Chapter 106 Aric I had never been this scared in my entire life. The uncertainty and fear weighed on my heart, and my whole body trembled uncontrollably. What do I do? How do I find her? Where do I go looking for her? I buried my face in my hands and leaned on the car, unsure of what to do next or where to turn. Caelia had been kidnapped—the woman I love had been abducted by God knows who. The thought that it could be one of those mafia groups made my heart leap into my throat. They had been after us, and I couldn't imagine what they would do to Caelia. I had done everything I could to keep her and her mom safe, but it turns out all of my efforts were in vain. I even had to keep up with Hailey and take her back against my wishes, all in an attempt to protect Caelia. But now… now she had been taken. What do I do? How do I find her? I pulled out my phone, my hands shaking with fear, and was about to dial Aless’s number when I noticed a narrow path through the bushes by the
Chapter 107AricThe end? Of me and Caelia? I scoffed. He really doesn’t know who he’s dealing with, does he? Just because a bullet is stuck in my arm doesn’t mean he’s won.If he knew me well, that smug smile wouldn’t be on his face. Fucking amateur.I moved swiftly, taking cover behind one of the pillars. My mind raced, looking for a way to fight back and get us out of here. It didn’t even matter if I didn’t make it out alive—I just had to make sure Caelia was safe.I scanned the room, calculating every move, anticipating how he’d react. I grabbed the body of one of his fallen men and used it as a shield, dragging it with me. My arms screamed in protest, my body on the verge of giving out, but I kept going. I couldn’t leave Caelia behind. I had to save her.“What do you think you’re doing?” Ethan laughed. “You’re defenseless. You can’t do anything to me. Just give up,” he mocked, his voice full of arrogance.I managed to pick up a gun again with my right hand. I fired, but the shot
Chapter 108CaeliaI really thought I was going to die, that no one would come to save me—that this would be the end. But then, Aric came. He risked his life to get me out of there. All of that, and yet I couldn’t stop thinking about how he brutally killed those people. How he moved through them like it was nothing. The blood, the cries of pain—how could that mean nothing to him?I glanced at him as he led me out of the bush toward the road. His face was blank, emotionless. I flinched when I saw those men in pain, even though they were there to hurt me. It moved me so much, yet for him, it was as though it was nothing. How could he be so calm after killing people? He killed them… like it was easy.Yeah, they deserved to die for what they tried to do to me. They deserved worse. But killing all of them in an instant and acting like it was a casual thing—that alarmed me. Who is he, really? And who the hell is Axel Hart? What does any of this have to do with me? How is Ethan connected? I
Chapter 109Aric"Caelia!" I screamed, shoving the lady tending to my wound aside and rushing over to her. I scooped her up from the floor, panic seizing my chest. "Caelia!" I called again, but she didn’t respond."Stay back, Aric. Let them take care of her." Aless pulled me away as they laid her on the bed. The medical team moved quickly, trying to get her to regain consciousness.My heart was hammering. Did I say something wrong? Should I have kept my mouth shut? I was just so angry, hearing her suggest we make a report when those bastards were the ones who took my brother, her father, from us. I didn’t realize how much I’d said until I saw the devastation in her eyes. It all came rushing back to me—every word, echoing in my head."Will she be okay?" I stammered, gripping Aless's arm. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to her. "Will she wake up?""She will," he assured me. "But what the hell happened?""She… she was kidnapped." I turned to him, my voice shaking. "It’s them—the
Chapter 110CaeliaA loud noise echoed in my head as I forced my eyes open. The fluorescent lights overhead pierced my vision, making me shut them tightly again. My head throbbed painfully, as if something heavy was trapped inside.For a moment, I lay still, unmoving, my mind completely blank. Slowly, I opened my eyes again, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. It felt like I was lost in the middle of nowhere for minutes, until suddenly, everything came rushing back—the memories of what happened before I passed out.I remembered everything—how the lies had kept me in the dark all my life. Mom blamed me almost every day for Dad’s death. She wished I had never been born because I was the one who pushed him out that day, leading to his accident. But it was all a lie.How could she do this to me? How could she tell so many lies and make me live in guilt for most of my life?She wouldn’t let me celebrate my birthday, wouldn’t even let me mention the word birthday, because someone like me
Chapter 111CaeliaI assumed everything would go badly if he eventually gets to know that I was pregnant. I thought he would never accept the baby, considering that Hailey was back, and she was pregnant too. But I was wrong, totally wrong.He wanted this baby, as much as he wants me. I realized I had been wrong about him all along.I held on to him, his lips moving over mine with a tenderness that sent shivers down my spine. His hands cupped my face as though I was the most delicate thing in the world, like I was the only thing that mattered to him.I responded, wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him closer than before, wanting to lose myself in him, to feel every part of him. All the pain, the secrets, the lies, the tears, the uncertainty—they melted away in the heat of our kiss.I no longer thought about anything else, other than the fact that I wanted him right there. More than ever.He pulled back slightly, resting his forehead against mine, his breath warm and ragged, his
