(Lily’s POV).I woke up as the sunlight streamed through the curtains. Warm and golden, it crept across the sheets and bathed the room in an almost serene glow. But nothing about this morning felt serene to me.I blinked, trying to orient myself, and that’s when the memories came rushing in like a wave I couldn’t escape.Last night.Isaac and I.My breath caught as the vivid images replayed themselves in my mind. His touch, his voice, the way he whispered my name like it still belonged to him. It wasn’t supposed to happen—not after everything we’d been through. And yet, it had.“God, Lily, what were you thinking?” I muttered under my breath, my voice shaky.The room was silent except for the sound of Isaac’s steady breathing beside me. I turned my head slowly, almost afraid of what I’d see, but there he was—lying on his side, his bare chest rising and falling in rhythm. His dark hair was slightly tousled, and his face looked peaceful, almost boyish in sleep.He was perfect in everyth
(Lily’s POV).His disheveled appearance and the exhaustion etched on his face didn’t deter the fire in his gaze.“Lily,” he began, his voice lower than usual, tinged with a strange mix of frustration and pleading.I let out a heavy sigh, trying to keep my emotions in check. “Isaac, it’s unfair for you to use Ayla’s name to keep me here,” I said, my tone clipped.His jaw tightened, and he took a step closer. “This isn’t about keeping you here,” he replied firmly. “I swear, Lily, this time, I really want to talk about Ayla.”I scoffed, a humorless laugh escaping before I could stop it. “Oh, now you do? Because since last night, I’ve been waiting for you to say something meaningful. Instead, you set me up, Isaac,” I snapped, my eyes narrowing. “You dragged me into one of your old games—like always.”His shoulders stiffened at my words. His frustration was evident, but so was his determination. “Do you honestly think that’s all this is to me?” he asked, his voice laced with incredulit
(Lily’s POV)."WHAT? What did you say?"The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them. My voice echoed in the quiet room, and I immediately regretted how loud I’d been. But how could I not react? Isaac’s revelation was like a punch to my chest.“You heard me,” he said softly, his voice calm, as though this was something that wouldn’t shake me to my core.I stared at him, my throat suddenly dry. “You… you had a heart attack?” The words felt foreign as I spoke them, like they didn’t belong in the same sentence with Isaac. The Isaac I knew was untouchable, unshakable. But now? Now he sat in front of me, looking far too composed for someone who had just admitted such a thing.He nodded slowly, his gaze steady.“No, no, that can’t be right.” My eyes darted across his face, trying to read between the lines. He didn’t look sick. There was no sign of frailty. My gaze traveled lower, scanning his broad shoulders and the strong lines of his chest, as if looking for visible proof.
(Lily’s POV).I swallowed hard at Isaac’s words, unable to meet his gaze. It wasn’t anger this time—it was guilt. Guilt for how easily I had believed the worst of him. All this time, I thought he was playing me, manipulating me like a pawn in some twisted game. But now… now, things felt different.Isaac wasn’t just the enigmatic man I had always battled with; he was Ayla’s father. And if there was one thing I couldn’t ignore, it was Ayla’s connection to him.I forced a smile, though it wavered at the edges. “So,” I said, trying to sound lighthearted, “what are we doing this time?”His lips curved into that familiar smile—soft yet confident, like he already knew what I would say. “Breakfast,” he replied simply. “And we’ll talk about something important. About Ayla.”The mention of her name hit me like a punch to the chest. My resolve wavered, and I knew, deep down, that I couldn’t refuse. Ayla was the bridge between us, the one thing that could always tether me to him. Even now, af
(Lily’s POV).I set my fork down, wiping my lips with the napkin, and glanced across the table at Isaac. His gaze was fixed on me, steady and unwavering. I don't know since when he stared at me like that.The way he looked at me was so different.It wasn’t the intense look of confrontation I had come to expect from him—it was something softer, more introspective. But that didn’t stop my heart from hammering in my chest. “What?” I asked nervously, my voice cracking slightly. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Isaac smiled faintly, leaning back in his chair as he exhaled a long sigh. The quietness of the moment felt too heavy, too filled with the weight of something unsaid. “Thank you,” he said, his tone low and sincere. My brow furrowed. “Thank you? For what?” His smile widened slightly, though a mischievous glint sparked in his eyes. “For last night.” The words hit me like a freight train, my breath catching audibly in my throat. I froze, my mind immediately flas
(Isaac’s POV).Dropping Lily off after our time together left a strange warmth in my chest, something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Seeing her laugh again, watching her eyes light up when she spoke to Ayla—it reminded me why I’d fought so hard to mend things between us. As I turned the corner back to my mansion, the day's events replayed in my mind. Ayla’s small arms wrapped around me, her innocent giggles, and Lily’s hesitant but genuine smile were imprinted in my memory. For a fleeting moment, I allowed myself to believe things were falling into place. The relief, however, was short-lived. The moment I stepped into the foyer, Emma, my ever-efficient secretary, was waiting for me. Her posture was stiff, her expression a mix of concern and tension. Behind her stood Susan, her face pale, and another man whose presence immediately set me on edge. “Emma,” I said, my voice firm, “what’s going on?” Emma took a step forward, her gaze darting nervously toward Susan and the man a
