Chapter 9Hannah walked inside her kid's room and met them playing with their toys. With the way they were looking so calm, one would think they weren't the ones turning the whole house upside down some minutes ago. “Mommy” Addison called as she saw Hannah walk inside the room. She dropped her toy and went to hug her mommy, while the rest of the kids did the same. Hannah smiled and sat on the ground while the kids surrounded her. “Mommy, do you want to tell us a story?” Audrey asked happily. “No honey, I'm here to tell you, guys, something else,” Hannah said and the kids raised their eyebrows staring at her, waiting for her to speak.“Sweethearts, we are leaving New York City, “ Hannah said and the kids opened their eyes wide in shock. “We are leaving?” Jaxon asked and Hannah nodded in response.“Why mommy,” Allison asked“Why are we leaving mommy?” Jasper asked curiously “And where are we going?” Aubrey asked and Hannah smiled. If there was one thing about her kids, they love a
Chapter 10It was morning and another brand new day to be precise. Hannah had woken up so early and got dressed. She had wanted to visit Brandon’s company, BRC. co.Arianna had told her Brandon was going to be available at 7:30 Am. She had already scheduled a meeting with him and he was willing to meet. She had to go early because her mother had told her Brandon doesn't like clients who come late to meetings.She got dressed and went to the kid's room. There she met them while still asleep. She sighed softly as she stared at them. They had come just yesterday, and she needed the kids to rest, after today she had planned on getting them to start a new school.She smiled at them before walking out of the room. On her way out of the house, she met the nannies and the maids. She had told them to make sure they give the kids anything they want while she is not at home. With that, she walked out of the house.She hopped into the new car Arianna had gotten for her before she arrived in Atlan
Chapter 11She hopped out of the car and was about to walk inside the restaurant when she bumped into someone who she never expected to see.“Hannah!!” Rhoda, her best friend, called out in shock as she saw Hannah.Hannah stared at Rhoda angrily, memories of years back when she caught her sleeping with her husband came running inside her head like a flash. All she wanted to do at this moment was just to kill her.“Y-you are still alive” Rhoda stuttered. She didn’t know why but she suddenly started feeling scared as she saw Hannah.“Of course, I’m not alive. This is my ghost and I’m here to kill you” Hannah said and Rhoda stared at her without saying a word. Her eyes scrutinized Hannah who was now looking even more beautiful than before.She now had a better shape than before that Every man will want. She felt so jealous of her immediately. She thought she was dead but no, she was alive, sound, and healthy. They never heard from her again after she was raped but now suddenly she appea
Chapter 12“Mommy what happened to your face?” Her son, David asked. Oh! It's nothing honey, mommy is going to be fine” Rhoda smiled as she starred at her son, David who looked so much like Jeff. She had a son for Jeff years back and he's six years and some months old. Rhoda was glad she has a son for Jeff. There was no way Hannah could steal Jeff from her and her son. She had gotten rid of her before, she was definitely going to get rid of her again, this time it was going to be for good but at first she needed to make her pay for hurting her today, Rhoda thought as she smiled at her son while patting his hair.**********************Meanwhile, Jeff is seen pacing to and fro in his room. He was still in shock that he had saw Hannah. The guilt he tried to bury year's ago were back. he needed to find Hannah and make things right. He regret betraying her in the past.The moment he saw Hannah today, he realized one thing, he was still in love with her.He had noticed Hannah was look
Chapter 13Hannah’s Car screeched to a halt in front of Brandon’s company. She put on a long jacket to cover up herself. She didn’t want anyone to know she was dressed that way. She walked inside the company and walked inside the elevator to Brandon’s office. Immediately, the elevator stopped at the last floor, she took a deep breath before walking towards Brandon’s office. She planted a soft knock on the door but there was no response. She then creaked the door opened and peeped in. There she met Brandon standing close to the window of his office staring outside the building. He looked so lost in thought that he barely noticed she was inside the office. He seems to love the outside view of his company because she had seen him standing at the same spot yesterday while staring outside, Hannah thought. She then dropped her on the chair and removed her jacket. She shortened her gown and took a deep breath before walking towards Brandon. She stood behind him wanting to touch him but
Chapter 14“Let’s get married,” he said coldly and Hannah stared at him with a confused expression on her face.“What? You mean you want me to be your wife?” Hannah asked and Brandon stared at her with no expression on his face, without saying a word.“Marriage isn’t what you just get into. You barely know me and I barely know you and you want us to get married. You must be joking “ Hannah said and scoffed. She stared at Brandon and chuckled, he's unbelievable, she thought. Just because she asked him for help doesn’t mean he should start asking for marriage, who does that? she thought. “I know. That’s why I’m asking you to be my wife and you're gonna say yes because I do not take no for an answer” Brandon said coldly. “Are you trying to force me into marrying you? And why do you think I’m going to say yes?” Hannah asked while staring deep inside Brandon’s eyes like she was searching for something.“For the sake of your company and most importantly…” Brandon paused and brought out a
