117Anthony was in a state of panic as he heard the commotion in his home. He had never experienced anything like this before and was frozen with fear, not knowing what to do. He heard gunshots and screams coming from various parts of the mansion, and he knew that he and his staff were in danger.Cody and his gang were ruthless as they searched the mansion for anything valuable. One of the housekeepers tried to run, but Cody caught up with them and shot them dead. The others were forced to stay in a room and stay quiet, afraid for their lives.As Cody and his gang searched the mansion, they found phones and devices and smashed them on the floor. They also searched the pockets of Anthony, Nolan, Alexa, and the staff for any other phones and smashed them as they found them. It was clear that they didn't want anyone calling for help.Once they were done, Cody ordered the members to stay put as they gathered furniture from upstairs to take. Only four members were left to watch over the 15
CHAPTER 118Cody knew David would help Alexa and called him an idiot for even stepping out of line. Alexa noticed Jade pointing a gun at Cody and tried to distract him as she shot at him around the house. The staff were getting free one by one and attacking the members by throwing expensive items they took from upstairs. Alexa helped Anthony free from the ropes and helped him up. Suddenly, they heard police sirens alarming nearby, and Nolan asked who called the cops. Alexa lied that maybe some of the staff did.As Anthony tried to walk, he was shot on his thigh by one of the gang members. Cody shot Jade, who jumped behind Alexa to stop him from shooting her friend. Alexa was shocked and let Nolan and Anthony escape while she carried Jade outside. Cody noticed and heard the police siren, so he shot at Alexa's leg, making her fall. This made Nolan stop to check on Alexa.Alexa's mind raced as she lay on the ground in agony, holding her bleeding leg. She knew she had to stay focused and
119The police finally arrived at the mansion, sirens blaring as they rushed towards the scene. An ambulance followed closely behind, the paramedics on high alert as they prepared for the worst. As they entered the mansion's grounds, they were met with chaos and confusion, screams ringing out from every direction.Alexa watched as the paramedics rushed towards Jade, who lay on the ground in critical condition. Her heart raced as she realized the gravity of the situation, and she couldn't help but feel helpless in the face of such violence. How had a simple dinner party turned into a nightmare?As she turned her attention back to Cody, she could see him marching his way towards Nolan and Anthony. With a sense of urgency, Alexa rushed towards him, grabbing hold of his leg to try and stop him in his tracks. The sudden force almost caused him to lose his balance, but he quickly regained his composure and turned his gun towards Nolan and Anthony.Nolan desperately tried to drag Anthony awa
120The news of Anthony's death had hit Nolan and Alexa like a ton of bricks. They were both devastated, but in their own ways. Alexa blamed herself for not calling the police sooner, while Nolan withdrew into himself and didn't talk to anyone.At the hospital, Nolan stayed silent while listening to the doctors' reports alongside Alexa. The doctors had already told them that Anthony had died when he was shot. Alexa knew it was her fault for not calling the police sooner. She couldn't help but feel responsible for what had happened.They stayed at the hospital for a while, visiting the staff that had suffered during the invasion and checking up on their families. Nolan had offered to pay for their hospital expenses and even compensated for their stay until their recovery. Alexa was surprised that without hesitation, Nolan would do such a thing, and it made her guilt grow even more.In her mind, she wished that Anthony had survived the robbery. She hoped that he would have been able to
121After the funeral, the mansion that once stood as a symbol of power and wealth was now a hollow shell of its former self. The staff who had survived the brutal invasion had been sent home to recover, and the mansion was left empty, with the exception of Nolan and Alexa.Nolan had retreated to his room and refused to leave. He didn't bother to hire new staff to keep the mansion's state at bay. Every day, Alexa would spend her time making food for Nolan and prepping a nice hot bath for him to have. She would inform him of the food and the bath, but all she could ever get was the sound of his cries under his bed sheet.Alexa felt helpless in the face of Nolan's grief. She knew that he needed time to heal, but she also knew that he couldn't spend the rest of his life in his room. She tried to talk to him, to comfort him, but he refused to open up to her.Days turned into weeks, and Alexa's concern for Nolan grew. She didn't know what else to do. She spent her days trying to take care
122Alexa looked at Jade with concern in her eyes. "What are you planning on doing now that you're free from Cody?" she asked softly.Jade looked up at Alexa, tears streaming down her face. "I don't know," she replied, her voice trembling. "David was the only person who ever loved me, and now he's gone. I feel so lost."Alexa put her hand on Jade's shoulder, trying to offer some comfort. "I'm so sorry, Jade. I can't even imagine what you're going through right now."Jade sniffled and wiped her tears away. "It's okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "I'm just grateful to be alive, thanks to you."Alexa gave her a small smile. "I'm just glad I could help."Jade looked away for a moment, deep in thought. "I think I'm going to move somewhere no one knows me," she said, finally looking back at Alexa. "Start over, you know?"Alexa nodded understandingly. "I get it. Sometimes a fresh start is what we need to move on."Jade smiled weakly. "Yeah. And I think it's best if I keep my distance fr