(Isaac's POV)."But I don’t accept your way, Susan! You’re making Lily misunderstand me!” My voice echoed through the room, raw with fury. My fists clenched at my sides as I glared at the man before me—a slimy coward who wouldn’t even look me in the eye. He stood there trembling, a pitiful excuse of a person who had dared to meddle in my life. The man flinched as I stepped closer, my rage barely contained. My hand balled into a fist, and for a split second, I imagined what it would feel like to teach him a lesson he’d never forget. But before I could follow through, Susan lunged forward, grabbing my arm. “Isaac, don’t!” she screamed, tears streaming down her face. “Please don’t hurt him!” I froze, my breath hitching. The room seemed to stand still as I stared at her—this woman who had caused so much chaos in my life. Her voice was desperate, shaking with fear. “Let me go,” I said through gritted teeth, shaking her off roughly but not enough to hurt her. “No!” she yelled,
(Isaac's POV).“Ayla… Ayla is your daughter, Isaac.”The words rang out like a gunshot in the tense silence. My grip on the gun loosened, and my arm fell limply to my side. My forehead furrowed deeply, confusion swirling in my mind. My heart pounded violently in my chest as I fixed my gaze on Susan. Her pale, tear-streaked face offered no clues—only desperation and fear. “What did you just say?” I demanded, my voice sharp and disbelieving. Susan clasped her trembling hands together, her lip quivering as she held my gaze. “Ayla is your daughter,” she repeated, louder this time, her voice resolute despite the tears brimming in her eyes. A strange buzzing filled my ears, drowning out all sound. My grip tightened on the gun, though I had no intention of using it. “This… this isn’t funny, Susan,” I growled. “If this is some kind of sick joke—” “It’s not a joke!” she cried, stepping forward but halting as I instinctively raised the gun. She threw her hands up defensively. “I swe
(Lily's POV)The girls immediately paled, and the smirks on their lips were replaced with terror. Camilla, who had initiated the bullying earlier, swallowed hard, her bravado fading under Issac’s glare.‘We didn’t mean—’ one the girls started to say, but Issac interrupted.“I don’t want your excuses,” he snarled, his eyes flashing dangerously. “If I ever find you pestering her or anyone else, then you will be answering me. Got it?”They nodded quickly, their faces as white as a sheet, obviously frightened.“Go now,” Issac commanded, his tone as icy as the winter wind. “Before I make you regret it. ”He moved towards me and reached out his hand to touch mine; I did not move away from him, and there was a spark in his eyes that made me feel attracted to him. When our fingers met there was a jolt, an electric current ran through me and I felt as if I had been struck by lightning.Issac helped me stand and he held my hand for a little too long. I looked into his eyes and for a moment I sa
Issac's POV "Let her go right now!" I roared across the room and it echoed. I couldn't stop the anger I felt inside while looking at him trying to touch her. She clearly didn't want him to touch her, but he kept trying to force himself on her. It was good enough that I got all the messages that Lily left for me earlier. I was too busy because I had some important things to take care of, and I didn't want Lily to find out, so I had to switch off my phone and also asked my assistant to do the same. I didn't think that anything would happen because I had my men watching over her, and they would have told me of any movements on an emergency phone. But they still didn't tell me anything, so I thought everything was okay. However, when I switched on my phone, I got all the messages from her, and the last one I got was that she was going to look for our daughter at Matteo's place. I quickly got the idea that Ayla was taken by that bastard, and I wasn't wrong. I moved closer to him and
Chapter 104Matteo's POV I knew this was going to happen the moment she arrived, and I had already prepared myself for it. It's not the first time she's slapped me. After the time I kissed her at the hospital in front of that constant, I knew she had every right to do this. But it hurts me enough and makes me angry to think that she doesn't even want to look at me at all, and all she can ever think of is that bastard. This was the only way for me to get her attention since she has been avoiding me after I told her about what he did to her parents. "How could you do something like this? I trusted you so much as a friend, and you dare try to cause problems for me? I was so scared the whole day, and I was so worried, yet you couldn't tell me that my daughter was with you?" she fired at me angrily. But I didn't say anything else and just tried to hug her. Even though she was trying to break out of the hug, I still forced myself to hug her, and then I let go. She slapped me again, a
