Sheila's POVMy chest burned with anger—a fire that had been simmering since the day I discovered that he was cheating with his wife—with my best friend. The sight of him now only fanned the flames.“This is your fault,” I spat, the words slicing through the tense silence like a blade. My voice trembled, heavy with fury and grief. “You need to leave. Now.”Regan flinched as though I’d struck him. His face twisted, his stormy eyes filling with guilt and something that might have been pain. But then, he straightened. His shoulders slumped moments ago, squared slightly as he took a deep, steadying breath. The shift in his posture sent a jolt of fury through me.“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, his voice rough but firm. “I need to see Anastasia.”I stared at him, stunned by his audacity. His gaze was firm now, though his face still bore the marks of exhaustion.“Absolutely not,” I snapped, stepping forward to block his path. “You’re not going anywhere near her, Regan. She doesn’t need y
Sheila's POVA few hours crawled by each tick of the clock an agonizing reminder of the danger Anastasia was in. Finally, word reached me that she'd been moved to a special private room. Soft lighting cast a warm glow on the plush furniture, and a vase filled with fresh flowers sat on a table beside the bed.Pushing open the door, I found a kind-faced nurse monitoring the readings on a nearby machine. "Excuse me," I said softly. "Can you tell me if—""Dr. Sheila, I presume?" she interrupted gently, a knowing smile on her lips. "Yes, Miss Anastasia is resting comfortably now."I nodded my thanks. Walking over to the bed, I gazed down at my best friend. Anastasia looked pale and fragile. Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. Reaching out, I took her hand in mine, its coolness sending a shiver down my spine. "Hey, Tasia," I whispered. Even though I knew she couldn't hear me, the words tumbled out."Please wake up," I pleaded, my voice breaking. "I have something to tell y
Sheila's POVGerard's eyes welled up with tears. "We know we messed up," he choked out, "We were awful to her. But we still love her, and we just want to be here for her now."I scoffed a harsh sound that echoed in the room. "Hypocrites!" I spat, whirling around to leave. I couldn't stand to be around them for another minute.But Christopher lunged forward, grabbing my arm with surprising strength. "You don't get to tell us what to do! You're just her friend. We're her family!"I yanked my arm free, glaring at him with icy fury. Despite his handsome features, his arrogant attitude made him completely unattractive to me at that moment. "Actually," I shot back coldly, "I'm her Health Care proxy. That means I make the decisions about her care. And let's face it, Mr. Christopher Montreal, you've never exactly acted like a brother to her."His face drained of color, a mixture of shock and anger contorting his features. "What did you say?""You heard me loud and clear," I said, my vo
After a restless night, I finally tore myself away from Anastasia's bedside and went home to my condo. Exhaustion gnawed at me, and I knew I needed a change of clothes and a decent cup of coffee to function. Pulling off the scrubs, I traded them for a pair of comfy jeans and a loose-fitting t-shirt. With a quick caffeine fix in mind, I headed to a nearby 24/7 diner. These late-night havens were a godsend. Sliding into a booth, I nursed a strong cup of coffee, the bitter brew jumpstarting my foggy brain.The first rays of dawn were just peeking over the horizon as I returned to the hospital. Entering Anastasia's room, I froze in surprise. There, perched on a chair beside the bed, sat a woman I recognized all too well – Anastasia's stepmother, Marianne. She was a woman of striking beauty. But something in her makes me feel intimidated and that was new to my vocabulary. I seldom got intimidated. Anastasia was the one person who could truly get under this woman’s skin."She does n
Regan’s POVThe exhaustion clawed at me that mirrored the worry twisting in my gut. Anastasia's face, pale and unconscious, kept flashing behind my eyelids. Every sip of the amber liquid at the bar did little to drown the guilt that choked me."If only I'd choose her," I muttered to myself, swirling the ice in my glass with a trembling hand.The past few hours replayed in my mind, a relentless loop of self-blame. If I'd chosen to spend the evening with Anastasia, maybe, just maybe, things would have been different. She wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed hooked up to machines.Just as despair threatened to consume me, a hand landed on my shoulder. I flinched, startled, and turned to see Alan's familiar face etched with concern."Regan, what are you doing?" he asked, his voice low but laced with worry. "You look like you've been dragged through the wringer."I shrugged him off n
Regan's POVAlan finally managed to wrestle me out of the bar, the bouncer barking threats behind us. My face throbbed with a dull ache; my knuckles were scraped raw. Fishing a crumpled pack of cigarettes from my pocket, I fumbled for a lighter. The flame sparked to life, casting a glow on my bloodied hand."Here," Alan muttered, shoving a napkin at me. "Clean yourself up, you maniac."I ignored him, taking a long drag on the cigarette, the harsh smoke doing little to soothe the ache in my chest. "Damn it," I rasped, the words laced with frustration. "I wanted to turn those creeps into mush."The bouncer, a burly man with a shaved head, reached the doorway and threw his arms out, effectively blocking our re-entry. "You're done here, buddy! Find another bar to wreck!" He puffed out his chest, trying to appear intimidating, but to me, he looked like a puffed-up pigeon."Relax, tou
