POV: LAUREN
His voice faltered on the last line. His eyes were so blue—filled with tears that pooled like shimmering puddles at the edges of his lashes. He looked up at me, his breathing fast, his cheeks flushed with emotion.
“Are you sure about this, Fairy?” he stammered, his voice tight with emotion. “I… I heard Aunt Kate say you were leaving… How can I be a big brother if you’re not going to be here?”
I felt the ground shift beneath my feet. The fear in his eyes was like a knife slowly pressing into my chest. It hurt. It hurt in a way that made me swallow hard and take a deep breath just to keep from breaking down right there.
“Aunt Kate talks too much.” I said firmly, shooting a look at my friend, who immediately looked away and pretended to study the ceiling as if it had suddenly become fascinating.
I kneeled in front of him an
POV: LAUREN“Lauren, I’m sorry.” Kate murmured, eyes lowered, avoiding mine. “I have to go. I won’t be able to take Theodor back today.”She looked exhausted. Her face was tense, her shoulders stiff. That phone call had shaken her more than she wanted to admit.“Hey, it’s okay,” I said, gently squeezing her hand. “I’ll take Theo tomorrow. I’ll let Henry know. And… if you need anything, call me—any time.”“I know,” she replied in a muffled tone. Then she pulled me into a tight hug, like someone who needed to hold onto something before falling apart.“But this… this is something I have to face on my own.”I nodded, respecting her silence, even though my heart clenched at seeing her so vulnerable. I watched as she walked away, slowly, like every step weighed a ton.
POV: HENRYLucian was standing in front of my desk, his fists pressed firmly against the wood. The veins in his arms bulged, his fingers nearly pale from the tension. His jaw was clenched, eyes locked on mine, waiting for a reaction I had zero patience to give.I tilted my head, impatient, and brought the whiskey glass to my lips with the calm of someone who had already passed every stage of anger. The alcohol burned as it went down, but the sting was nothing compared to the rage eating me alive.“They deserve to die for what they did.” My voice came out low and steady, leaving no room for interpretation.Lucian didn’t reply right away. He sat down across from me with a sharp creak of the chair against the floor. He started tapping his fingers on the desk—rhythmic, annoying—like he was trying to gauge how close I was to blowing up.“Mia actually thought she could show up here with that crazy saint face and pretend we slept together.” I went on, full of disdain. “She drugged me. Knocke
POV: HENRY“When Kate got there, the chaos had already started. Her mom was surrounded by armed security, pressured, threatened... my uncle was ready to make an example out of her. Kate freaked out. She tried to reason with them, to defend her, but no one there was about to listen to someone with a dirty last name and a pile of debt.” He paused, like he was choosing his words carefully. “She only avoided being dragged in with her because, when she saw my photo hanging in my uncle’s office, she said—without blinking—that she was my girlfriend. That we’d been together for months. She tried to sell a convincing story.”I choked on my drink the exact second he finished the sentence, coughing and thumping my chest.“Girlfriend?!” I repeated, clearing my throat in disbelief. “Should I congratulate you or ask when exactly you decided to start living in that fantasy?”“It never happened,” Lucian replied, gripping the glass, so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “But I didn’t deny it. I j
POV: LAURENI gripped the doorknob tightly, trying to control the shaking in my fingers. My heart was beating so fast and so hard it actually hurt, like every thump was a reminder of what I had lost… or what I still felt. It had been a long time since I last saw Henry Carter—and that was no accident. I had been avoiding him. Hiding like a coward because I didn’t know how to deal with the chaos he left inside me. I fell for him in a way I never thought possible. I was his. Completely. And even now, just the thought of facing him made something inside me fall apart.I took a deep breath, and before I could hesitate again, I opened the door.He was there. So real. So absurdly handsome, just like I remembered. His hand, raised midair to knock, froze in place. His eyes locked onto mine—intense, that impossible shade of blue, like they could see straight through everything I was trying to hide. The corner of his lip
POV: LAURENThe pain I felt now wasn’t just physical. It was the weight of choices, silence, and heartbreak all stacked together. I had ruined everything. That was the truth I fought against every single night. Whatever we could’ve been—me, Henry, Theo, and now Alice—I had destroyed it.And as if Alice wanted to remind me she was there too, that all of this affected her as well, another kick came. Stronger. Deeper. A sharp jolt knocked the air out of me for a second, and I instinctively placed my hand on the side of my belly. I closed my eyes and let out a soft, muffled groan. I wanted to play it off and pretend it was just minor discomfort, but I couldn’t.When I opened my eyes, Henry was already standing.“Are you okay, Becker?” Henry’s voice had changed—firm, alert. His hand touched my shoulder directly, without hesitation. Warm. Familiar.