Chapter 15“Hannah!” Jeff called as he saw her walking towards her car. He moved towards her and tried touching her but Hannah shoved his hands off.“What the fuck are you doing near my car? And how did you know I was here? are you monitoring me?” Hannah asked as she stared at him angrily.“No no!! I had come here to speak with some client concerning business and had seen your car, so I assumed you would be inside and I decided to wait for you here” Jeff said with an innocent look on his face.Hannah scoffed as she stared at him. He had come to speak with a client at the restaurant and when he was about to leave, he caught a glimpse of Hannah’s car and decided to wait and see her. “I know you hate me for what happened in the past. I swear I didn’t intend to hurt you, I was just confused. Rhoda was pregnant for me and I badly needed a child, she threatened to abort the child if I did not divorce you. I had no choice but to do what she wanted. I regret everything, please forgive me”
Chapter 16Meanwhile, Hannah’s car came to a stop inside her compound. She and the octuplets alighted the car. She had gone to pick up the kids from school immediately after she left the restaurant. “Welcome ma'am” the maid greeted with their heads bowed and Hannah nodded. She asked the maid to go bring the kid's bags from the car, while the Nannies take the kids upstairs and help them change their clothes and take their baths.She walked past them and collapsed on the couch tiredly, lots of thoughts going through her mind. The fact that she was getting married to a stranger. She didn't have the intention of getting married again, not after what Jeff did to her. But now she's left with no choice but to marry Brandon Colby, for the sake of Mackenzie’s company. Arianna had sacrificed a lot for Hannah in the past, she felt it was her turn to repay her. She needed to do it, if not for any reason but for the sake of Arianna but how was she going to break the news to her kids that she wa
Lucas had left the room to make some calls, leaving Hannah and Teresa alone in the dimly lit space. The air between them was thick with unspoken thoughts, with grief and frustration too heavy to voice.Teresa watched Hannah closely. She looked hollow—her eyes distant, her shoulders sagging under a weight no one could carry for her.“You okay?” Teresa finally asked.Hannah blinked and turned her head, forcing a weak smile. “Yeah.”Teresa hummed in response, clearly unconvinced. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a practiced ease. Smoke curled in the air between them.“Do you smoke?” she asked, offering one toward Hannah.Hannah shook her head. “No. I never have.”Teresa chuckled, taking a long drag before exhaling. “Figures.”Silence stretched between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was the silence of two women who understood each other—different, yet bound by shared pain.“My mother-in-law used to hate me too,” Teresa murmured suddenly, he
Teresa sat in the back of a dimly lit bar, the scent of cigarette smoke and aged whiskey thick in the air. The place was quiet, the kind of underground haunt where no one asked questions, where secrets were currency, and where a person could disappear if they weren’t careful.She checked the time on her phone. Her contact was late.Across the table, Hannah fidgeted with the glass of water in front of her, her expression distant, lost in thoughts she wasn’t ready to speak out loud. Lucas sat beside her, his gaze locked on the entrance, his tension palpable.When the door finally creaked open, Teresa’s eyes narrowed as a tall, wiry man entered, his leather jacket scuffed and his face shadowed with stubble. He scanned the room before spotting her and sauntering over.“You’re late, Marco,” Teresa said, her voice edged with impatience.The man—Marco Ruiz—grinned as he slid into the seat across from her. “Good to see you too, Provenzano. You know how it is—hard to stay alive in this busines
Hannah stood in the dimly lit warehouse, her fingers clenched into fists at her sides. The stale scent of dust and oil filled the air, mingling with the cold fear settling deep in her stomach. The warehouse was one of many they had searched in the last twenty-four hours, but this one felt different. The moment she stepped inside, a weird sensation crawled over her skin, like a presence lingering just out of sight.Lucas moved beside her, scanning the rows of crates stacked high against the walls. His jaw was tight, his frustration barely concealed beneath his calm exterior. Teresa stood a few steps ahead, gun in hand, her eyes sharp as she surveyed their surroundings. They had all hoped—desperately—that this search would yield something more than dead ends and half-truths. But as the minutes ticked by, that hope was slipping.Brandon had vanished without a trace.Every lead they had followed led to nothing. Every whisper, every clue, every trail had been a carefully crafted illus
