NORA'S POV The day of the gala started on a sour note. I had spent the previous night with Gen because she had insisted she was going to dress me up and Sam would come pick me up from her house then we would head to the gala together. I sat in her loft, clutching a steaming cup of tea, my nerves fraying with each passing second. Across from me, Genevieve scrolled through her phone, her sharp eyes darting over the screen. She hadn’t said much since I’d arrived, and her silence only made me more anxious.“Gen, what’s going on?” I asked, my voice tight. It was starting to seem like everyone knew something I didn't. She hesitated, her fingers pausing mid-scroll before she looked up at me. “You don’t check Pictory anymore, do you?”I stiffened, shaking my head. “No. I deleted it weeks ago. Why?”Gen sighed, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Nora… it’s all over the news. Photos of you at the Marquee. Speculations about your pregnancy. And, of course, the bloggers are having a field da
SAM'S POV The ballroom lights glimmered off crystal chandeliers, and the hum of conversation filled the space. My focus, however, was fixed on the masked stranger standing beside Nora. His mask covered half his face, adding a theatrical flair, but something about him felt off. The way he stood, the tilt of his head as he spoke—it was familiar in a way that made my stomach churn. It was the stranger who had been with Milo Romano outside! I moved quickly, weaving through the crowd until I was standing beside them. Nora noticed me first, her eyes widening slightly.“Sam,” she said, her tone uncertain. I could tell fr
NORA'S POV The soft hum of murmurs in the ballroom fell silent as Sam stepped onto the small stage. A crystal glass in his hand caught the light, sending shards of brilliance across the room. His presence commanded attention effortlessly, and I couldn’t help but feel a mixture of pride and apprehension.“To family,” he began, his voice calm but strong. “And to unity.”Scattered applause followed, but it was the pause after that made my heart race. Sam turned slightly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before landing squarely on me.
SAM'S POV The masked man was still on my mind. His cryptic demeanor and familiarity had set my nerves on edge. The way he’d spoken to Nora, how he moved through the crowd with calculated ease, he wasn’t just a guest. He didn’t belong here. I was sure if I checked the guest list, I wouldn't find his name. But I didn't even know his name. That vermin, Milo, had brought him here.I stood near the bar, nursing a whiskey I barely tasted as my eyes scanned the ballroom. The opulence of the evening was a stark contrast to the growing sense of unease gnawing at me. My family’s galas had always been about power plays, alliances, and keeping enemies close, but tonight felt different. The stakes were higher, the shadows deeper
NORA'S POV The whispers in the room seemed to grow louder, their hum crawling under my skin as Evelyn’s words echoed in my mind: “It all begins. I can’t wait anymore for his go-ahead.”I pushed up from my chair, determined to find Genevieve. She always knew how to make sense of chaos, and right now, I needed her calm logic more than ever. But as I scanned the ballroom, Genevieve was nowhere to be seen.Evelyn had disappeared, and Jacob was gone from his earlier spot near the corner. My unease gr
SAM'S POV The security room was suffocating, lit with harsh fluorescent lights that reflected off the polished floor. Evelyn sat in a chair at the center of the room, calm and collected, her legs crossed as if she were at a charity luncheon rather than being detained. Her nonchalance irritated me more than her actual crime.I slammed my hands on the table. “What the hell were you doing near my car?”Evelyn barely flinched. Instead, she regarded me with mild amusement. “Good evening to you too, Sam.”&l
SAM'S POV The gala hall was a wreck of broken glasses, muffled voices, and panicked footsteps. Security moved in sharp, purposeful strides, but it all felt distant, like a bad dream I couldn’t wake from. My world had reduced to one brutal truth: Nora was gone.Gone.The word hammered at my skull as I stood frozen in the middle of the chaos. My hands felt like lead at my sides, clenched tightly to stop them from shaking. She’d been right there—just steps behind us—and now she was gone. I’d failed her. Again.The boardroom was silent the next morning, the air suffocating under the we
NORA'S POV The world swam back into focus, blurry and disjointed. My head throbbed, and my limbs felt heavy, like I’d been dragged from a deep sleep too soon. The air was cool, sterile, but tinged with something metallic. The faint hum of a distant vent filled the silence, broken only by my uneven breaths.I tried to move, but my wrists were bound, the rough material of the restraints biting into my skin. Panic surged through me like a tidal wave, constricting my chest and sending my heart pounding.Where am I?My first
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