[Caden]There’s so much I want to say—so many misunderstandings to clear.But I can tell she’s way too worked up to hear anything right now. If I even tried to explain anything, she’d probably blow a fuse.So, I do what I do best. I shut my mouth and keep it all in, reminding myself that the whole point of inviting her here is to have a calm and collected conversation—a meaningful one—and there’s no way I’m doing anything to make her think otherwise.When the hostess arrives, I release a relieved breath and lean back in my chair.“Let’s just order something. We can always continue this later.”For whatever reason, Vivienne looks at me as if I have lost it. Her big, brown eyes stare at me as if about to eat me alive. She mutters something under her breath, probably calling me names and all, before going back to the menu and ordering herself more than a few meals.After the hostess leaves, I turn to face her. “Are you going to be okay eating that much food?”She glares. “Do I look like
[Caden]Before I can even reach for her arm, she pushes her chair back and grabs her bag.“Are we done?” she asks, her tone distant, her gaze fixed anywhere but me. She doesn’t even want to look at me anymore.If this had been one of those times in the past—when things were easier, when she still loved me—I might have thrown a fit myself. I might have grabbed her arm, dragged her to the car, shoved her inside, and kissed her like she was the air I needed to breathe.Kiss her. God, it’s been so long since I felt her lips on mine. Too long. And who knows how long it’ll take me to convince her to come back home, to even give me a chance to touch her again. I’d do anything for her, but I know better now. I burned those bridges myself. I’ve been a jerk, an asshole, so utterly blind to her existence, that if it takes me an eternity to carve even the smallest fragment of love back into her heart, I’d deserve every second of that wait.But I don’t have that kind of time.I can’t let my child
[Vivienne]I don’t know what else to do.The way he’s acting—so different from anything I’ve ever seen—I feel like the only way I’ll get through this is by getting the hell out of here.But there’s just one little problem.The way he insists on driving me home, I can’t shake the feeling that even if I reject his offer (which I already have, by the way), he won’t let it go. If my past experience with his stubbornness is any indication, he’s going to follow me. And if he doesn’t do it himself, he’ll hire someone to do it for him. He’s done it before—what’s to say he won’t do it again?And if I’m being honest, I’m not ready for him to know anything about me yet.There was a reason I moved to my grandparents’ place—to get through this pregnancy in peace.I glance at him now, his face etched with determination, and I feel a wave of frustration wash over my entire being. He’s not the same man I left behind—not completely, at least. There’s something softer in his expression, a crack in the
[Caden]Vivienne leaves.But of course, I can’t just let her go.Not without knowing where she’s been staying these days.For some reason, none of my hired help has been able to track her down anywhere in the city, which seems absolutely bizarre. It’s not like she just vanished off the face of the earth. She has to be living somewhere, right?I decide to follow her, but I instruct my driver to keep a reasonable distance from hers. The last thing I want is to make her panic.I’m only doing this to make sure she’s safe—to ensure she’s living in a decent neighborhood, where she doesn’t have to worry about being robbed or attacked, day or night.But when her car slows down in front of massive black gates, I don’t know what to think.The property seems to belong to someone named H. Richardson, but the name doesn’t ring any bells—at least, not in a personal sense. The only Richardsons I’m familiar with are the ones who’ve been head-butting with my company for the past few months. The same o
[Caden]When the car finally pulls up to the house, I head inside and make a beeline for my room.But I’ve barely covered half the stairs when I hear Mom calling for me.“Caden,” she says. “Oh, good, you’re home. There’s something I need to—”“Not right now, Mom,” I stop where I am but don’t bother turning around. I don’t want her to see that I’m bothered. I don’t want her to start asking questions, the answers to which I’m not comfortable sharing—not right now. “I’m really tired. I’ll see you at dinner.”I start climbing again, but she speaks once more. “I understand, son, but this won’t take long. I just wanted to tell you—”“I’m sorry, Mom, but later,” I say, cutting her off, and rush upstairs as quickly as possib
[Vivienne]When I enter Harvey’s mansion, I’m instantly greeted by the head maid, Matilda— a forty-something woman with a stern look but a polite demeanor.She recognizes me immediately, though I have no idea how.“You must be Ms. Vivienne,” she gushes, her eyes bright. “Sir always speaks so highly of you. It’s a great pleasure to finally have you here.”“Thank you,” I say, unsure of what else to do. “Is my brother home?”Her smile falters slightly. “Not at the moment. But I’ve already informed his assistant about your arrival. I’m sure he’ll rush home as soon as he gets the message.”“You didn’t have to do that,” I say, a flicker of guilt creeping in. Arriving unannounced suddenly doesn’t seem like the best idea. Not that I can’t be here, or that Harvey wouldn’t welcome me, but I know him well enough to guess his reaction. The moment he hears I’ve shown up out of the blue, he’ll likely assume I’m in some kind of trouble.Which, of course, I’m not.Not anymore.“Oh, please.” The woman