When I woke up, the room was bathed in the glow of fluorescent lights, casting an unnatural sheen over the sterile white walls. Everything felt heavy—my limbs like lead, my chest as if a boulder rested on it, and even my eyelids, which fought against the simple act of opening. The steady, rhythmic beeping of the monitor beside me was oddly soothing, grounding me in a place I wasn’t yet ready to fully acknowledge. I blinked, the harsh light stinging my eyes as I tried to adjust. My surroundings were unfamiliar, cold, and impersonal, with the faint smell of antiseptic lingering in the air. The scratchy blanket draped over me was barely warm, and a dull ache coursed through my body. Slowly, the realization began to settle. I was in a hospital. The sterile room and its cold silence felt suffocating. Alone. No father. No brothers. No Regan. Just me and the persistent hum of machines monitoring my fragile state. A pang of loneliness shot through me as I tried to piece together how I’d en
I wanted to believe her, but the gnawing emptiness inside me wouldn’t let me. “What about Regan?” I asked hesitantly, the words slipping out before I could stop myself. Sheila’s expression darkened, her lips pressing into a thin line. For a moment, she didn’t speak, and I felt the silence stretch out uncomfortably between us. “He came once,” she said finally, her voice clipped. “But I didn’t let him see you. I’m sorry, Ana, but I just… I couldn’t. Not after everything he’s put you through. It’s always him, isn’t it?” Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, but I couldn’t argue with her. Regan was always at the center of my chaos, the storm I couldn’t seem to escape. “It’s fine, Sheila,” I murmured, though the ache in my chest said otherwise. “You don’t have to apologize. It’s true that he was always my chaos”Sheila’s hand covered mine again, her grip firm but comforting. “You don’t have to think about him right now, Ana. Just focus on getting better, okay?” I hesitated, biting
Susan and the maids rushed toward me as I descended the stairs, their worried faces blurring as my vision swam. My legs felt like they weren’t my own, each step unsteady. The world tilted, and for a terrifying second, I thought I would collapse right there on the marble steps.“Miss Anastasia!” Susan gasped, reaching out just in time to steady me. The other maids circled around, their hands hovering anxiously, unsure if they should hold me up or let me go.I swallowed thickly, blinking rapidly to chase away the dizziness. My chest was tight, each breath a struggle against the sobs clawing their way up.“I’m fine,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper, but my body betrayed me as I wobbled again.Susan’s eyes filled with tears. “You’re not fine, Miss. Please, let’s get you some water, sit down for a moment—”But I shook my head, my heart hammering in my chest. No. I needed to leave. I needed to get away from this place, from him. The moment I stepped outside, the cool air hit my
I felt sick. I felt so utterly sick."What if I was pregnant too?" the words came out my mouth before I realized it, my voice so soft I almost couldn’t hear myself.Regan’s head snapped toward me. And for the first time, he hesitated. For a single, gut-wrenching moment, something flickered across his face—something almost human—but it was gone as fast as it came.Then, with the same cold finality, the same knife to my throat, he answered:"Then I would ask you to get rid of it."Silence.I stopped existing. I didn’t scream. I didn’t cry. I just stopped.The world tilted. My body felt weightless, my ears ringing so loudly I couldn’t even hear my own breathing. I stared at him—at the man I had loved more than anything—standing there, looking at me as if I were nothing.I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think. I wanted to hate him. I wanted to rip him apart, to throw something, to scream why why why until my throat bled. But I couldn’t do any of it. Because what was the point? He had already ma
The words escaped me in gasps, strangled and desperate. I needed him to stop hurting me. To stop choosing her. To stop breaking me every time he looked at me like I didn’t matter.I gripped him harder, my fingers trembling against his chest. “Why, Regan?” I choked out, “Why did you let it get this far? Why didn’t you—” I couldn’t finish. I couldn’t get the words out. The truth was suffocating me.I lifted my head, looking up at him through the tears streaming down my face. My heart was pounding in my chest, so loud I thought it would burst. My hands shook as I cupped his face, but he didn’t meet my gaze. His eyes were focused somewhere past me, distant. Empty. I didn’t know this man anymore. I didn’t know the man I had loved, the man I had trusted with everything.“I don’t want to hurt anymore, Regan. Please… just make it stop. Please.” My breath hitched, and I clutched him tighter, pressing my forehead against his chest, wishing that I could somehow make it all go away. “I loved you.
