Chapter 25
stood in front of the mansion, the wind brushing against my skin as if whispering that I didn’t have to do this.
But I did.
couldn’t just sit back anymore. I couldn’t allow her to keep circling us like a vulture. This wasn’t ust about pride-it was about my home, my family, and the life I was building with Brent. She ad crossed the line, and it was time I reminded her of where she stood. Or rather, where she
lidn’t.
clutched my coat tighter around my body and stepped out of the car. My steps were slow, leliberate, every part of me tense but determined. When the door opened, the staff looked at me vith wide eyes, unsure whether to stop me or welcome me. But they didn’t have to say anything. knew exactly where she was.
Mina,” I called out. My voice was steady, sharp, unshaken.
She turned, her smile smug, but it faltered for a second when she saw my expression. “Well, look vho finally decided to come out of hiding,” she said, folding her arms. “Let me guess. You saw he message?”
ignored the stab in my chest. “I came here to tell you one thing,” I said. “Stay away from Brent. Stay away from us.”
She laughed, the sound hollow and venomous. “Us? You think there’s still an ‘us’? You ran away ‘ou left him. And let me remind you-he came to see me.”
swallowed the lump in my throat, refusing to give her the satisfaction of seeing me hurt. “He came to end it. Whatever it was. And I’m here now. I came back. I’m his wife, and I’m not running Igain.”
Wife?” she scoffed. “You left. And I didn’t even have to do anything-you walked out on your >wn. Maybe deep down, you knew you were never enough for him.”
That was it.
took a step closer, eyes locked with hers. “Don’t mistake my silence for weakness. I left ›ecause I was scared-not because I didn’t love him. But I came back, Mina. And he chose me. He always chooses me.”
Her face contorted, disbelief turning to fury. “You think you can just come here and claim him ike a prize?”
‘No,” I said softly. “He’s not a prize. He’s my husband. The father of my child. And I will fight fo nim, for us, every single time.”
I saw the flash of madness in her eyes before it happened. Her hand raised midair, a swift, sharp motion heading straight toward my cheek. But before it could land-
“Don’t touch her!”
Brent’s voice thundered across the garden like a strike of lightning. In the next second, he was between us, one hand holding mine protectively, the other shielding my body with his own.
Mina froze, caught.
12 07.29
Brent’s eyes blazed with a fire I had never seen before. “If you ever try to hurt her again, I swear, you’ll regret it.”
“She came to me,” Mina spat.
“No, I brought her back,” Brent replied. “Because she belongs here. With me.”
Mina’s defiance crumbled slowly, her lip trembling, her eyes clouding with tears she probably hadn’t expected. “But you said you loved me once.”
“I did,” Brent said, not blinking. “But I love her now. And nothing you do will ever change that.”
He turned to me, squeezing my hand gently. “Let’s go.”
And I nodded, because this time, I wasn’t walking away. This time, I was walking forward-with
him.
He didn’t say anything as we drove back to the estate. But his hand never let go of mine.
And when we stepped out of the car, I saw it—a surprise he’d been hiding from me. A small nursery, freshly painted, filled with stuffed animals, soft music, and a mobile hanging over the crib with stars and clouds. I covered my mouth in shock.
“You did this…?” I whispered, heart swelling.
“I want our child to grow up surrounded by love,” he said quietly. “Not fear. Not pain. Just us Always us.”
Tears welled in my eyes, but they weren’t the painful ones this time. They were soft, overwhelming tears of joy.
That night, I curled into Brent’s arms, listening to the steady beat of his heart. Our hearts.
The weeks flew by. Pregnancy was both beautiful and terrifying. There were mornings I woke up in tears, for no reason at all. There were days my body ached and nights I couldn’t sleep. But Brent was always there-massaging my feet, bringing me my cravings at 3 a.m., holding my hair back when the nausea hit again.
He never complained.
He accompanied me to every checkup, even when he was drowning in work. He installed baby monitors, took parenting classes with me, and argued with the doctor about which vitamins were best. He was overly cautious, annoyingly strict, but I loved every second of it. I’d never felt more protected, more cherished.
Our baby became our entire world before even arriving.
And then came the night it happened.
I was in the kitchen, reaching for a jar on the top shelf, when I felt a sharp cramp followed by a wetness trickling down my legs.
“Brent!” I screamed.
He came running like a storm, catching me before I fell. “Is it time?!”
I nodded, breathless. “I think… it’s time.”
The ride to the hospital was a blur of pain and panic, but Brent held my hand the entire time, whispering, “You’re doing great,” over and over, even when I was screaming at him to shut up.
Hours passed in agony, but I refused to let go.
M
And then, finally, after what felt like a lifetime…
A cry.
The sound of our baby’s first breath shattered the silence and filled the room with something
couldn’t describe.
Brent cried before I did.
The nurse handed me our son, wrapped in a blue blanket, eyes closed, fists clenched. I looked at him-really looked at him-and suddenly, everything made sense.
This was why I had to fight. Why I had to come back. Why I had to forgive and be forgiven.
Because love like this… it was worth everything.
Brent leaned in, kissing my forehead. “You did it, Liana,” he whispered. “You brought him into this world. You’re incredible.”
I smiled weakly, my heart full. “We did it. Together.”
And that was how we began our new chapter-not just as husband and wife, but as parents. Through the betrayals, the pain, the doubt-we had found our way back.
