The sky was gloomy with a strange tenseness as I walked out onto the balcony with my phone gripped in my tight fist. The blank screen greeted me with nothing missed calls, nothing messages—total deafening nothing from Giselle's end. I had been calling for days now and yet, absolutely nothing was coming through. In the depths of me, fear whispered a change of phone number by Giselle that successfully severed her from the world, including me.I brushed my hair one-handedly, getting more frustrated by the second. The city lights below twinkled like diamonds in the sea, the opposite of the tempest taking shape in my mind. I picked up the phone again, trying to call for the last time. The phone rang once, twice—then straight to voicemail. I muttered a curse under my breath.My phone rang in my hand at that moment. I glanced at the screen—it was Debbie. I took a deep breath and answered. "Hey, Debs.""Patrick, can you do me a favor?" she asked, her voice tight with worry and tension. "I don
Patrick's POVI tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, my patience wearing off second by second. Giselle's phone remained silent, and terror in my chest fell like a heavy balloon. It'd been days since I'd even gotten a call from her, and the longer she didn't ring, the worse my head struggled conclusions which I didn't want to think.The ring on my phone jolted me out of trance. I answered it in a hurry, but there was no chance when I glanced and saw my sister's name on the screen."Debbie?" I managed to say, struggling to maintain a steady voice."I'd have you drive me over to the hotel where the contestants are staying," she said in a whirlwind. "I don't want to ride on the same bus as the women."She was heart to heart, and I knew not to dismiss her concern. Debbie didn't play up, and if she wasn't fine, then something was seriously wrong."I'm coming," I said, shifting the car into gear.The drive over to her place was short, my focus split between Debbie not talking and what wa
Giselle's POVThe city sounds outside my hotel room window hummed like a distant lullaby as I shivered on the chaise lounge, staring at my phone. The screen was white, no call, no message. Patrick had called no one, nor did I call him. Half of me wanted to know where we were, but the other half didn't care.I breathed deeply and placed the phone on my side. Miss World was the following day, and I still had some of those last-minute things to sort out. However, my mind was preoccupied by a maelstrom of endless questions—Patrick, Victor, something somewhere in the background.As I was about to hoist myself up, there was a soft knock on the door of my suite. My throat was parched. Was it security? Had something occurred? I walked on my feet, clutching around me the silk robe that I had wrapped around my naked body, and crept up to the door."Who is it?" I asked."It's Nicholas," my brother's reassuringly familiar voice said over the telephone. I swung open the door at once and flung it w
I awoke to the quiet thrum of the air conditioner, cold blankets drawn high around me as if wrapping me in some kind of protection. Body had recovered and caught its breath, but mind was assailed with memories, questions, and theinine whine that somethings still hung over in the distance, threatening to unravel.I yawned, my whole body hurting from the strain of the last two days, and stretched out to grab my phone. No call from Patrick. That was not expected. Half of me had been expecting him to call a hundred times at least, but nothing. Perhaps he finally gave up. Or perhaps something else was preoccupying him.A gentle knock on my door brought me back to reality."Come on in," I said, shoulders propped against the headboard.Nicholas slid open the door and grinned, impossibly so, after all these years we'd spent living in secret. He placed a tray of breakfast on the nightstand and sat at the foot of my bed."How's it going?" he asked, never once looking away from mine."Good," I a
I woke up to the soothing whizz of sea waves on the windowpane, sea wind seeping through the almost-closed curtains. My body felt heavy, as if stuck with a sticky of laziness for days. I rolled over and threw my arm over to the bedside table where my phone rested. Missed calls and unread messages streamed before me.Patrick had been phoning me again.I cursed, sitting up and rubbing sleep from my eyes. I'd been staying away from him, not that I wasn't, but because my brain was in turmoil. My heart was a battleground, past and present, duty and desire.A knocking on the door to break me out of my trance."Come in," I roared, throwing the bed back.Nicholas came in, quieter than normal. "You did not call last night. I was frightened."I fabricated a small smile, attempting to bleed some of the tension from the moment. "I was tired. The party wore me out more than I anticipated."He crossed his arms, his eyes pinning me as he nailed me with them. "Or you were avoiding Patrick?"I winced
Giselle's POVThe sterile scent of antiseptic hung in the air as I sat on the hospital bed, my heart racing with anticipation. The doctor had just walked in, her kind eyes crinkling as she glanced at the file in her hands."Congratulations, Mrs. Von Howard," she said warmly, her voice pulling me out of my thoughts. "You're pregnant."Pregnant. The word echoed in my mind, a mix of disbelief and excitement surging through me. I stared at her, my breath caught in my chest."I'm pregnant?" I whispered, my hand instinctively moving to my stomach."Yes," the doctor confirmed with a smile. "About seven weeks along. Make sure you get plenty of rest, eat well, and avoid stress. It's crucial for both you and the baby."I nodded, my hand still resting on my stomach, where a tiny life was beginning to grow. A rush of emotions overwhelmed me—joy, disbelief, and a deep longing to share this moment with Patrick, my husband."I didn’t think it was possible," I murmured, my voice barely audible.The d