[Vivienne]Someone gasped.Not me, though.I took a step back, not wanting to get into any altercation in my condition.The shadow moved again, this time rushing toward the main door. It didn’t go well for the person, though, because before they reached the door, they tripped over something and fell with another painful gasp.“Oh, God!” I heard the person say. “Fuck, you’re so screwed.”I frowned. That voice sounded more like a woman than a man.Wait. What the hell?“Who’s there?”Silence.I roll my eyes. “Seriously? Maybe I should just turn on the lights.”“No!” the same woman’s voice comes again, urgent this time. “No, please don’t do that.”Something deep in my stomach twists. Why does that voice sound so familiar? Like I’ve heard it before… like I know—Carefully, I step to the side, making sure not to make a sound, and flick the lights back on.The room floods with brightness, momentarily blinding me.But that’s not what makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.It’s th
[Vivienne]For some awkward reason, neither of them says anything after that.Rosita remains eerily quiet, while Harvey sits on the couch across from her.Surprisingly, he doesn’t look guilty. Not that he has anything to feel guilty about. I mean, wasn’t it kind of my idea for them to get together?The only thing that bothers me is that neither of them felt the need to be honest with me about it.I was their biggest supporter, wasn’t I?So why lie? Why hide? Why sneak around when:- You’re adults and fully capable of making your own decisions.- You never had anything to hide in the first place.“So, how long has this been going on?” I ask, because why not? I’m curious as hell.Rosita looks up from her lap, sneaking a glance at Harvey as if trying to gauge his reaction after the whole scene we’ve somehow stumbled into.Harvey, on the other hand, simply sighs and looks at me like he has nothing to hide. “A year and a half.”I can’t help but raise a brow. “Are you serious? This has been
I swallow hard, his words sinking into my chest like heavy stones dragging me down.Is this really how it’s going to end? Is this really the fate waiting for Axel? To see his father not as a hero, not even as a villain, but as a stranger?The thought alone feels like a knife twisting in my gut.I glance at Caden again, at the hard set of his jaw, the empty look in his eyes. He believes every word he just said. Maybe he’s even accepted it already, as if there’s no point in fighting it.But me? I can’t accept that.I won’t.Axel deserves better. He deserves a family that doesn’t shatter at the first sign of trouble. He deserves parents who at least try—who don’t just give up and call it fate."Maybe... maybe it doesn't have to be like that," I whisper, surprising even myself.Caden finally looks at me, really looks at me, with an expression I can't quite read. Sadness? Hope? Or maybe just pity because he thinks I'm naive enough to think I can save my son from something as broken as us.
[Vivienne]After Caden revealed another grand truth of his life, he stormed out of my room as if he couldn’t bear to stand in the same room as me.I, on the other hand, drop my ass on the edge of the bed and cover my face with my hands.Shit.Why does everything have to be so messed up? So complicated? So damn… annoying?Just when I think everything between us is starting to calm down and maybe there’s a chance we can have a peaceful, platonic relationship for the sake of Axel, something like this happens, and I’m forced to wonder if all these efforts are even worth it. If letting Caden back into our lives is going to make our lives easier or even more complicated.The truth is, I don’t have answers to any of these questions.Not yet.But I need to find them, or it will be too late to fix anything at all.I stare at the ring on my finger, the generous diamond ring Xander made me wear after his proposal.God knows, I still don’t know what I feel for that man, or if I even feel anything
[Astrid]I stare at the mess in my room.The shattered vase. The broken laptop. The pieces of other furniture overturned and out of place.But even with all this destruction, I feel nothing but rage.Pure, white rage. The kind that makes me want to rip someone’s throat out. Especially that of Vivienne. And her fucking son.I ball my fists, the veins in my hands popping as I fight to keep my control. But it's slipping, fast. I want to scream, to break every damn thing in sight until there’s nothing left. Until I feel something other than this boiling fury that’s choking me from the inside out.How dare she? How dare she take what’s mine? How dare she get so close to Caden? And go on that vacation with him?Did she learn nothing from the past? Is she not afraid that the way she’s going, she’s making an enemy out of me? Out of Astrid? Does she even know whom she’s messing with?I curl my fingers around the glass of water on the table, before tossing it away against the wall too.It shatt
