as though he had been trained not to show emotion. "And this," Marceline said, her tone as light as if she were introducing a friend at a social gathering, "is the lovely caregiver who so graciously escorted your dear mother to her new home, where she is being taken very good care of." My fingers twitched as my breath hitched. Marceline met my gaze with an almost amused expression, as if she enjoyed watching the realization dawn on my face. "You—" My voice was hoarse, my throat dry. I swallowed hard and tried again. "You and Conrad, you took her." Marceline smiled, slow and indulgent. "Of course, Abigail. I would have thought you'd already come to that conclusion." I had suspected Conrad was involved