WARNING! This is the previous chapter that has been edited.
"Mommy!" he exclaimed excitedly, waving his little arms from where he stood. Wet sand clung to his knees, and his face shone as brightly as the afternoon sun.I wanted to turn around and run away before everything unfolded, but it was already too late. Pascha turned his head slowly towards me, and the cold gaze he cast made my body stiff.He stood up, with his hands still clutching the small shovel. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Max running towards me, leaving a small trail in the sand. But I can only focus on Pascha—his sharp, dagger-like gaze, filled with something I can't quite decipher, maybe anger, maybe shock, or even both."Mommy, look, Daddy and I made a big sand castle!" Max said in a voice full of pride, his little hands pointing toward the big hole they had just dug.I was stunned.The world seemed to spin slowly. The word "Daddy" echoed in my head, destroying all the walls of defence I had painstakingly built over the past five years. Pascha must have noticed how much
FLASHBACKCampus was filled with students preparing for our end-of-semester exams. In a quieter corner of the study room, I sat with my head resting on the desk, my hands pressed against my stomach. It felt like a fire burning inside my stomach, consuming every bit of energy I had.“Why are you so stupid, Bel?” Mikaela sat on the chair next to me, looking at me with a half-worried, half-exasperated expression. She snapped a finger in front of my face. “I told you yesterday, don't drink too much coffee, you know your body isn't built for it.”“I have to study,” I muttered weakly. “You know, this IT major is no joke. Those codes won't compile themselves.”“And your body won't heal itself either if you keep treating it like this!” Aurora, sitting next to Mikaela, chimed in while shaking her head. She thrust a mineral water bottle at me. “Drink this. You look like you're going to faint.”I took the bottle with trembling hands, trying to swallow some water even though my stomach felt too fu
FLASHBACK“Belva, are you okay?”I shook my head slowly. With my last bit of strength, I typed in the last line of code and hit the “Submit.”When my laptop screen displayed the Submission Complete message, I immediately put my head on the table.“Belva, you look so pale,” Kiano said in a worried tone. His warm hand suddenly touched my hair, stroking it lightly. "You should go to the clinic. I'll help you.”I don't know why, but my tears started to flow at that moment. Maybe it was the pain, the exhaustion, or the feeling of hopelessness that I had been holding back. I cried, with my head still resting on the table.“Hey, Bell, don't cry,” Kiano sounded panicked. "Belva, you're done. You're great. It's okay now.”My sobbing intensified, and Kiano kept trying to calm me down, but I only sobbed harder."Why did you make my girl cry?"The voice stiffened my body. I raised my head slowly, tears still rolling down my cheeks. Pascha stood before the table, his sharp eyes looked directly at K
The darkness was so peaceful, wrapping me like a soft blanket that hugged me tightly. I felt my body light, without the haunting pain like before.In my sleep, I felt a familiar warmth, a firm and protective embrace, like an anchor amid a storm. The steady heartbeat, the deep breathing—all of it gave me unexplainable comfort.Like returning home after years of being lost.I don't want to wake up. Here, in this warmth, all my worries disappeared. I let myself sink deeper, letting time pass without a care in the world.But finally, reality pulled me back.Slowly, my eyes opened. The soft light of the morning sun infiltrated through the thick window curtains. The unfamiliar white ceiling greeted my sight, and I realized my head was no longer as heavy as before. But, there was a light throbbing in my stomach, a reminder of all the emotions and pain I had gone through.I blinked a few times, trying to understand where I was. This room was... large, with elegant modern furniture. The bed ben
The afternoon sunlight broke through the curtains of the bedroom window. I lay on the bed, my body limp and my breathing heavy. My stomach was still sore, a pain that didn't seem to disappear even though I had taken medicine a few hours ago."Mommy," Max's voice broke the silence, complete with excitement that contrasted with my state. He appeared at the bedside with a small bowl in his hand. The warm aroma of creamy chicken soup wafted from the bowl."Cece made this," he said proudly, placing the bowl on the table beside my bed. "Daddy told me that Mommy likes chicken cream soup, and I'm telling that to Cece! I helped her cook it too, Mommy!"I turned my face slowly, looking at Max, his face shining brightly like the sun outside the window."Cece said Mommy should eat this to get better quickly," he said as he gently tapped the table. "I helped Cece stir the soup. She said I'm brilliant!"I smiled, even though my stomach still felt like it was being squeezed. Max's voice was always an
The night was falling. The sky outside was dark, with stars faintly visible through the window curtains. Aurora stood behind me, concentrating on fixing my hair, while I sat in front of the mirror with my body slightly tense."So he really said he would take Max away from you?" Aurora's voice broke the silence.I nodded slowly, staring at our reflection in the mirror. "Yeah. He's not messing around, Ara."Aurora paused for a moment, her lips drawn into a thin line, then quickly picked up a hairpin to tighten the bun she was making. "That guy is really... ugh, I don't have words bad enough to describe him.""We can make a list of curse words if you want," Kyara interrupted from the doorway, folding her arms across her chest. "Pascha Romanov is shameless. How dare he show up after five years and immediately feel he has a right to Max."I let out a long sigh, looking at Aurora, who was busy with my hair again. "You know, I loved him once too. I mean, I... I still don't know what he really