123As Alexa walks out of the hospital, she sees a man in a trench coat with a detective badge hanging from his pocket. He's a tall man with short grey hair, and his face is stern and serious. Alexa approaches him cautiously, wondering what he could want with her."Excuse me," she says, "can I help you with something?"The detective looks her up and down before speaking. "Are you Alexa? Saw you somewhere before. Do you know me?"The detective was a towering figure, with broad shoulders and a chiseled jawline. His piercing blue eyes seemed to see through the surface of things, as if he had the ability to discern a person's deepest secrets with a single glance. His dark hair was meticulously groomed, and his suit was perfectly tailored to fit his muscular frame.As he approached Alexa, she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. This man was no ordinary detective. His very presence seemed to demand respect, and his steely gaze made it clear that he was not one to be trifled with.His
124The guilt was eating Alexa up from the inside like a slow poison. She felt like a sinner who had committed the most unforgivable crime. The weight of her guilt was so heavy that she felt like she was carrying a boulder on her back every time she entered the mansion. The once-beautiful mansion now felt like a haunted house that reminded her of the grave mistake she had committed.The thought of confessing to Nolan crossed her mind several times, but she couldn't muster the courage to do so. She feared that he would never forgive her and would end up hating her forever. After losing Anthony, she couldn't bear the thought of losing another person she loved.Despite her guilt, Alexa continued to take care of the mansion all by herself. Nolan hadn't left his room since the day of the funeral, and Alexa knew that he needed time to grieve. But it didn't stop her from taking care of the mansion's needs. She dusted every corner, scrubbed every surface, and trimmed the garden back into its
Alexa didn't hesitate to run into them, embracing him tightly as she buried her face in his shoulder. Nolan's arms wrapped around her just as tightly, holding her close as they both cried.It felt like they stayed that way for an eternity, just holding each other and letting out all the emotions they had been bottling up for so long. When they finally pulled away, Alexa looked up at Nolan, still unable to believe he was really there.Without a word, Nolan leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, the kiss filled with all the love and longing they had been keeping hidden for so long. Alexa's arms wrapped around his neck as she kissed him back, tears still streaming down her face.As they finally pulled away, Nolan took her hand and led her to a nearby bench. They sat down together, still holding hands as they looked into each other's eyes. Nolan took a deep breath before speaking."I'm so sorry, Alexa," he said, his voice filled with regret. "I should have never left like that, I shoul
159Alexa had been carrying the burden of not telling her son Anthony about his father for so long. She knew that Nolan hated her for what happened between them, but she still wanted Anthony to know the truth about his biological father. She had talked about it with her best friend Jade and decided to take matters into her own hands. Days had passed since Alexa wrote the letter to Nolan, and she had been anxiously waiting for his reply. She kept checking her phone for any email or message from him, but there was nothing. She even checked her mailbox day and night, hoping to see a letter from him. But as the days went by, she slowly accepted the fact that Nolan might never respond. Alexa felt heartbroken and disappointed, but she knew that it was what she had expected from him. She had made peace with the fact that Nolan hated her, and that she had to do what was right for her son. Instead of moping around her apartment, she decided to spend the weekend with her kids and Jade. Alexa
CHAPTER 158Alexa woke up to the sound of Nolan's voice singing his latest song, "Echoes of You". She smiled and pressed play again, letting the melody fill her ears. She couldn't help but hum along with the chorus, "You're the echoes of me, the echoes of you, and I'm lost in between, what's false and what's true."As she got ready for her day, Alexa continued to listen to the song on repeat, even while she was in the shower. She was so caught up in the melody that she didn't even realize she was humming along with it until she stepped out and heard herself in the silence.Alexa spent the whole day at school with Nolan's song stuck in her head. She couldn't focus on anything else, not even the lessons, and found herself humming the tune whenever she had the chance to, without even noticing it.As the week passed by, Alexa was approached by a girl at break time. She was minding her own business, eating her meal when the girl came up to her chuckling. The girl pulled out a banner of Nol
