As soon as I entered the house I heard voices from the living room. I tried to walk past it without them noticing me but all of it was vain as Natalie saw me and called me out. “Aria!” She yelled. I closed took a deep breath then turned around slowly.When I turned around I stood frozen in my place and saw my father, stepmother, Natale, and Nicolas glaring at me. When I walked close to them I noticed their change when they saw the injuries on my face. “What happened to you?” Nicolas was the first person to ask. I ignored him and continued looking at the painting on the fireplace. “Aria where were you?” My father asked. I looked at him, didn’t say anything. “Aria I’m going to ask you one last time where you were, if you can’t give me a proper answer then you will be punished severely.” My father spoke in a threatening voice. I chuckled softly. “Dad, even after seeing my condition you are asking this. Why aren’t asking me what happened to me or don’t you love me.” Tears streamed down
It had been a week since the incident, and I was back in my office, trying to focus on work. The past week I had been a nightmare, filled with the relentless torment from my father, his wife, and their daughter. The bruises on my body had faded, but the emotional wounds were still fresh, throbbing beneath the surface.“Aria, you look really pale. Is everything okay?” Bella’s concerned voice broke through my thoughts as she leaned on my desk, her eyes searching my face for answers.“I’m fine, Bella. Just feeling a bit tired because of the pregnancy,” I replied with a forced smile, hoping to convince her, and maybe even myself, that everything was under control.Bella wasn’t buying it. “Aria, please. It would help if you got out of that house before something terrible happens to you. If this continues, your babies could be harmed, or worse, you could be killed. Please, leave that house.” Her voice was thick with worry as she pleaded with me.I knew she was right, but I had a plan. “I kno
“What the hell happened here?” Amelia's voice was sharp, slicing through the tension in the room like a knife. She looked between Ava and me, her expression a mix of fury and suspicion.Ava, still sprawled on the floor, put on the most convincing performance I’d ever seen. She pointed a trembling finger at me, her eyes wide with faux terror. “She… she attacked me, Amelia! I was just trying to tell her that Nicolas and I were working things out, and she went crazy! She pushed me into the table,” she wailed, her voice breaking as if she were on the verge of tears.My heart pounded in my chest, panic rising like a wave. I opened my mouth to defend myself, but the words got stuck in my throat. Amelia’s eyes were already filled with anger and disgust, and I could see that she had made up her mind about what had happened.
I stood there, frozen in shock as the police officer approached me, his expression stern. "Ma’am, we have to take you into custody," he said, holding up the handcuffs. Panic surged through me, and I shook my head desperately."No! Please, believe me, I didn’t do anything," I sobbed, but my pleas fell on deaf ears as he turned me around and secured my hands behind my back with the cold metal cuffs. The reality of the situation was suffocating, and I felt utterly helpless.Just as the officer was about to lead me out, Nicolas stormed into the room, his face twisted with fury. My heart dropped when I saw the raw anger in his eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, he strode up to me and slapped me hard across the face. The force of the blow sent a shockwave of pain through my cheek, leaving it throbbing."How
I took a deep, shaky breath and followed him, my heart pounding in my chest. "Nico, wait," I called out, quickening my pace to catch up to him. He didn't respond, his strides long and purposeful as we exited the station and headed toward his sleek black car parked outside.He opened the passenger door and looked at me expectantly, his expression hard and impatient. I offered him a tentative smile, clinging to the hope that this was his way of making amends, of believing in me after all. I settled into the seat, the leather cool beneath me as he closed the door and walked around to the driver's side."Thank you, Nico. I was so scared," I said softly once he was behind the wheel, my voice barely above a whisper. He remained silent, not even sparing me a glance as he started the engine and pulled away from the curb.As
Nicolas’s eyes narrowed, the shock quickly replaced by a cold, calculating look. For a moment, he said nothing, his jaw clenched as he processed my demand. I could almost see the wheels turning in his mind as he weighed his options.Finally, he took a step back, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "You’re out of your mind, Aria," he muttered, his voice low and dangerous. "You think I’d marry you? After everything?"I held my ground, even though my heart was racing. "You don’t have a choice, Nico. If you want to save her, this is the only way. I know how much Ava means to you. So, what’s it going to be?"This was my one shot at escaping the hell my life had become, to seize back some control before it all spiraled completely out of my hands. And more than that, this was my ch
With two suitcases in hand, which I had packed as soon as I came home from the hospital this morning, I walked out of my room and made my way to the living room. My father, Peter, his wife, Rachel, and her daughter, Natalie, were sitting there, enjoying their morning coffee. As soon as they noticed me, my father lowered his newspaper, looking at me with a raised brow, suspicion, and curiosity mingling in his gaze."Where do you think you’re going?" he asked, his voice sharp and demanding. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I steeled myself for whatever would come next, knowing that what I was about to say would set off a storm.Taking a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and spoke, "I’m moving in with Nicolas." The words came out steady, but inside, I was holding my breath, bracing myself for their reactions.