Giselle's POV“Well,” the doctor said cheerfully, “she’s two months along, and the baby is doing great.”Two months.Two. Months.I froze, the heartbreak of the revelation crashing down on me like a tidal wave. Becky wasn’t just pregnant, she had been pregnant long before I found out about my own child.“Two months,” I whispered to myself, my voice barely audible.I stared at the ceiling, the pieces of the puzzle clicking into place in my mind. Patrick had been lying to me for weeks, if not months. Every late-night meeting, every business trip, every excuse—it had all been a cover for his affair with Becky.I swallowed the sob threatening to escape and forced myself to stay silent.Patrick Hilton, my husband, wasn’t just cheating on me. He had gotten her pregnant, too.I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. All I could do was lie there, my world crumbling around me as I listened to the man I loved play the role of doting father-to-be for another woman.I clenched my fists, my nails dig
Giselle’s POV“Nothing,” Patrick said quickly, though his tone was uncertain.A single tear slid down my cheek as I stared at the phone lying beside me. l pick up my phone with my pulse and head back homeBack at Hilton's mansion, I was in my bedroom on the call with My brother Nicholas. I pressed my phone against my ear, trying to keep my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me. “Nicky, you have to trust me. Okay? I know what I’m doing.”Nicholas’ tone was sharp, his concern palpable even through the phone. “Why are you back at the Hilton’s place afterPatrick sent you those vile text messages? Gigi, this is insane!”“I just have to look at his face,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. “I need to look into his eyes and hear it from him. I know you're hurt. Confirming him like that will not gain you anything. Clearly, he has cheated on you. Gigi, please come back home.“I can’t,” I said firmly, my hands trembling as I gripped the phone tighter. “Not until I know the truth.
I woke up to the soothing whizz of sea waves on the windowpane, sea wind seeping through the almost-closed curtains. My body felt heavy, as if stuck with a sticky of laziness for days. I rolled over and threw my arm over to the bedside table where my phone rested. Missed calls and unread messages streamed before me.Patrick had been phoning me again.I cursed, sitting up and rubbing sleep from my eyes. I'd been staying away from him, not that I wasn't, but because my brain was in turmoil. My heart was a battleground, past and present, duty and desire.A knocking on the door to break me out of my trance."Come in," I roared, throwing the bed back.Nicholas came in, quieter than normal. "You did not call last night. I was frightened."I fabricated a small smile, attempting to bleed some of the tension from the moment. "I was tired. The party wore me out more than I anticipated."He crossed his arms, his eyes pinning me as he nailed me with them. "Or you were avoiding Patrick?"I winced
I awoke to the quiet thrum of the air conditioner, cold blankets drawn high around me as if wrapping me in some kind of protection. Body had recovered and caught its breath, but mind was assailed with memories, questions, and theinine whine that somethings still hung over in the distance, threatening to unravel.I yawned, my whole body hurting from the strain of the last two days, and stretched out to grab my phone. No call from Patrick. That was not expected. Half of me had been expecting him to call a hundred times at least, but nothing. Perhaps he finally gave up. Or perhaps something else was preoccupying him.A gentle knock on my door brought me back to reality."Come on in," I said, shoulders propped against the headboard.Nicholas slid open the door and grinned, impossibly so, after all these years we'd spent living in secret. He placed a tray of breakfast on the nightstand and sat at the foot of my bed."How's it going?" he asked, never once looking away from mine."Good," I a
Giselle's POVThe city sounds outside my hotel room window hummed like a distant lullaby as I shivered on the chaise lounge, staring at my phone. The screen was white, no call, no message. Patrick had called no one, nor did I call him. Half of me wanted to know where we were, but the other half didn't care.I breathed deeply and placed the phone on my side. Miss World was the following day, and I still had some of those last-minute things to sort out. However, my mind was preoccupied by a maelstrom of endless questions—Patrick, Victor, something somewhere in the background.As I was about to hoist myself up, there was a soft knock on the door of my suite. My throat was parched. Was it security? Had something occurred? I walked on my feet, clutching around me the silk robe that I had wrapped around my naked body, and crept up to the door."Who is it?" I asked."It's Nicholas," my brother's reassuringly familiar voice said over the telephone. I swung open the door at once and flung it w
