I stumbled to a nearby bench, my legs finally giving out. The reality of what had just happened crashed over me in waves. My father was dead. The last connection to my childhood, my past, was gone forever. And his last days had been filled with conflict and stress because of those women... because o
I nodded weakly, allowing him to guide me to his car. As he opened the passenger door for me, I caught sight of Sara and her mother leaving the hospital. Josh must have seen them too, because his arm tightened protectively around my shoulders. "Don't even think about it," he warned them quietly as
"How dare you?" I seethed. "How DARE you try to blame me for this? Ever since you two came into our lives, everything has fallen apart!" Sara flinched, but I wasn't finished. The words poured out like a flood. "You manipulated him, turned him against me, his own daughter! You played the perfect fa
"I..." My voice cracked. "Grandmother, Dad is..." "I know, my darling," she said, her own voice thick with emotion. "It's all over the news. Oh, my sweet girl I'm so sorry." In the background, I could hear the children playing, their innocent laughter a stark contrast to the heaviness in my heart.
Chapter 155 Emily's Point of View The ice clinked in my glass as I swirled the amber liquid, a satisfied smile playing on my lips. The news of Williams' death still felt surreal, like a dream I might wake up from at any moment. But it wasn't a dream. We had finally succeeded. The private room at
"To new beginnings," I whispered to my reflection, watching my smile grow wider in the darkened glass. "And to sweet, sweet revenge." The ice in my glass had melted, diluting the expensive whiskey, but I hardly noticed. In my mind, I was already rehearsing my performance at the bank, imagining Eva'
Chapter 156 Max's Point of View The sharp clatter of the pen against my mahogany desk startled me out of my daze. I hadn't meant to drop it, but my hands were trembling too much to maintain a steady grip. The spacious corner office that had always been my sanctuary now felt like a prison, its wall
Chapter 157 Max's Point of View The world around me blurred into an indistinct haze as my gaze locked onto the children playing in the sprawling garden. Four of them. Four small, vibrant lives filled with an innocence that made my heart ache. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the man
"Age is just a number," Leo declared grandly, another line I suspected came from Eva's romantic comedies. "And my heart wants what it wants." "Your heart wanted to marry the pizza delivery girl last week," Sam reminded him. "That was before I met Clara," Leo said with dignity. Then he turned back
Chapter 187 Max's Point Of View I stared at the stack of reports on my desk, each one thicker than the last, but none containing the answers I needed. Finding Emily's secrets was like trying to catch smoke, just when we thought we had a lead, it would slip through our fingers. "Mr. Graves?" Clar
Chapter 186 Max point of view I sat at Eva's dining room table, watching my kids do their homework. It had been a week since the cookie incident, and things were... well, different. Not perfect, but different. James was actually letting me help him with his math now. He still rolled his eyes whe
Chapter 185 Eva's point of view I got up from the floor as fast as I could, trying to brush cookie crumbs out of my hair. My face felt like it was on fire as I met Josh's stare. Even though he's only a few years older than me, that look on his face still made me feel like a little kid who got cau
Chapter 184 Max sat on the living room floor, surrounded by opened presents and four very different reactions to his presence. Mia beamed at him, clutching her new stuffed unicorn like it was made of gold. The boys, however, radiated waves of barely contained hostility that made the room feel ten d
"Sometimes," Sam continued, his young voice unnaturally steady, "she would look at pictures and get really quiet. Was that because of you too?" I swallowed hard. "Yes." "Then why should we want you here?" Leo demanded. "You hurt Mom. You didn't want us." "That's not true," I said quickly, too qui
Chapter 183 MAX POINT OF VIEW My hands wouldn't stop sweating on the steering wheel as I pulled up to Eva's house. The trunk was loaded with wrapped presents, toys, books, games, everything I could think of that five-year-olds might like. But somewhere deep in my gut, I knew no mountain of gifts c
Chapter 182 Mia couldn't contain her excitement as she ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Her heart was racing, but not from the climb. She'd just overheard the most amazing news, and she had to tell her siblings right away. Their dad was coming to see them tomorrow! She burst into Jame
Opening my laptop, I pulled up Emily's company records. If she and Sara were behind everything that has been happening, they must have left some trace. People always did, no matter how careful they were. I just had to find it before they made their next move. Financial records, meeting minutes, trav