Chapter 112AricWhen Mari came to call Hailey and me out of the room this morning, I never knew it would be about this. How did she find out? How did she find that test strip? And why would Caelia ever use a test strip? What do I do now?My heart pounded in my chest as multiple thoughts raced through my mind. I wasn’t sure what to do or what to say.“Answer me!” Mari yelled, her grip tightening on Caelia’s wrist. “Who the hell got you pregnant? Does he have a name?”I looked at Caelia, who made eye contact with me almost immediately, wondering what we were supposed to do. I knew Mari would be so disappointed in me if she found out I was the one responsible for the pregnancy. I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t sure if I should tell her the truth or if we should come up with another explanation. I was willing to go with whatever Caelia wanted to do.“I don’t like repeating myself, young lady!” Mari shouted, her voice louder and more forceful than before. “I need to know who put this
Chapter 113CaeliaI wasn’t sure if running away was a good idea or the perfect solution to the situation we had found ourselves in, but I just wanted to leave. I wanted to escape from all of this—away from Mom, from everyone. The only person I wanted to be with was Aric, and since no one would allow us to be together, we had to leave. It was the best choice; there was no other way.“Let’s run away,” I said again. “We can’t stay here. We need to leave, get away from everyone.” I added, but he just continued to stare at me, his eyes wide open.Minutes later, his hands dropped from mine, and he stepped back, shaking his head. “No. We can’t do that.”I knew he wouldn’t accept it easily; I’d have to talk him into it. It was the only solution I could think of. Mom would never let us be together, and I knew that for sure. I moved closer to him again, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We need to leave, Aric,” I murmured, trying my best to convince him. “For the baby, and for us.”“But that’s
Chapter 130 Author’s POV Caelia stood in front of the mirror, her hands trembling slightly as they rested on her baby bump. She glanced at Emma, who was adjusting the final touches on her veil. "How do I look?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, betraying the swirl of emotions beneath her calm exterior. She was happy, yet she was scared. Emma stepped back, admiring her work with a warm smile. "You look perfect, Caelia. My designs are always perfect, I know, but you? You’re more perfect than the dress.” She chuckled. Her words were soft, reassuring, but they couldn’t quite chase away the flutter of nerves building in Caelia’s chest. Caelia smiled back at her, though a bit of longing flickered in her heart. She twirled gently in the gown, the delicate lace brushing against her legs. The dress flowed around her like a dream, its soft fabric wrapping around her growing belly as if embracing the new lives inside her. She was radiant, but in this moment of beauty, her mind wan
Chapter 129CaeliaThe lights suddenly went out and I collapsed to the floor, sobbing into the darkness. It felt like my life had been swallowed by the same black void surrounding me. The world had crumbled, and the man I loved was gone, even though he was still breathing. I had waited for close to two months to see those eyes if his again, but he couldn’t even recognize me. What kind of life is this? But then, without warning, the lights flickered back on. Through my tears, I looked up and saw Emma standing in front of me, a soft smile on her face, holding a single rose. She walked toward me, her steps slow and deliberate, before kneeling down beside me. Without saying a word, she gently placed the rose in my hand, giving it a light squeeze. I was stunned. Confused. Emma had been the one I’d frantically called earlier, but she hadn’t picked up. “Emma, I…” Before I could complete my words, a nurse appeared, approaching me with another rose, handing it over in the same quiet way. My
Chapter 128Caelia“It’s important to take care of yourself, Caelia,” the doctor said gently, his eyes filled with concern. “Your babies need you to be strong. Stress isn’t good for them.”I nodded, offering him a weak smile. “I know. Thank you, Doctor.” I picked up my bag, the weight of his words settling over me as I moved out of the office. Outside the hospital, Jay was waiting in the car, as he always did. Without a word, I slid into the passenger seat."To the hospital?" he asked quietly.I gave a small nod, and he started the car. We drove in silence, my thoughts wandering as we made our way to see Aric. I could have chosen to have an attending doctor for my pregnancy at the same hospital where Aric was being treated—it would have been more convenient. But I couldn’t bring myself to change hospitals. I was still going to the one where my mother had taken me then to terminate the pregnancy, the one she called her friend, was now my attending doctor.Two weeks had passed since Ari
