PART 2: THE PRICE OF LOSING VICTORIA

Julian thought the hardest part was seeing his company lose funding. He was wrong. The hardest part was realizing that the woman he abandoned had never needed…

PART 2: THE FALL OF THE PEI EMPIRE

The black car stopped outside the amusement park entrance. The same place where Brandon Pei was smiling in front of hundreds of cameras. The same place where…

PART 2: THE EMPTY CLOSET

Samuel didn’t ask anything else. He just started the car. That was always his way. When we were children, whenever I was hurt, he never forced me…

PART 2: THE SON HE NEVER KNEW

For several seconds, nobody moved. The entire auditorium remained silent. Ethan Walker stood on the stage, holding the microphone, staring at Noah as if the world had…

PART 2: THE WOMAN WHO LEFT SILENTLY

The elevator lights returned after thirty seconds. But the silence that followed was heavier than the darkness. I was standing against the wall. Clara was sitting on…

PART 2: THE HOUSE THAT EXPOSED THEM

At eight fifty-five the next morning, I arrived at the apartment sales office. The same place where Ethan had smiled proudly a few weeks earlier. “Our home.”…

PART 2: THE MAN WHO RETURNED TOO LATE

The question stayed with me for many nights. Am I going to leave Adrian? Before, I would have answered immediately. No. Because I loved him. Because I…

PART 2: THE BRIDE WHO NEVER WAITED AGAIN

The cameras continued recording. The entire hotel entrance became silent. Nobody expected to see Elena standing there. Especially not Adrian Blackwell. For seven years, he had been…

PART 2: THE WOMAN HE UNDERESTIMATED

Luc Chinh stopped in the middle of the company lobby. For a few seconds, he thought he had heard wrong. “Niem Chi Vi?” The assistant nodded. “Yes,…

PART 2: THE FAMILY HE LEFT BEHIND

Adrian Cole woke up at seven in the morning. The first thing he did was call my name. “Emma?” No answer. He opened his eyes. The room…