I sighed, looking at Ronan sharply. "I'm sure there's nothing to remember about that.""Oh, there are tons," Calvin interjected with a laugh. "You two are the cutest couple on campus. I still remember when Pascha got mad because a student from another campus tried to ask you to lunch. He immediately challenged the guy to a basketball game to prove who deserved you more."My face turned red. "That's not funny, Calvin.""It was hilarious," Calvin insisted with a giggle. "And I wonder, Belva... how come you ran away from the wedding five years ago? I mean, that only exists in movies, right?"His question brought a brief silence. I lifted my chin, trying to ignore Pascha, who was now looking at me."How? That's easy," I replied in a sarcastic tone. "Because my future husband turned out to be cheating on me with my own best friend."Calvin immediately coughed, almost dropping his wine glass. "What? Pascha? This guy?" He pointed at Pascha with an incredulous expression. "The one who is so st
I couldn't resist anymore, and my arousal had reached its peak. I could only surrender to his touch and his power over me. His lips moved to my ear, his soft nibbles and sighs making me even more lost."Pascha..." I moan, calling his name, weak, drowning in the pleasure he's giving me.His hands moved down, grazing my inner thighs, and slowly up my dress. I felt the warmth of his hands on my skin, making me shudder."Let go of me..." I tried to resist his touch, but my voice only sounded like a moan.Pascha laughed softly, a triumphant laugh. "Try it yourself."Gently, he lifted my dress, exposing my aroused body to him. His eyes were full of desire as he looked at me as if he wanted to eat every inch of my body."You're so beautiful," he whispered, his hands returning to my breasts, squeezing and massaging them gently.I shuddered, my body responding to his every touch. “Pascha... oh, God...”He lowered his head, his mouth touched my nipple gently, then sucked it passionately. I moane
I frowned. “What?”Pascha shrugged. “Party at the Carlton Hotel. I'm invited.”I sat up slowly, looking at him more seriously. “And you're telling me this. why?”He gave me a slight grin, then leaned closer to me. “Because I want you to come with me.”I blinked, then gave a short laugh. “Sorry, what?”Pascha didn't change his expression. “Come with me. We can go together.”I stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out whether he was joking or not. But there was no sign of humor on his face, only a seriousness that made me even more confused.I lay back down. “I already have a partner, Pascha.”He raised one eyebrow. “Jullian?”I nodded.Pascha sighed, then shook his head. “Of course. The perfect man.”I gave him a sharp look. “And you should have come with your fiancé.”There was a pause. I didn't miss how his casual expression was slightly stiffer, though he quickly hid it.“I'm not necessarily going with her,” he said finally.I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”Pascha smiled wryly. “Yo
The sound of the waves crashing outside the window blended with the sound of the television that had been left on, showing an animated movie that was now almost over. The hot afternoon air made me reluctant to move further from the house, and Max, who was sobbing over his dinosaur toy, finally lay down on the cozy fur rug and was already asleep beside me, his hands gripping the hem of my shirt tightly.I stroked his hair slowly, enjoying the warmth of his little body next to me. I sighed softly, letting my body relax under the cool air conditioning.The summer sun was too hot to go to the beach, and the only thing more tempting than a nap was a bucket full of chocolate ice cream, which was unfortunately not available in the fridge.“I'm going out for a while,” Pascha said after the man came out of the main bathroom near the kitchen. “But then Max will definitely be happy with what I brought.”I opened one eye, looking at him lazily. “Hmm?”He just smiled a little, giving no further an
The kitchen was filled with the aroma of roast chicken starting to cook in the oven. I stood in front of the stove, stirring the sauce.I’m pouring the sauce into the pot but my phone vibrated on the kitchen counter. The name on the screen makes me pause for a moment before I swipe the green icon to answer.“Ben?” My voice trembles slightly.“Hey, Bell.” Ben's voice sounded softer than the last time he spoke.I bit my lip, waiting for what he would say next.“I...” Ben breathed across the phone. “I want to apologize.”I closed my eyes for a moment. “Ben, you don't have to—”“I do,” he cut in quickly. “I know I was so rude that time. I panicked, I was angry... but that's no reason to blame you for something that wasn't entirely your fault.”I stirred the sauce again, trying to calm myself down. “You were just worried. I understand.”“And so do you,” he added, his voice softer. “I just don't want you to get hurt again, Bell.”I swallowed, feeling something stir in my chest. Ben was alwa