It was almost 11 at night, and I was still waiting for Nico to come home. The hours had dragged by, each minute adding to the knot of anxiety tightening in my chest. I had spent the evening preparing all his favorite dishes, hoping that tonight we could finally sit down and talk—really talk—about everything that had happened, about us.I had sent all the servants back to their quarters so that we could have some privacy. Everyone left except Shawn, who, as usual, stayed to wait for Nico, no matter how late it got. I didn’t have the heart to send him away, so I let him be, finding some comfort in knowing I wasn’t the only one waiting.With a sigh, I glanced at the clock again. Where are you, Nico? I drummed my fingers on the dining table, the unease gnawing at me. Just as I was about to lose hope, I heard the front door creak open. My hea
I tried to pick up the pregnancy report before anyone could see it. But before I could take it, Stella snatched it. She looked at the report with wide eyes and turned to Ava, who was still glaring at me. "Ava, look at this, " she said."Stella please, give it back." I pleaded as I tried to snatch it away from her. But before I could take to she gave it to Ava. Ava read the report carefully and turned her attention to me with so much hatred in her eyes that if looks could kill I would be dead. "You bitch, how dare you try to trap Nicolas with bastard children." She raised her hand and struck me hard. I gasped at the impact and held my throbbing cheek. They think I was trapping Nico with a bastard. The babies in my are the result of our love."Ava these babies are the fruits of Nico and I's love. How dare you insult them." I snapped as I placed a hand protectively over my belly. She smirked and walked up to me."And you think that Nicolas will believe you? Aria how naive are you?" Ava l
I just came back from my doctor's appointment I tried calling Nicolas so many times so he could accompany me but he never answered and the one time he answered he snapped at me telling me not to call him again. With a heavy heart and feeling lonely I completed my check-up.The doctor told me that I was fragile and that if don’t start taking care of myself then I might lose my babies. I wanted Nicolas there with me so I could have someone to lean on and share my worries with but I was all alone in the hospital. I cried the whole home thinking about my babies. As I stepped into the living room, the sound of laughter from Ava and her friends—Stella and Rose—echoed through the space. They were sitting comfortably, sipping wine and chatting as if they didn’t have a care in the world. The stark contrast between their lightheartedness and the heaviness in my chest made my throat tighten.I wiped away the tears that threatened to spill over, forcing myself to stay composed. I didn’t want to
The week flew by in a blur of heartache and frustration. Every attempt I made to speak with Nicolas, to tell him about the pregnancy, was met with cold indifference or outright dismissal. Each time I approached him, hoping to bridge the growing chasm between us, he shut me out, refusing to even look at me.Adding to the pain was Ava’s presence in the house. She was still living with us, her recovery progressing under Nico’s attentive care. Watching them together, seeing the way Nico doted on her, broke my heart into pieces. Every affectionate gesture, every shared smile, felt like a knife twisting in my chest.Ava didn’t miss a single opportunity to mock me, her words dripping with spite. She made it clear that she believed she was the only one who truly belonged by Nico’s side, and she took pleasure in reminding me of that every chance she got.At first, I tried to stand up for myself, to defend my place in Nico’s life and in this house. But after the second time Nico took her side,
It had been two long days since I last saw Nico, and during that time, he had spent every moment at the hospital with Ava. I tried calling and texting him, but each message went unanswered, leaving me to grapple with the silence and the growing fear that I was losing him completely.But now, as I walked into the living room and saw him standing there, talking to Shawn, a flicker of hope ignited in my chest. He was finally home.“Nico, you’re here,” I said, smiling as I approached him. But as soon as he turned to face me, I saw the familiar glower on his face. He looked at me with an expression so cold and detached that it made my heart sink, but I pushed the feeling aside, determined to reach him. “I missed you, Nico.”He didn’t respond