Patrick's POVI tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, my patience wearing off second by second. Giselle's phone remained silent, and terror in my chest fell like a heavy balloon. It'd been days since I'd even gotten a call from her, and the longer she didn't ring, the worse my head struggled conclusions which I didn't want to think.The ring on my phone jolted me out of trance. I answered it in a hurry, but there was no chance when I glanced and saw my sister's name on the screen."Debbie?" I managed to say, struggling to maintain a steady voice."I'd have you drive me over to the hotel where the contestants are staying," she said in a whirlwind. "I don't want to ride on the same bus as the women."She was heart to heart, and I knew not to dismiss her concern. Debbie didn't play up, and if she wasn't fine, then something was seriously wrong."I'm coming," I said, shifting the car into gear.The drive over to her place was short, my focus split between Debbie not talking and what wa
The sky was gloomy with a strange tenseness as I walked out onto the balcony with my phone gripped in my tight fist. The blank screen greeted me with nothing missed calls, nothing messages—total deafening nothing from Giselle's end. I had been calling for days now and yet, absolutely nothing was coming through. In the depths of me, fear whispered a change of phone number by Giselle that successfully severed her from the world, including me.I brushed my hair one-handedly, getting more frustrated by the second. The city lights below twinkled like diamonds in the sea, the opposite of the tempest taking shape in my mind. I picked up the phone again, trying to call for the last time. The phone rang once, twice—then straight to voicemail. I muttered a curse under my breath.My phone rang in my hand at that moment. I glanced at the screen—it was Debbie. I took a deep breath and answered. "Hey, Debs.""Patrick, can you do me a favor?" she asked, her voice tight with worry and tension. "I don
Patrick's POVThe phone rang and rang and rang. No answer.I frowned at the screen, as the failed call again stuttered, the same loud robot voice speaking in my ear: The number you tried to reach is not currently available. Unavailable. As if she'd been unavailable for days.I let out a bitter breath, massaging the bridge of my nose. My chest tightened, the pressure searing at the cleft of my belly like flames. I had not been able to locate Giselle for what seemed like an eternity. I cautioned myself that I was not going to lose it. That she was maybe busy—maybe her phone was off, maybe she needed time—but somewhere inside me, deep in my heart, I knew that something went wrong. She would have called by now. She always did.The couch I was lying on was stubborn and unforgiving, but I barely noticed. My entire focus was on the phone, fingers going on autopilot to dial her number again against my will, cursing myself as I did for it being a waste of time. At my side, Becky rested her elb
Before her POV:Darkness engulfed me, dark and oppressive. My body was immobile. Pain ran through every limb of mine, a burning that never ceased to remind me I was alive.I forced my eyes open.A dim, wavering light spilled across the icy stone walls of what appeared to be a cell. My wrists were bound to the chair I sat in, metal cuffs biting into my skin. The air was thick with dampness and metal, the unmistakable smell of rust and dried blood.I panicked.I wriggled against the restraints, my wrists twisting, but they wouldn't move. I breathed and scanned the space. One door, and it was plated and reinforced, the kind that could not be beaten open by brute force.I was not merely captured.I was ambushed.I heard it then—deliberate, painstaking footfalls closing in on me.The door creaked wide, and there she was—the last human face on the planet I wanted to see.My mother.She came in, eyes as piercing as ever, mouth twisting into a snarl."You're awake. Good," she said with a prac
Giselle's POVAs I stepped out of the café, I knew my decision hung over me like a cloud ready to pour rain on me. War. A war I never intended to wage. A war I never thought I would ever have to wage for my own mother.The dark SUV parked at the curb with tinted windows did not conceal Nicholas' figure within. I got in, closing the door behind me as the vehicle accelerated from the drop-off location.Nicholas sat across from me on the bench, arms crossed, expressionless face. Victor drove, grasping the wheel."Talk," Nicholas told me curtly.I swallowed thickly in my throat, my mother's words ringing within my mind."They don't want me killed," I finally said. "They want me to be their leader."Nicholas's jaw snapped shut. "And you said no."I glared him down. "Of course I did."Victor snorted in a quick laugh. "Well, isn't that just peachy. We're all toast."I glared at him. "What was I supposed to do, Victor? Say yes? Become the thing that we've been trying to blow up?Nicholas push
Giselle's POVChilling winter air sliced across my flesh as we stumbled out of the burning ballroom. Sirens wailed in the distance, gunpowder and smoke clinging to my gown. My heart still pounding, my breathing hitching unevenly, Victor dragged me forward."Come on, Giselle," he snarled, his grip firm on my wrist.Nicholas's car skidded to a stop before us, doors swinging open. "Get in, now!" he shouted.I didn't hesitate.Once everyone was inside, Nicholas slammed down the accelerator, speeding through city streets. There were no longer shots being fired at us behind, but everyone inside the car was tense.I gazed at my trembling hands. My mom. She'd been playing along with The Dominion the whole time.A chill started to set in my chest."She lied to me," I breathed, more to myself than to anyone.Victor beside me released a deep sigh. "She didn't lie, Giselle. She's manipulated us the entire time."Nicholas's knuckles whitened around the steering wheel. "We can't trust anyone anymor