I shoved him away with all the strength I had left, my body trembling as I grabbed another shard from the broken vase. My fingers clenched around the glass so tightly I felt the skin break, blood dripping onto the floor. I didn’t care.I couldn’t care. All I could see was her. Zarina. The woman who stole everything from me.She let out a terrified shriek, scrambling backward on the floor, her hands raised as if that would stop me. But before I could move—before I could strike—a force crashed into me. Regan’s arms wrapped around me, pinning mine to my sides. His grip was so strong I couldn’t move.“Stop it, Anastasia!” he roared, his voice shaking with something I couldn’t place.And then, with the force of a sledgehammer, the words that would haunt me for the rest of my life fell from his lips."She’s pregnant."Everything stopped. My vision blurred, and my heartbeat slowed into a painful, suffocating rhythm.Pregnant.Zarina was… pregnant.A deafening ringing filled my ears, drowning
Regan’s body jerked upright. He turned sharply, his expression twisting in shock. His eyes—filled with something that shattered me even more. Calm.For a single, fleeting moment, I saw something else. Something raw.But it was too late. Too fucking late.I didn’t feel the tears running down my face until my vision blurred. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it would shatter through my ribs. The room spun, reality hitting me in full force. The betrayal. The humiliation. The absolute cruelty of it all.Regan scrambled to move, grabbing the nearest piece of clothing, and hastily wrapping a sheet around his waist. He started toward me.“Anastasia, what the fuck are you doing here?”I took a step back, my fingers tightening around the ultrasound picture—until the delicate edges crumpled under my grip.Something inside me snapped.With all the strength I had left, I hurled the picture across the room. The tiny, fragile proof of the life growing inside me, the life he never gave a damn ab
The air turned suffocating, thick with something heavy—dread, betrayal, something I couldn’t name. Susan’s grip on my wrist tightened as if she could physically stop me from stepping any further, from taking another breath in this house that suddenly felt like a stranger’s.Her face was etched with desperation. She was pleading with me now. “Miss Anastasia, please—please just turn around and leave.”But I couldn’t.Something inside me had already cracked. A wound had been carved open the moment she said that name.Zarina.I repeated it in my mind, like a slow, cruel mantra, willing it to make sense. But it didn’t. Nothing did. My stomach twisted violently. A cold, sickening sensation spread through my limbs, making me feel like I was floating—disconnected from my body, from reality. My fingers tightened around the ultrasound picture in my palm. I thought I had prepared myself for everything. For heartbreak.But this?This wasn’t just rejection. This was erasure. This was them taking t
I frowned, closing the door behind me. My voice echoed slightly as I called out, “I’m home.” Silence. My stomach twisted. I blinked, my grip tightening on the strap of my bag. I took a few steps forward, my heels clicking softly against the marble. Where was everyone? “Susan?” I called out, expecting my head maid to appear any second now, as she always did. “Susan, where is everyone?” Still, silence. A chill ran down my spine. Something was wrong. I turned toward the stairs, about to head up, when suddenly— “Miss Anastasia!” The voice came from the hallway. Rushed. Panicked. And then, Susan appeared.Susan rushed toward me in a blur, her usually composed demeanor completely gone. Her once neatly tied gray-streaked hair was slightly disheveled, and her dark housekeeper’s uniform looked as if it had been hastily adjusted. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with an emotion I couldn’t quite place—fear, relief, something else? Before I could speak, she wrapped her arms around me, clut
As we drove, the gentle hum of the car engine filled the silence. I pulled out the ultrasound picture from my bag, holding it carefully in my hands. The tiny image of my baby made my heart swell with a mix of joy and anxiety. I traced the outline with my finger, a faint smile tugging at my lips.My baby.My little one.A soft smile tugged at my lips, but it was a bittersweet one. The joy of carrying this life inside me was overshadowed by the unknown—by him.Would Regan be happy? Would he finally see me? Would he finally choose me?"Are you planning to frame that or something?" Sheila's voice broke through my thoughts.I glanced at her, then back at the picture. "No," I murmured. "I'm going to show it to Regan."Sheila let out a slow exhale, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. “Of course, you are. You know, Ana…I admire your resilience. Really, I do. But how long are you going to keep giving that man the benefit of the doubt?”I sighed, hugging the ultrasound picture closer
The morning sunlight filtered through the hospital blinds, casting soft golden streaks across the sterile white walls. I sat on the edge of my hospital bed, already dressed in a simple yet elegant beige dress that draped loosely over my recovering body. My fingers fidgeted with the handle of my packed bag beside me, anticipation curling in my stomach.I was leaving.Finally.A mixture of nerves and excitement coursed through me. It wasn’t just about getting out of the hospital—it was about what came next. About whom came next.Regan.I hadn’t told my family I was leaving. They’d try to stop me, insist that I needed more rest, more time. But I was ready. And once I told them I was safely home, they wouldn’t have a choice but to accept it. And today, I was going to see him. Tell him everything.Tell him about our baby. The thought sent a rush of warmth through me, a hope blooming in my chest.The door creaked open, breaking me out of my thoughts.I looked up, expecting a nurse, but inst