It was almost 11 at night, and I was still waiting for Nico to come home. The hours had dragged by, each minute adding to the knot of anxiety tightening in my chest. I had spent the evening preparing all his favorite dishes, hoping that tonight we could finally sit down and talk—really talk—about everything that had happened, about us.I had sent all the servants back to their quarters so that we could have some privacy. Everyone left except Shawn, who, as usual, stayed to wait for Nico, no matter how late it got. I didn’t have the heart to send him away, so I let him be, finding some comfort in knowing I wasn’t the only one waiting.With a sigh, I glanced at the clock again. Where are you, Nico? I drummed my fingers on the dining table, the unease gnawing at me. Just as I was about to lose hope, I heard the front door creak open. My hea
With two suitcases in hand, which I had packed as soon as I came home from the hospital this morning, I walked out of my room and made my way to the living room. My father, Peter, his wife, Rachel, and her daughter, Natalie, were sitting there, enjoying their morning coffee. As soon as they noticed me, my father lowered his newspaper, looking at me with a raised brow, suspicion, and curiosity mingling in his gaze."Where do you think you’re going?" he asked, his voice sharp and demanding. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I steeled myself for whatever would come next, knowing that what I was about to say would set off a storm.Taking a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and spoke, "I’m moving in with Nicolas." The words came out steady, but inside, I was holding my breath, bracing myself for their reactions.
Nicolas’s eyes narrowed, the shock quickly replaced by a cold, calculating look. For a moment, he said nothing, his jaw clenched as he processed my demand. I could almost see the wheels turning in his mind as he weighed his options.Finally, he took a step back, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "You’re out of your mind, Aria," he muttered, his voice low and dangerous. "You think I’d marry you? After everything?"I held my ground, even though my heart was racing. "You don’t have a choice, Nico. If you want to save her, this is the only way. I know how much Ava means to you. So, what’s it going to be?"This was my one shot at escaping the hell my life had become, to seize back some control before it all spiraled completely out of my hands. And more than that, this was my ch
I took a deep, shaky breath and followed him, my heart pounding in my chest. "Nico, wait," I called out, quickening my pace to catch up to him. He didn't respond, his strides long and purposeful as we exited the station and headed toward his sleek black car parked outside.He opened the passenger door and looked at me expectantly, his expression hard and impatient. I offered him a tentative smile, clinging to the hope that this was his way of making amends, of believing in me after all. I settled into the seat, the leather cool beneath me as he closed the door and walked around to the driver's side."Thank you, Nico. I was so scared," I said softly once he was behind the wheel, my voice barely above a whisper. He remained silent, not even sparing me a glance as he started the engine and pulled away from the curb.As
I stood there, frozen in shock as the police officer approached me, his expression stern. "Ma’am, we have to take you into custody," he said, holding up the handcuffs. Panic surged through me, and I shook my head desperately."No! Please, believe me, I didn’t do anything," I sobbed, but my pleas fell on deaf ears as he turned me around and secured my hands behind my back with the cold metal cuffs. The reality of the situation was suffocating, and I felt utterly helpless.Just as the officer was about to lead me out, Nicolas stormed into the room, his face twisted with fury. My heart dropped when I saw the raw anger in his eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, he strode up to me and slapped me hard across the face. The force of the blow sent a shockwave of pain through my cheek, leaving it throbbing."How