SAM'S POV
The house felt colder after the Morettis left, their veiled threats lingering like a dark cloud. I made my way to my father’s study, the one place where I could think. The scent of aged leather and cigar smoke still clung to the air, and I sank into his chair, the weight of the world pressing down on me.
I closed my eyes, trying to drown out the noise in my head. Margot’s words echoed, their sharpness digging into my already frayed nerves. Three days to decide. Three days before she unleashed whatever hell she had waiting.
NORA'S POV The mansion was stifling, every corner weighed down by tension. Sam’s weary face stayed in my mind as I paced the room, the bloody baby shoe still etched in my memory. The news about Charles and the company collapsing only deepened my resolve. Sam might not admit it, but he needed help—desperately. And if I couldn’t bring peace to this storm, who else would?The Caradellis were the answer. Or at least, I hoped they were.I stopped pacing and looked out the rain-streaked window. The thought
JACOB'S POV The rain battered against the windows of the Caradelli mansion like a thousand tiny fists, but I barely noticed. I was sitting in Evelyn’s chair, the one by the fireplace she always claimed was too extravagant but secretly loved. The faint scent of her perfume lingered in the air—a mix of jasmine and sandalwood. It clung to the fabric of the cushions, haunting me.I ran a hand over my face, fingers trembling. My chest felt hollow, as though the part of me that had been alive, that had fought for this moment, had been ripped away when Evelyn jumped.
SAM'S POV The weight on my shoulders was suffocating. Everything was crumbling—my family, the company, my life—and I didn’t have the answers. My mind felt like a whirlpool, spinning with problems and decisions, and I needed air.Before heading out, I stepped into the nursery. Zoe was awake, her tiny fingers grasping at nothing, her big eyes blinking up at me. A faint smile tugged at my lips despite everything.“Hey, princess,” I murmured, lifting her gently from the bassinet. Her warmth grounded me, even if only for a moment. I held her close, kissing her soft forehead. “Daddy’s going to fix
NORA'S POVThe first thing I noticed was the sharp, sterile smell of antiseptic. My eyes fluttered open, the world around me blurred and disjointed. My side ached with every shallow breath, the sting of a freshly treated wound grounding me in reality. I was alive…but where?The room was dimly lit, the single fluorescent bulb above me flickering faintly. Medical supplies lined the walls—gauze, syringes, and bottles I couldn’t identify. The cot beneath me creaked as I shifted, and my heart raced when I heard faint voices outside the closed door.Where am I?I tried to sit up, the motion sending a sharp jolt of pain through my torso. My hand instinctively went to my side, feeling the bandages beneath my torn shirt. The memory of Lisa Caradelli raising a gun flashed in my mind.Suddenly, the door creaked open, and my breath caught.Daniel stepped inside, his presence filling the small room. His dark hair was damp, his shirt wrinkled as if he’d been up for hours. His expression was unreada
SAM'S POVThe rain started as a drizzle just as I began my walk back to the mansion. By the time I was a mile from home, it had turned into a relentless downpour, soaking me to the bone. My shoes splashed against the wet pavement, but I barely noticed. My thoughts were louder than the storm.Isabella’s words echoed in my head like a haunting melody, a curse I couldn’t silence: Nora is dead.It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t.My legs moved faster, almost breaking into a run as the rain lashed against my face. Water pooled in the cracks of the pavement, splashing up my legs as my breaths came in sharp, panicked bursts.Images of Nora flashed in my mind—her smile as she held Zoe for the first time, the warmth of her hand in mine, the fierce determination in her eyes when she promised we’d face everything together. She was too strong, too stubborn to be gone.“No,” I whispered, shaking my head as if I could dislodge Isabella’s words. “No, she’s not.”Isabella was lying. She had to be lying
SAM’S POVThe tie refused to cooperate.I tugged at it again, the silk knot slipping loose for the third time. My fingers fumbled, and I let out a frustrated sigh, staring at myself in the mirror. The reflection staring back wasn’t the man my father had raised to lead the Bennett empire. It was someone broken, someone lost.Adrian’s absence gnawed at me more than I’d expected. He was the calm to my storm, the voice of reason when my thoughts ran wild. Now, I was alone, trying to prepare for a meeting that felt more like a funeral.
NORA'S POV The room felt impossibly small as I stepped through the heavy doors, my heels clicking against the polished marble floor. All eyes snapped toward me, and I felt the weight of their gazes—curiosity, annoyance, and surprise—but I didn’t falter. Zoe was perched on my hip, her tiny hands gripping my dress as if anchoring me to the moment.I paused just inside the doorway, letting the silence stretch. Sam was at the head of the table, his hand clutching a pen, hovering over the papers in front of him. His expression shifted from shock to something else—hope, maybe. But it was Jacob who broke the silence.