The night was thick with silence, the kind that felt like a living, breathing thing, pressing in on them as they stood at the edge of the abandoned docks. The stench of salt and rust filled the air, mixing with something darker—the unmistakable scent of blood.Teresa’s fingers curled around the handle of her gun as she scanned the area, her pulse drumming hard against her ribs. Her father was dead. That chapter of her life was over. But this? This wasn’t over. Not until she had him.Not until she had Brandon and brought him back to his family.“We should’ve heard something by now,” Hannah whispered, her voice tight with restrained panic.Teresa didn’t answer. She was thinking the same thing.The lead had been solid. Brandon had been held here—multiple sources confirmed it. The docks had been his prison. But as they stood here, surrounded by crates and shadows, the truth settled like ice in her veins.Brandon wasn’t here.And the blood on the floor was still fresh.Teresa crouched do
Teresa barely had a second to react before the door to her office swung open. The moment her eyes landed on the man standing there, a cold shiver ran down her spine. Her father.Bernardo Provenzano. The man she had once idolized. The man she had spent her entire life trying to please.And now, the man she had just betrayed.He stepped inside with a slow, deliberate pace, shutting the door behind him. The soft click of the lock sent her heart into overdrive.“Oh, my little princess,” he murmured, his voice filled with mock tenderness. But his eyes… they were filled with nothing but hatred.Teresa’s hands gripped the arms of her chair, knuckles turning white. Fear slithered through her veins, but she refused to let it show.“How disappointing,” he continued, shaking his head as if she were a child who had misbehaved. “I thought you were different. Better. Not like your mother.”Teresa inhaled sharply.His mother.For years, she had believed the lie—that her mother had been killed by a r
The beeping of machines was the only sound filling the hospital room. Jessica lay on the hospital bed, her skin deathly pale, her chest barely rising under the weight of the oxygen mask secured over her face. Wires and tubes connected her to the machines, keeping her alive, but just barely.Hannah stood frozen in the doorway, unable to move. The doctor’s words still rang in her ears, cutting deeper than any wound ever could.“She has a five percent chance of survival,” the doctor had said, his voice clinical, detached. “She lost too much blood, and the delay in medical care worsened her condition. We’re doing everything we can, but you need to prepare for the worst.”The worst.Hannah clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. This was her fault. If she hadn’t suggested they escape… if she had just listened, just stayed put, Jessica wouldn’t be lying here, fighting for her life.And Brandon…A fresh wave of pain hit her. He was gone. Taken. She had watched him surrender himsel
The river had given them a chance, but it hadn’t given them freedom.Brandon collapsed onto the muddy shore, gasping for air. His limbs ached from the relentless current, but he didn’t have time to recover. Jessica.Lucas dragged her up the embankment, his breathing ragged. She was completely unconscious now, her body limp in his arms. The river had sapped whatever strength she had left. Her wound was bad—too bad. If they didn’t get her help soon…No. He couldn’t think like that.“Teresa,” Brandon barked, snapping back into survival mode. “Where’s the nearest hospital?”Teresa, still soaking wet, flipped open her laptop with shaking hands. Water dripped onto the screen, but she didn’t stop. “There’s one about six miles south,” she said breathlessly. “But there’s a problem.”Brandon exhaled sharply. “There’s always a problem.”Teresa gave him a grim look. “Bernardo’s men will have every major road blocked. They’re already watching the airspace. If we head to that hospital, they’ll find
The cave was damp and cold, the scent of moss and river water clinging to the air. Shadows stretched across the rocky walls, their flickering shapes cast by the distant glow of searchlights cutting through the trees outside. They had barely made it out alive.But they weren’t safe.Brandon pressed his back against the jagged rock, listening. Boots crunched against gravel just beyond the entrance. The soldiers were closing in. They had minutes—maybe seconds—before the cave was compromised.Lucas sat against the far wall, pressing his hand against Jessica’s wound. She was slipping fast, her skin pale, her lips trembling.“I can stop the bleeding, but not for long,” Teresa said, her voice tight with urgency. “But she needs real help, Brandon.”Brandon looked at Jessica’s barely conscious form, then at Hannah, who was up beside Teresa, shaking from the cold,she looked so pale. He had promised to protect her. He had promised to protect all of them.He clenched his fists. Promises meant not
The night was supposed to be theirs. They had escaped, survived impossible odds, and left Bernardo bleeding on the cold ground. But fate had other plans.They wondered how come he was alive. They had witnessed him go on his knees, blood all over him.The deafening roar of helicopter blades grew louder, sending shockwaves through Brandon’s chest. The floodlights cut through the dense trees, slicing through the shadows that had once been their cover. The tracker beneath the seat blinked like a taunting heartbeat—steady, unrelenting, and damning.Teresa’s fingers flew over her laptop, her breath ragged. “I need time,” she muttered, panic lacing her voice.“We don’t have time,” Lucas growled, yanking a rifle from the back. “They’re here.”Jessica shifted, barely conscious, her breathing uneven. Hannah took a deep breathe while having a second thoughts.Maybe she should just surrender herself to Bernardo and all this would be over. But Brandon here would rather die than watch her go back