Miguel's POV“Your wife?” I echoed the words like they were poison, arching my brow. I hated the sound of it, and it made me sick to my very bones.“Yes,” Nando enunciated, placing his hands on hers while equally drawing my attention to the ring on her finger, “We are married, Miguel, and I'm the father of the child,” he smiled, and those words made me sick to my stomach.“You're the father?” I arched a brow, and glanced at Ava and she looked away almost like she didn't dare to meet my gaze. I stared at her, watching her evade my gaze.He was lying.“Yes, I am,” Nando answered, running a hand through her hair.I wished he'd stop touching her like that. It made me sick.“Is that true, Ava?” I asked with a note of skepticism in my voice, glancing at Ava, and she met my stare with a blank look.“Stop asking her ridiculous questions, Miguel. I already answered your question. I'm the father of the child, and Ava is my wife!” I exclaimed.“I don't believe you.” I told him without taking my
Ava's POV“Goodbye, Ava...” His words resonated through the room, and I didn't look up. I couldn't see him leave.I closed my eyes, biting my lips hard and ignoring the urge to look up at him.I couldn't bear to see his face, nor his back or any part of him. But as his feet disappeared through the door and time passed, I regretted my decision. I should have looked it up. I should have stolen one last glance or begged him not to leave but I couldn't do any of that, and now he was gone.I had heard the sound of his feet as he shuffled out of the room but by the time I looked up, he was gone. My heart cramped, the pain coursed through me, and even though I didn't want to, I couldn't help it as the pain shot through my body, and my eyes filled up with tears.Tears streamed down my face like rain dropping from the sky. I couldn't stop myself as they just ran down my cheeks. My heart felt like a thousand feet had stomped on it, leaving a raw ache that pierced through my entire body.It hu
Miguel's POVThe weight of what had transpired at the hospital hung heavy on my shoulders like a suffocating shroud. It followed me everywhere, and the hours that passed after that moment were the most dreadful times of my life.It was slow, and each passing moment felt like it was eating away bits and pieces of my soul, like a predator feeding on it prey. The drive back home was horribly long as well, which was why the minute I arrived home that evening, I had been unable to do anything other than head straight to my bedroom and climb into bed.I even ignored Gracie's calls downstairs as i was heading in. I didn't mean to, but it couldn't be helped. I needed to pull myself together and gather my strength, but most of all, I needed some time alone.To say I was a mess was to clearly understate things. I was more than that, but I had to hold it in and be strong if not for anyone, for Gracie, and for the hope of the new life I had planned before all this had happened.It was all cras
Miguel's POV “What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Italy?” I asked him as we headed downstairs from the door i answered him from.“Mason called,” Perez mumbled, and we walked into the kitchen. “He told me what happened at the hospital.”“What?” I blurted, “Mason knows what happened at the hospital?” I questioned, watching Perez as he opened the fridge.“Of course, he does. He's Mason.”I cocked, “That explains much,” I mumbled.Perez grabbed a bottle of beer and opened it, offering me one, which I gladly took from him, ignoring the fact that it's too early to be drinking. I took a large gulp as I sat down across from him.“So if you're here, who is handing things over there?”“Niko. Not for long though, I just came to make sure you are okay after everything that had happened.”I laughed and gulped down the bottle, “I'm fine. You don't have to comfort me or anything. Mason probably overestimated everything,” I lied.“Or you're just pretending, Perez asked as he glared
Ava's POVI woke to the sound of the baby's cries piercing through the silence of the early morning. My eyes fluttered open, heavy with sleep, and I groaned softly as I pushed myself upright in bed.The sunlight filtered through the curtains, illuminating the room. My arms felt sluggish as I lifted myself out of bed, my body still heavy with exhaustion.The baby's cries grew louder, more insistent as they echoed off the walls of the room as I stumbled towards her cradle, and reached out for the source of the cries—my little angel.“Shh, shh, it's okay, baby,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper as I leaned over the cradle at my little troublesome princess. She sure was a crier.I gently scooped her up into my arms, cradling her close to my chest as I swayed back and forth, trying to soothe her but to no avail. Her cries grew even more persistent, rising in intensity, and I felt a pang of frustration mingled with exhaustion.“What's wrong, sweetheart?” I whispered, pressing my
Ava's POVFernando waved goodbye, and I returned the gesture, watching until the door slammed shut behind him. With a soft sigh, I turned my attention back to my baby, who lay on the changing table, kicking her tiny legs in the air.While I changed her onesie, Penelope entered the room, and her eyes lit up at the sight of the baby. “How's my grandchild doing?” She asked, coming over to the bed. I carried the baby and cradled her in my arms as soon as she was dressed. I smiled, “She's fine, just being naughty as always,” I mumbled.“Don't say naughty,” Penelope chided, “She's not naughty,” she mumbled, playfully, poking the baby with her finger, “She's very beautiful," she whispered, pressing a kiss to my baby's forehead.“Indeed, she is,” I grinned proudly, staring at my baby as well. She was definitely the most gorgeous baby I had ever seen.“Have you come up with a name for her yet?” Penelope asked as she played with her and I shook my head.“I'm still working on it,” I replied, ge
Ava's POV"It's nothing," I lied with a smile on my face.I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that lingered after seeing Penelope's ID card. I couldn't get it off my mind and I had this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was off.“Ava?” She called when I didn't say anything, “You wanted to say something,” she added with a soft smile like everything was fine. Only it wasn't.Nothing was fine.I stared at her, trying to figure out the right way to ask her about it. A way that wouldn't sound like I was snooping around her stuff or that I distrusted her just in case she had her reasons.I mean, maybe she changed her name to stay off the radar. I could think of a few excuses as to why she might have done it, especially with the kind of life she has had but I couldn't shake off the nagging feeling in my stomach that there was something wrong still.“Ava?” She called again, this time she furrowed her brows, “Is something wrong?” She asked, rocking the baby in her
Ava's POV'It wasn't her? It wasn't her!', I screamed in my head like a psychopath before, I jumped out of my seat. This was it. Confirmation beyond reasonable doubt. Penelope wasn't the real Penelope. She was nothing but a fake.But with that realization came pain.The image on my phone screen blurred as tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision even further. I blinked, hoping it was just a trick of the light, but the truth remained glaringly, the woman in the photo was not her and I could no longer ignore the obvious. I had been fooled. Fernando had played me like an idiot for so long. The truth shattered me and turned me inside out. The tears streamed down my face as I sat there staring at my phone. A wave of disbelief washed over me, followed by a crushing sense of betrayal. How could this have happened right under my nose? How did I miss it? How could I have been so blind? How could I have trusted Fernando, believed in him again after all the lies he had fed me once