CHAPTER 157Three years had passed since Alexa had last seen Nolan. She had only caught glimpses of him on TV a few times since then. In the meantime, she had been busy raising her son, who bore a striking resemblance to Nolan.As Alexa kissed her son goodbye and turned to Jade, she couldn't help but feel grateful for her help. Jade had moved in with her to help pay the rent, and they had been taking turns caring for their children while working. Jade was currently calming down her daughter, who was having a tantrum."Thank you so much for helping me, Jade," Alexa said with a smile. "I don't know how I would have managed without you."Jade laughed and replied, "Don't be silly, Lex. We're like family now. I love your son like my own, and I don't mind helping you out at all."Alexa felt a sense of relief wash over her as she hugged Jade. It was comforting to know that she had someone she could rely on. As Jade pulled her aside, she whispered to her, "You need to tell your son the truth
CHAPTER 156Alexa looked at Bobby and thanked him for volunteering to take care of her son. She couldn't afford a full-time nanny, so she was grateful for Bobby's help. Bobby smiled at Alexa and told her that he understood her need to save money for her newborn. He was surprised that she had just been discharged from the hospital a month ago and was already back to work. Alexa reassured him that she had been through a lot and could endure any amount of pain.Bobby teased Alexa about missing her routine of watching "Rockstar Cutie" on TV. Alexa laughed and said she didn't have time for that anymore. After bidding farewell to Bobby, Alexa locked the back door and went to the counter where the TV was on. She switched the sign to "closed" as she knew there wouldn't be any customers at midnight.As the live performance was announced by the talk show host, Alexa smiled as she watched Nolan sing the same song he sang to her while they ate in the garden. It was a punk version of "Grow Old Wit
CHAPTER 155Alexa woke up to the sound of the roosters crowing outside her window. She stretched and yawned, feeling the weight of her baby bump as she got out of bed. She walked to the bathroom, splashed her face with water, and brushed her teeth. She took a moment to admire her growing belly and wondered what her baby would look like.After getting dressed, Alexa headed to the convenience store she managed. She unlocked the doors, turned on the lights, and started organizing the shelves. Her staff came in one by one, and they greeted her with smiles and hellos."Good morning, Lexie," one of her staff members said."Good morning," Alexa replied with a smile.Alexa loved her job. She enjoyed interacting with customers, organizing products, and managing her staff. It was a fresh start for her, and she was grateful for the opportunity.As the day went on, Alexa's thoughts drifted to Nolan. She wondered how he was doing and if he ever thought about her. She missed him, but she knew she h
CHAPTER 154Tears, pain and aches flew by her as they dwelt in her. Seeing the numerous messages from her colleagues, now ex co workers questioning her about her choice of resignation broke her and she couldn’t help but clench her fists. How was she supposed to explain to them? What was she even going to tell them?“Tell me Alexa, what made you change your mind?”“Did you fight with someone?”“Did someone try to force their self on you!”All these messages kept flooding her phone and she couldn’t take it anymore, she just couldn’t. She switched off her phone as she threw it to the side, she could not answer their questions, not now at least.Tears streamed down her cheeks, one day would come, perhaps she would be able to answer their questions then.She placed her hand in her bag as she took out her wallet, opening it as she checked it thoroughly, she needed to be sure she had enough money. Even if she didn’t want to take care of herself, she had to think about her baby.She heaved a
CHAPTER 153She said few words before sighing and then taking her bags out. She stepped out of the gates and on turning for the last time, she saw Nolan midway at the mansion’s door. She gasped as she tried to call out to him but then, he didn’t even act like he knew her.She narrowed her gaze to his hands and she could see them tightly clenched. She took a deep sigh as she watched him step back before turning away and then walking back into the house. This time, the tears could no longer be held back in her eyes and she turned away before walking out of the gate, finally.She dragged her suitcase on the road as she couldn’t think of anything else but what had just happened. She held on to her stomach, at this moment, there was only one thing on her mind, her unborn child. She swallowed hard as the thought of how she would take care of her baby, alone bothered her.She sat on the bench she had found in the sidewalk, she was tired, she had being walking for so long and she rested her
CHAPTER 152Tears streamed down her cheeks as she knelt before him, “please Nolan, I swear I meant for none of this to happen” she told him as tears streamed down her cheeks even more.She could no longer bear it, he was upset with her, very upset and she knew she deserved it.He turned away from her, he was broken, he didn’t want to listen to whatever it was she had to say. He clenched his fists as he started to walk away from her but then she rushed to him as she held on to his coat, “just listen to me Nolan, please.” She told him. He shook his head as he sighed, “I don’t want to listen to whatever you have to say, Alexa. Leave me alone, please” he told her but she wouldn’t listen. She was already choking from the tears and her head ached her badly but she ignored it, every single pain she felt.“I swear I wanted to call it off but then…” before she could complete her statement, he put his hands to her lips and she stopped talking. She smiled slightly as she stared into his eyes, h