(Winona)I’m sitting at a wooden park table, my fingers tracing the rough surface, trying to focus on anything but the dread pooling in my stomach.The park is beautiful today—families laughing, kids playing by the stream, and ducks floating lazily in the clear water. It’s the kind of day that should bring peace, but instead, my frayed nerves barely hold me together.Gordon had assured me that Steve would find me and to just sit somewhere amongst other people. Gordon is here as well. I can’t see him but I know he is. Knowing that quells the gnawing anxiety.My phone is recording, hidden in my pocket, ready to capture every word of this twisted reunion. I brace myself for what I know will be an ugly encounter.The wind rustles through the trees, and I catch sight of him walking toward me. He’s thinner but well dressed and that same smug smirk twists his lips. His presence is a shadow, darkening the brightness of the day.“Well, well,” Steve says as he approaches, his voice laced with c
(Winona)The words hit me. Is he just playing mind games? A sibling? My mind reels, trying to process what he’s saying. “My mother… She had another child? To you?”“Yeah, a year after you left,” he says, almost gleefully. “I was done raising kids by then and done with supplying her drug habit, no one wanted to pay for her services anymore.”I stare at him. What a monster.“Yeah, surprised your mother was a whore, are ya?” He grins. “She wasn’t even good at that. Crying every time. Men want some fire, some passion.”I didn’t ever think my heart could break any harder than it already had over the years. But it did. The sudden realization that I was just too young to realize. He was the reason my mother had a drug habit. He kept her that way so he could pimp her out.If I could ever kill anyone with no regrets, it’s this person in front of me now.“One kid was bad enough, and I wasn’t about to waste the rest of my life on another. So, I left. Don’t know what happened to them, and I don’t
(Winona)“I know we have our list, Jayden, but I have something else I need to talk about in our safe space today.”Jayden looks surprised but he nods. “Of course.”Barnaby leans back in his chair, glancing between us. “Winona, it sounds like there's something significant you need to share with Jayden. Let’s start.”I take a deep breath, my heart pounding. I look at Jayden, his eyes are filled with worry. “I met with Steve,” I say, my voice steady, but I can feel the tension coiled in my stomach. “Steve Halley. My fath…my sperm donor. That creature is barely human let alone a father.”Jayden’s eyes widen, and his face pales. “You what? Winona, are you serious? That man is dangerous.”“I know,” I say quickly. “Which is why I had Gordon with me, hidden from Steve. I wasn’t stupid about it, Jayden.”“Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you let me go with you?” His voice is tight, barely controlled. I can see the hurt and the fear mixing in his expression, and it tears at me.“I didn’t wa
(Jayden)The thought of listening to Winona interact with Steve makes my skin crawl, but I know we need to do this. We need to face it together.Barnaby nods at Winona, who pulls out her phone. “Whenever you’re ready,” he says calmly. “Winona, you stop the recording whenever you feel Jayden’s anger or you feel overwhelmed and need a break. You’re in control.”Winona presses play, and Steve’s voice crackles through the speakers.It’s harsher than I remember, filled with that familiar venom. The same voice that’s haunted Winona her entire life, and now it’s seeping into my consciousness.Steve starts with his usual bullshit—taunting, throwing out his twisted version of reality. I glance at Winona, but she’s staring straight ahead, her face a mask of calm. I know her too well to think she’s unaffected. She’s just holding it together. To be honest, so am I.“...You’re lucky I took care of you, protected you,” Steve sneers. “I could’ve made a lot more money off you—”Winona pauses the reco
(Winona)The following week, we flew into my old city early this morning. I’ve never been back on this side of it since the day I was taken to live with Anne. I didn’t ever want to come back.My hands are shaking. All of me is. The memories make me want to run away as fast as I can. The nightmare I lived here. Those moments replay in my mind. The fear. The hunger. The pain. The loneliness. All the horrors are reawakened.The house stands in front of me, the same house I grew up in, but somehow different. It’s still just as rundown I remember, but there’s a sense of care now—a small attempt at making it better.The windows are clean, the front steps swept, and there are even a few potted plants by the door. It’s like someone put a fresh coat of paint on a sinking ship.I hesitate, my hand hovering just above the doorknob. Part of me wants to walk right in, like I used to when I was a kid, but I can’t. Not now. Not after all these years. I have no clue who lives here.Jayden stands bes
(Winona)I glance around the living room. There’s a peninsula bench dividing the space. Over that, the small kitchen. I know up the hall there are two bedrooms, but I was never allowed in those. If I ever did peak in, I got a beating. Now I know why.It’s the same layout. The same place.But I can see the signs of care—clean dishes stacked in the sink corner, fresh flowers in a chipped vase. Furnishings that are older but not the trash we once had here. She’s been trying. It’s not much, but it’s something.Somehow, amongst the dilapidated structure, this place looks and feels like a home. Not my home but a home.I can’t help but wonder how she’s made ends meet all these years. It’s been over eighteen years.“I got help. Did some courses. Learned how my experience could help me help others. I do social work part time. It isn’t much but we live simple lives.” It’s like she’s read my mind.I nod. “That’s great.”“I can’t work any more hours because of the trauma I suffered. I can only do