POV: LAURENI wanted to pull away. I wanted to create distance. But everything in me screamed for the closeness I had avoided for so long. And I hated myself for still wanting it. For craving his touch, his voice, the comfort only he could give me. Because none of it was fair.Not to me. Not to him. Not to Theo or Alice.The tear slipped out before I could stop it. I reached for my face automatically, trying to hide it—but he saw.Henry stood up slowly, saying nothing at first. His fingers touched my face gently, and his thumb wiped away the tear in a gesture so intimate it took my breath away. His hand stayed there, holding my face, and in that touch there was something strange—a mix of care and provocation. Like he knew exactly what he was doing to me.I held my breath. My heart sped up, and inside, everything was spinning. It wasn’t just the touch—it was the way he l
POV: LAURENMy head was a whirlwind of voices, and none of them would let me breathe. The hurt pulsed like an open wound. The memory of that article… Mia in his lap, as if his past still had more power than I ever would. And the pain of remembering that night, the hope I carried in my chest when I was about to tell him everything. How I desperately wished he would accept being the father of my child. How I dreamed of a life by his side. As his wife. As a family.I felt my eyes welling up. I tried blinking slowly to hold back the tears, but they pooled in silence, forming a thin line of shine that made me feel… small. Weak. Useless.Part of me wanted to scream. To beg for forgiveness. To say I had been an idiot, that yes, I had lied—but only because I was scared, insecure, and confused. I wanted him to know that everything I felt for him had been real. So intense, it still consumed me today.But
POV: HENRYI stayed silent for a few seconds, trying to control my breathing. My chest rose and fell in an erratic rhythm, still tasting the kiss that shouldn’t have happened. I looked at her, and she stared back at me with red, watery, confused eyes full of hurt.I hadn’t planned any of that. Furthermore, I didn’t go there to kiss her or to touch her like that. But all it took was one gesture, one sigh, one hesitation—and I got lost again. Just like I always did with her.I noticed her agitation. The way her fingers moved restlessly in her lap, her eyes constantly avoiding mine, shifting back to Theo. She was uncomfortable, on the verge of a breakdown. When she got up from the couch with a weak excuse, saying she was going to make something, I knew it was an escape. And this time, I wasn’t going to let her run. I stood up too and followed her, feeling a tight pressure in my chest that I didn’t want to admit was fear.Fear of losing her. Fear that it might already be too late.“Lauren
POV: VIOLETI froze for a second. My stomach twisted. A chill ran down my spine, followed by a hot, acidic wave rising to my face.“What?!” I screamed, my voice cracking, the shock unraveling me from the inside. “That’s a lie! That bitch is trying to fool everyone again!”“It’s not a lie.” Ravi kept chewing slowly, savoring every second of my reaction. “I saw the first ultrasound. I was around at the beginning of the pregnancy. And, by the timing, she and Henry weren’t together yet.” He let out a short, soulless laugh. “When I hinted that I knew the truth, Lauren freaked out. She cried, stuttered, and totally lost it.”My fingers started tingling. Rage blinded me. That filthy whore could destroy all our plans and ruin my comfortable life.“That damn bitch… pretending to be fragile, innocent, sweet&hellip
POV: VIOLET“Talk, Ravi… I heard you wanted to see me.” My voice came out impatient, forced, as I removed the damn cucumber slices from my eyes and kept my hands extended, fingers stiff, waiting for the manicurist to finish applying the polish.He walked in like he owned the place. That smug smile, his eyes scanning every corner of my living room with a kind of contempt so well-disguised it almost looked like charm. Almost.“You really moved up in life, cousin,” he muttered, his voice slow, dripping with sarcasm, like poison seeping through. “When you said you’d manage to rope in a billionaire, I thought it was just one of your delusions. But you pulled it off. What a pathetic show.”I rolled my eyes and scoffed.“Did you come here to be jealous?” I shot back, with a mocking smile I knew would trigger the same fury in him that he stirred in me. I
POV: LAUREN“Forget about it, Lauren,” Henry murmured in a low, husky voice, caressing my bare arms with firm fingers, sending immediate shivers all over my body. “Mia didn’t get what she wanted that night. And she’s going to pay for every damn second of it. I’ve already filed a lawsuit against her and James. The media may have bought that manipulative liar’s story, but I have enough evidence to destroy them both.”I closed my eyes for a second, feeling the weight of reality mix with everything I feared. I opened my mouth, hesitant, trying to find steadiness in my voice.“And you think she won’t fight back?” I asked, sitting up in bed, sliding my fingers across his bare chest. The touch felt natural yet full of tension. My fingers trembled slightly, and still, he shuddered under the contact, as if every gesture of mine still affected him deeply.“That doesn’t matter to me,” he replied firmly, and in one swift move