The supermarket wasn't too crowded this early in the afternoon, just a few customers leisurely strolling the aisles with their trolleys. I pushed my trolley towards the fresh meat section, still remembering Max's dramatic request this morning—the chickens in his dream that ran away and left him hungry.What I hadn't counted on was who was walking beside me now.In a casual suit that still looks too expensive for a regular supermarket, Pascha walks casually beside me with an annoyingly casual expression. His hands were stuffed into his pants pockets while his eyes scanned the shelves as if this was his first time setting foot in a place like this.Well, I didn't know that it still stuck with him. Five years ago, he was a prince who had everything in his luxury penthouse—a personal chef and maids—and I'm guessing that he's still a stranger to supermarkets until now.I took a whole chicken from the cooling rack and put it in the trolley.“Is this chicken enough to fulfill Max's dream?” P
I glanced at Max's bed in the corner of his room. His little body was wrapped in a blanket, a Superman doll was lying beside him, and his breathing sounded soft. He was utterly exhausted after playing around all day yesterday with his grandparents. I decided not to wake him up and let him enjoy his rest.Walking into the kitchen with lazy steps, I tied my hair up. I opened the fridge, looking for simple ingredients for breakfast. There was no rush today.I make pancakes with maple syrup, Max's favourite, and some fresh fruit on the side.As I'm pouring the pancake batter onto the griddle, footsteps come from behind me. Clara appears in a loose T-shirt and shorts, her hair tied up carelessly. Her face is a little wrinkled, but she still gives me a smile."I'm cleaning out Max's toy shed," she said as she grabbed a glass of water. "You know, Bel, that boy has more toys than he can play with in a whole month."I snorted, flipping the pancakes in the skillet. "Blame Ben for that. He alway
Our algorithms are being tested in a virtual environment that simulates fundamental mining operations. I scan the data, looking for anomalies or errors that could interfere with the final results.My mind is focused on this report until Ryan's voice comes. "I need confirmation on the second stage simulation. The output energy parameters don't seem to be consistent with the input data."I nodded. "Put your report here," I said, pointing at the table. "What did you find?"Ryan placed his tablet before me, pointing to a graph showing energy fluctuations. "The values drop drastically at certain intervals. I think it has something to do with the automatic control algorithm adjustments, but I'm not sure yet."I sifted through the graph, realizing that the fluctuations occurred every time the system tried to predict an increase in fuel efficiency."This is an error in the predictive module. We need to adjust the threshold to be more tolerant of real-time data variations. Give me a few hours
Dinner finally ended, with the conversation slowing down and the atmosphere getting quieter. The candle in the center of the table was almost gone, leaving a soft glow illuminating the room. Max, whose energy seemed endless throughout the night, now looked sleepy. He yawned widely while hugging his Superman doll tightly."Are you tired, Max?" asked Alexandr, looking at Max with a warm smile.Max just nodded, his eyes half closed. "I'm sleepy," he murmured.Gently, Aleksandr took Max's tiny body from Pascha's arms. Max didn't protest, resting his head comfortably on his grandfather's shoulder. Aleksandr gently patted Max's back, letting the boy drift off."He's a wonderful boy," Aleksandr said, looking at me. "You've done a great job, Belva. Thank you and I’m sorry for everything.""You don't have to apologize," I said finally, my voice softer than I wanted it to be. "What happened five years ago... that's in the past."He gave a slight nod, but his eyes remained on me. "Even so, as a
Fancy food was served: foie-gras, grilled lobster, and other dishes whose names I couldn't even pronounce. But everyone's attention at the table was not on the food but on Max, who was sitting comfortably on Pascha's lap."So, Max," Igor broke the silence with a big smile, "what do you like most about San Francisco and living on the beach?"Max turned to Igor, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "I love the beach! Mommy, I and Aunt Clara always play at the beach, and I love looking for shells."I tried to smile, although it felt strange to hear him speak so confidently in front of the Romanovs.Igor chuckled, taking a sip of his wine. "The beach, huh? You should try coming to Moscow in winter. There's snow, ice, and you can skiing."Max frowned, then shrugged dramatically. "I know about snow from movies. But skiing seems hard. I prefer surfing!"I almost choked on my breath. Where did he learn to talk like that? Before I could say anything, Trisha chuckled from the right side of the t
The luxurious restaurant, with its glittering crystal chandelier, was filled with a warm atmosphere from the conversations of the guests. I stepped inside, following Pascha, who was still carrying Max in his arms, and Max hugging his Superman doll.My heart was beating faster than usual, but I tried to stay calm, even though this wasn't the first meeting with Romanov family.Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Natalia Romanova, Pascha's mother, standing up from her chair at the large table in the corner. She wore an elegant dark green dress, her neat blonde hair tied back."Belva," she greeted me in a warm voice. Before I could say anything, she grabbed me into a gentle hug. "It's so good to see you again."I froze for a moment before awkwardly returning her hug.She slipped away from our embrace but she didn't let go of her embrace in both my hands. She looked at me softly. "Why didn't you tell me about my grandson when we were at the restaurant that time... Belva?"I swallowed, my th