(Ashlyn) I sit on the edge of my narrow bed, the cold, sterile walls of the facility pressing in on me. The room is small, with nothing more than a bed, a table, and a chair. It’s a far cry from the luxury I was used to, but it’s fitting. I don’t deserve anything better. Not after everything I’ve done.The silence here is deafening in its way, but it gives me time to think, to reflect on everything that’s led me to this point. I’ve spent countless hours replaying the past in my mind, dissecting every action, every decision, every hurtful word.I’ve talked to my psychiatrist and, more importantly, listened.And I’ve come to realize just how wrong I was. How wrong Judy is.About everything.But it’s not just the talks and the thinking, there’s a higher power at play here. Now I know there’s something out there bigger than all of us, it was easy to accept responsibility. Easy for me to want to be a better person.When I think about Winona and Jayden, there’s a knot of guilt that tigh
(Winona)We check into the best hotel in the city.I don’t belong here wasting money while others are suffering. I don’t deserve it.Jayden is busy at the front desk, handling the details, but my mind is back at that house. The contrast between this opulence and the place I grew up in is too much. How do I reconcile these two worlds?How do I accept that I’m living in one and ignoring the other?When Jayden comes back with the electronic room key, I can’t help but voice what’s on my mind. “This place is over the top, Jayden. We don’t need all this. It’s… unnecessary.”He looks at me, his expression softening. “You’ve been triggered. We’ll stick a pin in this for now and talk about it in therapy.”Is he being understanding or patronizing? We take the elevator up to our suite in silence, the plush carpet underfoot almost mocking the rough, cold floors of my past.When we step into the room, it’s as luxurious as expected—huge windows with a view of the city. A bed that looks like it cou
Readers, I’ve been back through all your comments and it really touches me that so many of you cared about these characters. I want to send a very special shout out to mitzi.goodson and Theresa for your active love of the story all the way and for commenting regularly. I love you guys and I love all the readers #hearteyes# Also I have discovered a mistake in the upload of Chapter 553. Only half the chapter seems to have been uploaded and I have now fixed that. I know you’re asking about if you’ll see these characters again…right now, I’m letting them rest but I hope to update you on them in the future. Right now I’m focusing on my new stories which I know you’ll also love.In the next one, After waking from a 5 month coma, Ava Lancaster watches her beloved daughter die. Ex-husband Zach Lorne, allowed the mother of his first child, cunning Sienna Sinclair to use little Lila as a medical pawn. Consumed by grief, Ava sets their mansion ablaze—clutching Lila’s body while Zach pleads outs
(Winona)Lisa sits on the couch between me and Jayden, her fingers curled around the USB stick.“You don’t have to,” I remind her gently.“I know,” she replies. “But I want to. I can’t move forward if I don’t hear him out.” She hands the drive to Jayden.Jayden leans forward and plugs the drive in. The screen flickers.And then there he is.Lance. Black eye blooming from Jayden’s attack over hall pass week, bruised knuckles, the same crooked grin he always wore.“Lisa,” he says, “I’m so sorry. I wish this could have been different.”I glance at her. She flinches but doesn’t look away.He shakes his head. “No big poetic intro. No music. No tragic montage. Just me.”His smile cracks slightly.“First, I want to say this isn’t your fault. You didn’t fail me. You didn’t love me wrong. In fact, you’re probably the only person who ever loved me right.”Lisa’s breath hitches beside me.“I wasn’t built for longevity, Lisa. You knew that. Hell, I practically had an exit sign blinking over my he
(Winona)Viktor stands with his hands by his side while Jayden finishes up his announcement.I watch on, proud of them both. Not only staunch in business but as friends.“I’ll still be involved on a higher level, but day-to-day, Viktor’s your guy,” Jayden says, firm and confident. “Effective immediately, he’s the new CEO of Nexus Global.”There’s a brief pause before the quiet, respectful claps ripple through the room.Viktor just nods. “Thank you,” he says. No long speech. No dramatic reaction. Just two words. Classic Viktor.Jayden glances my way and walks over.“Proud of him,” I say quietly. “And of you.”“He’s ready,” Jayden replies. “Hell, he’s been ready for a while now. He taught me almost everything I know about Nexus Global.”Viktor lingers by the window, posture steady. Astrid steps up beside him, saying something low. He replies with a brief nod and the smallest of smirks.Jayden leans into me and murmurs, “did you see that?”I arch an eyebrow. “The nod or the smirk?”“Both
