Miles away from the grandeur of the Bellagio, Ever sat in her modest but cozy apartment. The twins were asleep, their small faces peaceful and angelic. She brushed a hand over her son's hair and sighed deeply.
Her hands trembled as she set down her glass of water.
"Why did I come back?" she whispered to herself. "I did it for them. For. Closure… not for him."
She recalled the day that Allesandro had thrown her out. The sting of his accusations is still fresh in her mind. "A liar. A cheat. You disgust me, Ever. He had no idea what I've been through," she muttered, glancing at the framed photo on her bedside table.
At that moment, Allesandro's office was a total mess. "Oh sh*t, my mom is going to eat me alive,"he sighed, heavily running his hand through his hair.
His assistant peaked his head into his office. "We need to make statements to the press. The headlines are fueling the fire," he said.
"Dammit!" He tossed his phone aside with a grunt.
''Secret Twins? Allesandro Wales' Past Returns to Haunt Him!'" he quoted, rolling his eyes. "Great. Just what I needed."
"It's clear that Allesandro's ex-wife is still the one who holds his attention and the attention of everyone else in the room." Ethan and his assistant continued reading.
.
"Who will be the future Mrs. Wales—that woman or the..." he was interrupted by a call.
"Mother," he answered.
"Allesandro," she said sharply. "What mess is this? Imagine my surprise when I see your ex-wife, Ever Miller, walking in with twin children who look exactly like you!" Furthermore, where did you go?
"I...I will handle this." He stuttered.
But she cut him off. "You better. How could you let her waltz back into our lives? What would you tell the board members?"
"I said I'm handling it!" He snapped out of anger, and the line went dead.
"Everything is riding on this! Handle it quickly, block all the articles," he commanded, and call the press tomorrow.
Just as he was about to breathe, his personal phone buzzed.
Natalia's name flashed on the screen. He hesitated but answered. "What is it, Natalia?"
"Are you serious?" she yelled. "Your ex-wife shows up at our engagement party with two children who are spitting images of you, and you're asking me what it is?!"
"Natalia, calm down; I'll fix it," he said firmly.
"She yelled at him, 'Don't tell me to calm down! You have no idea how embarrassing this is! My friends were there, and now people are saying mean things about me!'
"I'm the other woman in my own engagement, Allesandro! she snapped.
'You couldn't even wait to hug her! You were holding her like you really loved her. You never hugged me like that in front of people.'"
"Fuck Natalia! You're being too much; the wedding is off, he blurted angrily.
"Alessandro, I'm..." the line went dead before she could respond.
She was left standing there, stunned, with the phone still in her hand. The words 'the wedding is off' echoed in her mind, leaving her feeling numb and speechless."
Ever's heart raced as she thought about everything that had transpired. Suddenly, a knock on her door startled her from her thoughts.
"It's me," she heard a familiar call. "Can we talk?"
"Allesandro," she whispered under her breath, absorbing the news that he was at her door.
"Ever, please open up," he urged.
Taking a deep breath, she swung the door open. He looked strained, his face lined with worry.
"I didn't expect to see you," she said, crossing her arms defensively.
"I know," he replied, stepping inside. "But we need to talk about... everything."
"Everything?" She repeated, her tone icy. "Like how you humiliated me at the engagement party?"
"Ever, it's not what you think. I didn't know you were coming!" He protested, raising his hands.
"But you didn't care enough to check..." Before she could finish her words, he pinned her against the wall, his hand firmly gripping her wrist. His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper as his eyes locked onto hers, blazing with an intensity that stole her breath.
"Did you think I'd let you go just like that?" His voice was low and husky.
"My dear wife," he whispered, a chilling smile curling his lips, "you're so beautiful when you're scared... it's almost intoxicating."
Her heart raced as she shut her eyes tightly, hoping it was just a nightmare. But when she opened them, he was gone.
The room was empty, except for the faint echo of his laughter fading into the dark.
"Where did he go?" she murmured to herself, her voice trembling as she looked around the empty room.
The silence pressed in on her, but just as she took a step forward, a soft whisper brushed against her ear.
"Did you miss me?" She fell on her ass, startled. "We are not done." Yet then he opened the door, leaving her feeling awestruck.