[Vivienne]I have to say, Caden has a way of doing things that not only gets his work done, but also leaves the other party too confused yet satisfied for their own good.Now, I’m not saying that being shoved against the door and having his face so ridiculously close to mine is satisfying in some weird kind of way, but it surely is leaving me confused for sure.“What are you doing, Caden?” I cannot help but ask, finally able to find my voice after a minute of intimate staring and a confusingly beating heart.I know being jealous has always been Caden’s strongest streak, but I never thought he was jealous because of me. Not that I have deliberately tried to make him feel that way. Ever. It was always him, surrounded by Sasha and her dramatic ways, making me feel like a third wheel of sorts.I try to push him away, but he doesn’t dare budge. His dark eyes remain stuck on mine, his hands clasped around my waist.“Whatever you think.”I sigh, reminding myself once again how wrong everythi
[Caden]After spending almost the entire day at the clinic, when we return to our hotel suite, Ben and Axel drop dead the second their heads hit the pillow.Vivienne, on the other hand, excuses herself for a quick shower and a change of clothes, while I decide to do the same.However, before I pick out my clothes from the wardrobe, my phone starts to ring.Astrid’s name flashes on the screen, and I almost roll my eyes.Almost. Instead, I answer. “Speak.”"Are you serious, Caden?" she asks, so loudly that I have to pull the phone away from my ear a little."What's the matter?""What's the matter?" she repeats, as if she can't quite believe I asked her something so boldly. "What isn't the matter? When the hell were you going to tell me that you were going to Japan with that ex of yours? When, huh? Is this how you treat me now? Keeping me in the dark while having a vacation at some royal hotel suite?"I pinch the bridge of my nose, already feeling a headache brewing. "It's not a vacation
[Vivienne]Caden was right when he told me that Dr. Kaito is not just another doctor in a lab coat with a stethoscope looped around his neck.Oh, no. He’s so much more than that.To be honest, I have never seen a professional doctor quite like him.First of all, he’s not dressed like one.Secondly, he doesn’t talk like one either. No complicated medical words with him. No unnecessary attempt to appease us or assure us. And certainly not interested in the fact that Caden and I are among the richest people in the world.The moment we stepped into his cabin, his entire attention has been on Axel only.Which, of course, I’m glad for, but still. He really asked us nothing. Not his medical history. Not his symptoms. Not even his age, or how long he has been like this.The only thing I have done since we took seats on the couch across from his long desk is hold my breath and keep my mouth shut.Now, almost an hour has passed, and Dr. Kaito and Axel finally return their attention to us.Dr. K
[Vivienne]“Dr. Kaito will see you now,” the receptionist announced.I look up from my lap and glance around for the hundredth time.Ever since we walked into the building, I have been nervous as hell—and for all the right reasons, I would like to say.For the first time, Dr. Kaito will see Axel, and my son will get to know if he’ll ever get to see like normal kids out there. And that thought alone makes me feel all kinds of anxious. Never in my life have I been this nervous. My palms are sweating, my legs are shaking, and my throat feels dry beyond rationality. My brain is a complex mishmash of positivity and negativity. It’s not like I want to think of the worst, but my heart doesn’t know how to handle this situation without taking everything into account.I need to know how this meeting can go. I need to know so I will be ready for whatever the outcome might be.“Are you alright?” Caden’s familiar deep voice arrives from next to me. He’s probably wondering why I haven’t moved from
[Vivienne]Caden’s about to press his lips to mine, and I’m about to allow it, when something growls so loudly in the room, we both pause, turn stiff, and stare at each other for one long moment.Then, we both burst into laughter.Caden’s face dips into the crook of my neck while I feel embarrassed and giddy at the same time.The thing that growled?My stomach.Caden finally lifts his head, dark eyes crinkling with all the lightheartedness in the world. “You’re hungry.”“Yup,” I mumble, trying to look away but can’t. It’s as if I’m still in some kind of trance, and looking away will break it. “Did I forget to mention?”He shakes his head, and then, thankfully, gets up. Back on his feet, he helps me sit up and then runs a hand through his dark hair. “I’ll order something for you.”“It’s okay.” I try to stand up too, but he grabs me by the shoulders and gently pushes me back on the couch.“No. I’ll order. Just tell me what you need.”I could easily argue with him there, but something in
[Caden]I haven’t even told her everything yet, and I already feel like so much weight has been lifted off my shoulders.Makes me wonder: why didn’t I do it before? What was I waiting for? What worse could have happened if I had taken that kind of risk?But I can’t rebuff my fears either.It’s hard for me to accept—or confess—but my fears weren’t exactly baseless.When you’ve faced disappointment and betrayal so early in life, it makes you wary of trusting literally anyone—sometimes even your own judgment. And that’s what happened to us. Even though everything inside me approved of Vivienne and we ended up getting married, I still couldn’t get rid of this constant fear and suspicion that somehow she would betray me too—that she would leave me when I was at my lowest, and I’d be able to do nothing but hold myself responsible for letting another person get close to my heart.I’m about to question if my attempt to open up right now is even worth the effort when I finally look up and find