(Winona)I see the moment his eyes catch mine in the window behind Astrid. He blinks like he’s seeing a ghost. Too late. I’m already across the restaurant floor, my heels pounding each step out in deliberate warning, the sound sharp against the quiet hum of late-night conversations. Heads turn. I don’t care.His face shifts from confusion to panic as I advance—his mouth parting slightly, eyes darting to Astrid like he’s trying to figure out if he’s imagining this. He’s not. I’m here. I saw everything.I saw the kiss. I saw the closeness after. The lingering smiles, the laughter, and the way Astrid’s hand stayed on his like they were sharing secrets. Like she belongs to him. You don’t need sound to understand body language.That kiss wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t a friendly peck on the cheek. It was enough for me to wonder if they’ve been playing me for a fool for weeks. Maybe months.Jayden stands just as I reach the table, knocking his chair back in a clumsy scrape. Astrid rema
(Jayden)Astrid raises her glass, the candlelight catching the rim. “To surviving another quarter without firing anyone major.”“To the rest of us surviving the grueling schedule of the Ice Queen herself.”“You did okay.”“Just okay?”“Better than okay. You have quite the work drive, Jayden. Gus was right to leave Nexus in your hands.”“Not one of you thought that at first. You all hated me. Especially Hugo. I think he still might, actually.”“Oh, you are not so bad, after all.”We clink glasses. The wine’s sharp, dry—like her. The restaurant is dim, ambient, tucked just off the canal. Astrid insisted it was the best late-night spot in Brussels. So far, I can’t argue.The food was incredible, the service seamless, and the company? Easy. A little too easy.This dinner has gone longer than I expected. I expected an answer from Winona to my text. But it hasn’t come. The conversation just flowed so effortlessly tonight.No drama. No awkward silences. No carefully chosen words. Astrid, wh
(Winona)It’s nearly 1 a.m. when I step off the jet into the crisp Brussels air. I haven’t slept. I haven’t eaten properly. My thoughts have been chewing on each other for nine hours straight.I hear my phone notification, but I see Cass and I’m so damn happy. She’s about to launch the rest of her life and I’m excited for her.“It’s so good to see you.” I say as I run towards her and give her a hug.“You look like hell,” she says as she grins and hugs me back.“Oh, thanks for the compliment. You look like death yourself.”“Just finished a12 hour shift, what’s your excuse?”We walk out to the private parking area. Having a private jet is so convenient.“I can only blame stress and paranoia,” I tell her as we put my case in the back seat and get into her car.“Paranoia?”“Yes, about where Jayden and I stand in out marriage lately. I’m not sure I’m what makes him happy. All we do is fight, it seems.”“Okay… ah, so me telling him you’d have been better off never meeting him probably didn’
(Jayden)It’s nearly ten. The office is quiet, except for the soft hum of fluorescent lights above the boardroom. Astrid and I have been going through projections for Q3. Numbers, strategies, deadlines. All things that used to matter more than they do right now. My family call is bothering me. It’s not that Winona had a sudden business trip, that’s expected, it’s just the way we interact lately. Going through the motions. Not speaking up on how we feel in case it triggers an argument. I’m as much to blame.“You missed an adjustment here,” she says, tapping the edge of my laptop.“I didn’t miss it,” I say, not looking up. “I just didn’t apply it yet.”She raises an eyebrow. She knows I’m distracted. I’ve worked with her long enough to recognize the look that says I’m full of shit.“You want my input or just someone to nod along while you pretend to work?” she asks.I lean back in my chair. “You always cut right through it, don’t you?”“Of course.”She’s right. She doesn’t have patie
(Winona)The family call starts like any other.Except this time, I’ve told the kids I’ll be away and lied about where I’m going.Now I have to convince Jayden it’s an unexpected business trip.Bobby’s got a stack of papers next to him, pretending he’s not glancing at them while he listens to Jayden. He’s been working on some design options for the school vegetable garden.He’s become quietly obsessed with getting it right.Sarah is asking about when she can next visit the Nexus office again. Abby’s wearing one of Henry’s bibs and announcing herself as the ‘baby boss’ while trying to feed Henry a cracker he doesn’t want.Henry is slamming his hands on the table, shrieking with defiance, and Kit is doing her best to keep the screen steady while holding him.Chaos. Beautiful, familiar chaos. Welcome to the Brennan zoo.Jayden is calm, smiling, fully engaged. He’s asking Bobby about his team at school, praising his leadership skills. He tells Sarah he misses her drawings and promises to
(Winona)Phillip is at his desk when I walk in, finishing up a call. He looks up and gives me a half smile, casual but watchful.I cross the room but remain standing. “I won’t keep you long. I just… I wanted to let you know I’m stepping down in an active capacity from Vault. Effective immediately.”Phillip’s face shifts from polite curiosity to astonishment. “Wait—stepping down how?”I nod. “I’ll remain the owner. But I’m not going to be overseeing day-to-day management or strategic decisions anymore. I’m handing all of that to you. If you want it. CEO, President, call it what you will—I’m out.”He studies me carefully. “That’s… a big move, Winona. You’ve always been a control fre… ahh, hands-on.”I give him a quick grin. “Nice save.”“I’m talented, what can I say? But you being hands-off, I’m not sure that’s even possible.”“I’ve realized I can’t keep devoting so much energy to business. My family needs me. My kids need me.”“Is this what Jayden asked you to do?” “No. He’s been exc