Lily's POV What's Susan doing right here in my office waiting for me like she's my patient? I was told I had a patient waiting for me in the office and I was expecting it to be someone else. I couldn't hide the shock on my face especially after seeing her looking pitiful on a wheelchair. But I should focus and not let her deceive me with this. I should know the kind of person she is better than anyone. I know she has plans that I'm not going to allow happen anyways. But I need to find out whatever she's thinking. "Why aren't you saying anything? Do you hate me that might?" She asked like she was offended. I scoffed, "I know you're not here for a good reason Susan. What the hell are you doing here, pretending to be a patient and wasting my precious time? I have real patients to attend to.""What makes you think I'm not a real patient?""Isn't it obvious what you came here for? You think I have time to waste on you rather than attending to people who need my help?"She looked offend
Susan's POV How did he manage to find out something that I've been trying to hide from him all along? I tried so much so that he wouldn't know at all. Even though it was hard for me because he was always watching me. I regretted trying to give his information out at the end of the day after seeing what he did to me. I didn't mean to contact his enemy at first. We are the ones who came after me while telling me the hard and offer for me and it would help me get his trust. I thought they wanted to do something to help me until I started giving them information and I started suspecting that it was wrong. That's how I managed to know that they were trying to find ways to bring him down and I was giving them information for it. When I try to confront them, they only threatened me and told me that they would tell him everything if I didn't cooperate with them. If they will be able to bring him down, then I wouldn't have to be scared of him. At first I thought it would be a good idea sin
Isaac's POV I knew I was going to have to answer this sooner or later. I thought she would have forgotten about it, but she seems to still be very much interested in knowing what happened. It's hard to explain everything that happened, as what went on between us is a secret, but I'm going to tell her anyway. "Are you going to tell me or not? The way you keep quiet means that there's something you are hiding," she questioned me. I shook my head quickly. "I'm not hiding anything. I'm just wondering why you are so interested in this since I already told you that we settled it." She looked at me suspiciously and then nodded. "I know I'm not supposed to be asking you this, but I still want to know because he was acting so weird today. Not that he hasn't always been rude to me, but he seems too happy for someone who got an apology. Did you have a deal with him?" Her questions suddenly made me think about everything—how I managed to settle this matter between us. FLASHBACKAfter f
Isaac's POV Fuck this! How does she even know that? I'm very sure I instructed everyone that she mustn't find out what was going on. Who could have told her this? No wonder she has been so quiet and acting strange with me. I just couldn't take it anymore. She was so good with me this morning, and now she was acting strange. It turns out that it was because of this nonsense. I'm going to deal with whoever told her this, but first, I need to find out how much she knows. "What do you mean, why did I lock Susan up? Why would I lock her up? I'm very sure you must have gotten the wrong idea," I told her, trying to deny things. But she shook her head like she couldn't believe what I was saying. "You shouldn't lie to me. I already know everything. I know you've locked her up ever since the incident with our daughter at the hospital, and you didn't let her go. She's already lost her legs—don't you think it's too cruel to lock her up without giving her freedom?" I could see that she was
Lily's POV Am I really listening to Susan's voice, or is someone else pretending to be her? Could it be that this is a prank? There's no way she would be calling me for help. No matter what happens to her, I know she hates me to that level—unless I'm involved in what is going on with her. But what exactly is going on? I can't seem to comprehend. "Are you sure you're really Susan? What is going on? I don't understand anything that you're saying. Can you just elaborate? Where are you, and what does this have to do with me?" I questioned her, hoping for more answers. I only heard her sobbing, and it strongly made me feel guilty. I still didn't know what this was about, but she seemed like she was in danger. "Since you were able to call me, can you just tell me where you are?" I asked her again. "I'm locked up by Isaac because of what happened to your daughter. I kept telling him I had nothing to do with it, but he won't believe me. You also don't believe me, right? You asked him
Lily's POV I had to take care of him all through the night. I can't believe he decided to hide this from me. What if I had not come in time? And what if something else had happened to him? What would I have done? I will not be able to explain that or say this to anyone. He's very annoying, and I don't even know what to do with him. But thankfully, I'm a doctor, and I can take care of him. He finally got better when it was getting closer to the morning, and I decided to get some sleep. I'm very tired from working at the hospital. I had to call the housekeeper to take care of Ayla yesterday because I couldn't come home to her. I'm sure she will understand if she knows I came to take care of her father. I lay down beside him, and soon enough, I fell asleep. I don't even know for how long I slept, but when I woke up, I still found myself on the bed. I decided to stretch myself; however, my body felt strange. That’s when I decided to look around and also at myself. I almost jumped w