Chapter 40: Eva's Point of ViewI can't breathe. The smoke is everywhere. My chest hurts so bad. It feels like someone is squeezing all the air out of me. The prison is on fire, and I can't see anything through all the smoke. My whole body feels weak, like I just ran for miles.I try to stand up. M
Chapter 41: Eva's Point of ViewI looked around the big room. I didn't know how I got here or where I was. The room was really fancy with nice furniture and a big, shiny chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The walls had lots of paintings on them. It was like those rich homes I saw in movies. All o
"Hello, Eva," he said in a steady voice. "I know this must feel like too much, but we're here to help you. To make sure you're safe."I felt tears starting to come to my eyes. I'd been alone for such a long time, trying to survive by myself, going through really hard things that nobody should have t
Chapter 42: Eva's Point of ViewI couldn't sleep. Not really. You know that feeling when your mind just won't shut up? That's how I felt, sitting on my bed as the sun started to peek through my curtains. My whole body felt heavy, like I was carrying rocks in my pockets, but my brain wouldn't let me
Chapter 43 Sara's Point of ViewThe morning sun pours through our windows, making bright spots on our living room floor. I'm sitting on the couch with my legs tucked under me, just like I used to do when I was small. Mom's next to me, and her coffee's getting cold on the table. We can't stop watchi
Chapter 44MAX POINT OF VIEW The sun is setting outside my study. Its light makes long shadows on my floor. I sit at my desk, tapping my fingers on the wood. The quiet in here feels heavy, like it's hard to breathe. My eyes keep going to her picture in the corner. Eva's picture. No one has touched
I look up at her picture, my eyes wet. "I wanted to just hate you. But now I'm lost. You should have been my friend, my partner. Instead, you became my enemy. Now you're gone, and I don't know who I am."More whiskey. Anything to stop the memories. But they come anyway. I remember when we were kids,
Chapter 45: Eva's Point of ViewThe afternoon sun shimes through the curtains of the big living room, casting warm patches of light on the floor. I sit on the plush sofa beside my grandmother, her hands knitting quietly, the rhythm of the needles soothing. I take a deep breath, feeling the weight o
Max’s Point of View It was the first time in weeks that we had something close to peace. Eva actually smiled, really smiled, as the kids worked on their fort, a chaotic masterpiece of pillows, sheets, and blankets piled high in the living room. It was the kind of moment I had been desperate for, t
Chapter 254 Sara’s Point of View I spread the financial documents across my desk, my gut twisting with unease. Something wasn’t right. Something about Martha Taylor’s spending habits gnawed at me, like an itch just beneath the surface of my skin. "Look at this," I said, pushing the credit card st
*** *** *** ***** I woke at dawn, Josh's words from last night echoing in my head. Time to prove to my family they came first. Starting with breakfast, real breakfast, like we used to have before everything fell apart. The kitchen was quiet as I pulled out ingredients. Pancake batter mixed with ch
Max point of view The bar was quiet at midnight, just me, Josh, and a bottle of scotch between us. The same drink that had started this whole mess five years ago. "Eva's right," I said, staring into my glass. "I'm destroying everything. My kids asked about divorce today, Josh. Divorce. They're fi
"Daddy?" Mia's voice trembled. "Are you leaving us?" And in that moment, looking between my wife's tears and my children's fear, I realized exactly what my one night's mistake had cost. Because sometimes the hardest wounds come from the ones we love most. And sometimes there are no right choices,
Max point of view I found Eva in our bedroom, packing my remaining clothes into a suitcase with violent movements. "Martha told me what you said," I started, anger boiling beneath my calm. "Threatening her, calling Nathan illegitimate, acting like some queen on her throne." "Oh, did your mistres
Eva's Point of View The walls of my office at Brown Tower were made of glass and steel, but right now, they felt as unyielding as iron. Outside, the city stretched endlessly beneath me, a kingdom that belonged to my children. A kingdom I would protect with everything I had. The soft knock on the d
**** ***** I sat alone in my darkened office at midnight, a glass of scotch untouched before me. The same drink that had created this mess five years ago. Eva's words echoed in my head, mixing with memories of Nathan's hopeful face. "A bastard son," Eva had called him. The words made me sick. On
Max point of view I found Eva in our home office, papers spread across her desk. The look she gave me was colder than I'd ever seen. "The lawyers sent everything," she said, her voice arctic. "Their demands. The trust fund. The visitation schedules." "Eva..." "Fifty thousand dollars a month." S