Isabelle's POV My consciousness drifted somewhere undefined, a limbo between reality and a dream. Voices, sounds, cold. It could only be death. But the pain was real. The weight in my chest. The white light on the ceiling. August's voice, close and comforting. I tried to move, but my body felt like lead, heavy and trapped. My body responded far too slowly, as if it didn't belong to me. The memories came rushing back without warning: the hole in the ground, the smell of dirt, Carl's cruel laughter. Unable to fight back as they dragged me away. Darkness swallowing everything. I wanted to scream, to run, but my body wouldn't obey me. I tried again, and one arm lifted. The other was still trapped against something. I needed to get free. I had to run. I had to scream, to get away. "Baby... easy. Easy. Look at me." Hands held me, trying to keep me from panicking, and August's familiar scent reached me. His worried face appeared in front of me. "August... is that you?" Terrified

Diana's POV I stared at Isaac lying in the hospital bed, still pale. Despite the relief, I couldn't get over how close I'd come to losing him. After much convincing, Valentina had gone to sleep at her friend's house. Since she couldn't stay at the hospital and I was still wearing the same clothes I'd had on the day before, I knew I needed a shower and a chance to clear my head. But first, I needed to be sure Isaac was okay. Yet as I watched him sleep, I was certain I'd brought chaos into that family. And I wasn't sure there were enough apologies in the world to make up for it. For how close I'd come to destroying everything, even if I hadn't pulled the trigger myself. My last conversation with my father should have been the end of it. I'd chosen to live my own life and move forward. But it was obvious he wasn't going to accept that. I'd grown soft, blinded by happiness. I'd forgotten who he was, and it had nearly cost me everything. I could see his entire plan now: a murder d

Isabelle's POV August couldn't sit still. He was constantly making calls, talking, moving from one thing to another. He replaced the security company, cutting ties with the one that had handled protection for the entire family, and hired a new one after reviewing countless recommendations, carefully interviewing the team, and checking every detail. He also ordered a complete inspection of the house to make sure there was nothing suspicious. Meanwhile, I stayed in bed, resting, recovering, and thinking. I was afraid to take any more medication because of the pregnancy, but on the first night, when I lay down and closed my eyes, everything came rushing back. For a few moments, I wasn't home anymore. I was back in that pit, being buried alive. I needed a sedative just to sleep, but the feeling didn't go away. August scheduled appointments with a psychologist and a psychiatrist, worried that I might have more episodes. During the day, I could keep myself relatively calm, but I was af

Isabelle's POV The statement was released at nine in the morning. I read it on my phone, sitting at the kitchen table as I tried to eat breakfast. The text was short, direct, and far too cold for everything that had happened. [SEG29 announces that Marcus Aurelius Salvatore will be stepping down as Chief Executive Officer to focus on personal matters. We thank him for his contributions and leadership during his tenure at the company. Albert Trudeau will assume the position of CEO and continue the current strategy and ongoing projects, ensuring the company's stability and growth.] I read it once, then again, trying to process the information. "Did you know about this? Why didn't you tell me?" "I was informed last night. You were already asleep," August replied. "There wasn't any room for questions. He arranged everything with the board and the executive team. It's practically an admission of guilt. He knows that the moment his name officially comes up in the investigation

Isabelle's POV The world was falling apart outside, and I was doing everything I could not to fall apart on the inside. August needed to get back to work with everything that had been happening, but he didn't want to leave me alone. So he started splitting his time. One day, he would go to the office. The next, he would stay home with me. I still felt strange, although I had grown calmer as the week went by. Even so, I would wake up in the middle of the night, frightened and thrashing around, and without warning, the image of Carl laughing would appear in my mind. That was what he did. He haunted me. He had been right when he said it was easy to mess with my head. I tried to keep him from taking over my thoughts, from making a home there, from forcing me to relive everything he had said and done, but I didn't always succeed. Sometimes, without meaning to, I found myself remembering the past. Before he started working with my father. Then the moment he confessed that he was