POV: LAURENI closed my eyes, biting my lips, trying to catch my breath, but the words slipped out in a trembling whisper, full of emotion:“I accept...” I managed to say in a breathy, needy murmur.I rested my head on his shoulder, searching for his face. Our eyes met for a brief second before his lips crashed into mine with raw hunger. The kiss was wet, deep, desperate. We moaned at the same time, and in that moment, he thrust into me all at once, filling me completely. I let out a long, drawn-out moan, pushing my hips back, wanting more, wanting everything.“I love you, Henry Carter,” I confessed without fear, between heavy breaths, feeling my body open entirely for him.He turned me to face him with ease, lifted me off the floor like I weighed nothing, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. Our bodies were pressed together—skin to skin, sweat to sweat. When h
POV: LAURENI took a step back, but he moved forward too, until he pinned me against the cold wall of the room. The contrast between his warm touch and the hard plaster behind me sent a shiver through my entire body.His eyes were dark, intense, almost wild. Lust, desire, passion, anger, pain—all mixed in a stare that pierced right through me.“Do you love me?” the question came out dry, direct.“Henry, that doesn’t matter right now. This is crazy.” I tried to argue, but my voice came out weak, hesitant.“Do you love me?” he repeated, even more firmly. The tone was commanding, impossible to ignore. I felt a tremor run through my body. The wall behind me seemed to vanish under the weight of his presence.I closed my eyes for a second. The knot in my throat tightened even more. I couldn’t lie anymore. Not to myself. Not t
POV: LAUREN“What I should have done on the night of our date… when everything went wrong,” Henry replied, his voice heavy with intensity.I frowned, confused, watching as he opened a small box. Inside, there was a ring with a brilliant blue stone that reflected the light in the room. It was mesmerizing. Beside it, a folded note with my handwriting.“What is this?” I exclaimed, a lump forming in my throat. My hands visibly trembled as I brought them to my lips, in shock.“Our marriage was forged through a contract,” he began, his voice now lower but steady. “But I want it to be real, Lauren. I had this ring made especially for you. These stones are rare and unique, just like you.”My tears started falling uncontrollably, burning my eyes. There was so much about him that confused me: the provocative touch, the almost cruel desire, the domin
POV: LAURENHis hands slowly slid up my bare thigh, firm and commanding. The shirt I was wearing—his shirt—lifted gradually, revealing my skin as his fingers pressed with intention, claiming territory. The loose fabric, which looked more like a dress on me, rose along with the tension spreading through my body. And he didn’t stop kissing me. Henry’s mouth was locked on mine—hot, demanding, hungry. His tongue explored mine with such urgency, like he wanted to erase every boundary between us and take everything I was.A shiver ran up my spine when I felt his fingers slide into the crease between my thighs, teasing with soft, circular strokes over my most sensitive spot. My body arched, trembling beneath him, and my lip caught between my teeth to hold back a moan. My lungs gasped for air between one sigh and the next.“Henry…” I whispered, my voice weak, shaking, fighting against the storm
POV: LAUREN“Henry, please… you’re exhausted. Today was a hard day.” I tried to stay calm, but my voice cracked. I just wanted to stop him. Furthermore, I wanted to silence him before his words shattered me completely.“It’s been hard since we broke up!” he burst out, his voice firm and full of pain, throwing the truth at me without any filter. My body frozen. My eyes widened, and I felt the blood drain from my face. “Theodor ran away because he couldn’t handle the pain of not seeing us together anymore. And I know exactly how much that hurts. Every single day, Lauren. I hate coming home and not finding you here. I hate the silence. Furthermore, I hate not hearing Theo’s laughter echoing through the rooms while you two played. Furthermore, I hate this empty, cold bed—where you used to throw yourselves into my arms, barely leaving me space but filling me with so much more love. I hate prete
POV: LAURENI watched him grab two towels and one of his oversized shirts—the kind that always wrapped around my whole body.“Go dry off and warm up, please. I don’t want you getting sick, especially now… it wouldn’t be good for you or the baby,” Henry said, his voice softer and more careful than usual.I felt my stomach tighten when I heard him mention the baby. Furthermore, I was speechless for a few seconds.“You don’t have to, Carter,” I murmured with a weak smile. “I… I’ll go back home.”Even as I said that, my body was lightly trembling, my feet still damp, clothes clinging to my skin. I was tired, emotionally drained—but what hurt the most was the way he made me feel, just by the way he looked at me. As if he was saying everything he couldn’t put into words.“It’s