Chapter 127CaeliaEvery time I looked up and saw the red light above the operating room still on, and the notice that read, "In Surgery: Aric Phoenixbourne, Heart Transplant," it sent shivers down my spine. My heart raced, and I slumped back into a cloud of doubt. Before the surgery, the doctor had warned me about potential complications, some of which could be life-threatening. That warning echoed in my mind constantly. I had waited an entire month for this moment, but now, I was more terrified than ever.“He’ll be fine. I’m sure of it,” Aless said softly, patting my shoulder. He had already come to join us there after I informed him about the transplant “Aric isn’t the type to give up. He’ll pull through.”“Yes, he’s right, Cae. He’ll be okay,” Emma added, her voice filled with hope.All I could do was nod, my anxiety making it hard to speak. I continued pacing in front of the operating room, my eyes darting to the red light and back to the notice over and over again.“Caelia, you
Chapter 126Caelia(One Month Later)It took just minutes for me to realize that I was all alone, and the lives of four people depended on me and the decisions I made, especially my strength. I had to be strong for Aric and our babies. I had to hold on to the hope that, with time, everything would be fine.It has been a month since Mom’s death, a month since Aric had been hospitalized, and we’ve been waiting and hoping for a heart donor. As much as each passing day without a donor terrified me, I still held on to that hope that things would be fine, even though it was fading.Different complications had arisen over the months. There were moments when I thought I was going to lose him forever, moments when he had seizures that almost made my heart stop. Still, I held on to that hope, as faint as it was, that in the end, everything would be fine.I believed Aric would open his eyes. I believed he would be fine again, that he would come back to me, and we would live the rest of our lives
Chapter 125 Caelia My legs felt so heavy and numb, dragging with every step toward the morgue. My body shook, silent sobs wracking me, but I no longer had the strength to cry out loud. The sight of the morgue loomed ahead, and fresh tears blurred my vision as my legs wobbled, barely able to carry me forward. Aric's hand rested on my back, his touch firm yet gentle as he tried to steady me. His attempts to soothe the storm raging inside me were in vain. Nothing could calm the whirlwind of pain, loss, and devastation coursing through me. Why? Why did this have to happen? Just when I thought things were turning around, when I believed we'd finally have our happy ending—why did Mom have to leave me? I wished I could turn back time, be a better daughter, do something—anything—to change the outcome. Maybe, just maybe, if I hadn’t gotten pregnant, if I hadn’t… My legs buckled beneath me, and I crumbled to the cold floor, burying my face in my trembling hands. Sobs shook my shoulder
Chapter 124 Caelia I stared at her, unable to process what was happening, my vision blurring with tears. First Aric, now my mother. My heart clenched with pain as I watched her, blood seeping through her fingers as she clutched her chest, her breaths coming in ragged gasps that shattered me down to my soul. I didn’t know how long I stood there, watching helplessly, tears burning down my cheeks, blurring the horrific scene before me. My mom was dying, yet I couldn’t do anything about it. I was watching life slip away from her, but I could do nothing about it. My dad, Aric, and now mom? Why? What was this happening to me? What have I done wrong to deserve this much pain? My body shook as I knelt beside her, my knees crashing to the floor, finally finding the strength to move. Crawling on the cold blood stained floor, I reached for her hand, gripping it tightly. Her skin felt cold, and I could feel her pulse weakening. My body shook with fear. No! I can’t lose her too. “Mom, please,
Chapter 123CaeliaAric still didn’t move, no matter how hard and loud I called his name, he still laid there, motionless.“Bring her to me,” Axel’s voice cut through the chaos, cold and unfeeling.I barely registered his words before his men moved toward me. They grabbed my arms roughly, yanking me from the spot where I had been helplessly staring at Aric. My body shook violently as I tried to fight back, but it was useless. I was too weak, too broken, too hurt."Let me go!" I screamed, my voice hoarse with pain and rage. But they didn’t listen. I was dragged across the room, my eyes never leaving Aric's body, every step pulling me further away from him.I didn’t care about anything else at that moment. I just wanted to be with Aric, to hold him, to wake him up. But Axel’s cold command echoed in my mind as the guards pulled me closer to him, and my fear grew even more suffocating.“She is the reason we are here today. My darling daughter.” Axel smiled as I was brought to him, his gri
Chapter 122 Caelia No! That can’t be, that can’t be true. My biological father? That must be a lie. It must be the pressure or the fear; she must have said that just to get this over with. There’s no way a man like this could be my father. “No!” I screamed at my mom, hoping to snap her back to her senses. There was no reason to lie, no reason to fear this man. He wasn’t going to do anything to us. “That can’t be true, Mom.” I shook my head, a laugh escaping my lips out of fear. “You don’t have to lie to please him. I know it’s a lie, I know…” “It’s the truth, Caelia. This is the truth,” her voice cut me off, and a tear rolled down my cheek. I shook my head again. It wasn’t possible. I had known Aidan as my father for all of my twenty-one years. I had known just him as my father. How could this stranger be my biological father? It had to be a joke. There was no way this was true. Was Mom playing games with me? Or with him? There was no way he was my biological father. It was