SAM’S POV The meeting ended with Jacob's threat still ringing in my ears.“You'll regret this, Samuel,” Jacob spat, his voice dripping with venom. “We’ll meet in court. And when I'm done, there won't be a Bennett empire to save. I’ll take every last dollar, every share, every legacy. You'll be left with nothing.”He stormed out, Charlie trailing behind him, his head down, avoiding my gaze. For a moment, I felt a pang of sadness for the boy. He didn't deserve to be a pawn in Jacob's bitter game.
NORA’S POVThe sun bathed the Bennett estate in a golden glow, filtering through the canopy of white roses and twinkling fairy lights. It was the perfect day, the kind of day that had once seemed impossible. But here we were. I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the delicate lace sleeve of my gown. It was nothing like the dress I had once imagined wearing for my first wedding to Sam. No, this was something entirely different—something that felt more like me. The gown hugged my frame, elegant and timeless. Soft ivory fabric cascaded down in delicate layers, embroidered with tiny pearls that shimmered when I moved. My hair, styled in loose waves, was pinned back with a single white rose, and a sheer veil trailed behind me like something out of a dream. But it was Sam’s face I longed to see the most. "Are you ready?" Genevieve appeared in the doorway, looking radiant in a soft emerald gown. Her usual sharpness was softened by the emotion in her eyes. I turned, feeling my he
NORA’S POVThe moment the plane touched down in New York, a flood of emotions surged through me. Relief. Exhaustion. Gratitude. I was alive. I was going home. Sam held my hand the entire drive from the airport, his grip firm yet tender, like he was afraid that if he let go, I’d disappear. My heart ached with anticipation; my mind consumed by a single thought—Zoe. I had spent weeks away from my daughter, missing the warmth of her tiny body against mine, the sweet scent of her skin, the sound of her giggles. The separation had been unbearable, and now, every second that kept me from holding her felt like
SAM’S POVThe fluorescent hospital lights hummed softly above me as I lay in the hospital bed, the sharp scent of antiseptic lingering in the air. I had never been afraid of pain—I had endured beatings, betrayals, and the weight of an entire empire on my shoulders. But this? This was different. Because this time, it wasn’t about me. It was about her. Nora. She lay in the bed
NORA’S POVThe beeping of machines was a constant rhythm, a reminder of the fragile line I was walking. The Parisian hospital room was bathed in soft golden light from the setting sun, but I felt cold. Not the kind of cold that came from the air conditioning or the evening breeze slipping through the cracks in the window—this was deeper, bone-deep, a chilling awareness that my body was failing me. Every breath felt like a borrowed one, shallow and effortful. The weight of exhaustion pressed down on me, heavier than it had ever been. My fingers tingled, my limbs felt distant, like they didn’t belong to me anymore. A part of me wondered if this was it—if I was already standing on the precipice between life and d
SAM'S POV The jet sliced through the cloud cover with the precision of a predator on a hunt, its hum a constant in the background as my thoughts drifted. Paris was just hours away, but I was already a prisoner of the distance—caught between two worlds, neither of which felt truly mine anymore.I had fought wars before, faced battles in boardrooms and beneath the weight of expectations. But none of those had ever felt so personal, so destructive. This fight had torn apart the very fabric of my family, shattered everything I had worked for, and left scars on my soul that would never fully heal. And the worst part? It had nearly cost me Nora—the one person I couldn’t afford to lose.
JACOB'S POVThe courtroom had emptied, but I remained frozen in my seat. The sound of the gavel still echoed in my ears. Life in prison. Isabella was gone.I watched as the guards led her away. She didn’t cry. She didn’t beg. She didn’t even look at me.She only turned once, just before disappearing through the doors, and for a fleeting moment, I saw it—regret. But it wasn’t for what she had done. It was for losing.I exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over my face. Was this how it was all supposed to
SAM'S POV The boardroom was suffocating, thick with tension and the scent of expensive cologne and polished wood. New York’s most powerful investors sat around the long mahogany table, their sharp eyes locked on me. Margot Moretti sat at the far end, composed as ever, but I could see the cracks beginning to show.For the past two hours, I had been fighting for control of what was left of my father’s empire. The Morettis had leveraged Aunt Marion’s shares and were dangerously close to tipping th
NORA'S POVThe hospital room was eerily silent except for the rhythmic beeping of the monitors and the quiet hum of the machines keeping me tethered to this world. The walls were painted in soft, sterile white, and the air smelled faintly of antiseptic. I had spent countless hours in this bed, staring at the ceiling, counting the tiles, trying to ignore the way my body felt weaker with each passing day.But today was different. Today, the doctors would begin the experimental treatment—the last chance I had.Sam was pacing. He had been pacing for the last twenty minutes,
SAM'S POV The Paris clinic was quiet, almost unnervingly so. The soft hum of machines filled the room as Nora slept peacefully, her breathing steady but shallow. I sat in the corner of her room, the faint glow of my laptop illuminating the stack of documents Alaric had sent over that morning.Balancing the weight of the Bennett empire and being here for Nora felt impossible, but I had no choice.The reports from New York weren’t promising. Despite the rise in stock prices following Alaric’s press conference, the Morettis