Chapter 136\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bella\u00a0<\/p>\n
After the verdict was delivered and Maya and Craig were taken away, one thought refused to leave my mind. No matter how much Scott tried to distract me or comfort me, my thoughts kept going back to Lucy. I knew Scott wanted me to let it go, to move on and focus on what lay ahead, but I couldn\u2019t. There were too many unanswered questions sitting heavy in my mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scott noticed it almost immediately.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t need to see her,\u201d he said one evening when we were sitting together in the living room. Even though his face was calm, there was worry underneath it. \u201cWhatever she did, it\u2019s over now. She can\u2019t hurt you anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to look at him and shook my head. \u201cI need to understand it,\u201d I replied honestly. \u201cI want to know how she even came up with something like this. How did she find Rowan? What pushed her so far that she wanted me dead? I don\u2019t think I can rest properly until I know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scott sighed and leaned back against the couch. \u201cOr you could let it go and focus on your future,\u201d he said gently. \u201cWe should be celebrating this. The trial is over. You\u2019re safe. Our family is safe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI will celebrate,\u201d I told him, placing my hand over his. \u201cBut after I get my answers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He hesitated before saying, \u201cNancy has already taken Lucy and Rowan back to her kingdom. She won\u2019t bring them back here, Bella. She has her own way of dealing with criminals in the witch world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I went quiet at that. I knew what Nancy was capable of, and I also knew that once someone was taken under her authority, there was no simple way to reach them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll call her,\u201d I said after a moment. \u201cI\u2019ll go there if I have to.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scott didn\u2019t argue further. He knew me too well to try.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over the next few days, life slowed down in a comforting way. I stayed home mostly, resting and letting my body recover from everything it had been through. Every morning, newspapers arrived at the villa, and every morning they carried the same story with different headlines. They, spoke about how Maya Williams and Craig Jones had blackmailed the wife of billionaire Scott Moore. They wrote about greed, betrayal, and prison sentences. Lucy\u2019s name was mentioned only briefly, usually as a disgraced stepmother who had vanished from public view. I read the articles quietly, trying to distance myself from the events they described.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One afternoon, I was sitting by the window with a newspaper folded across my lap when Scott came up behind me. He bent down and kissed my hair softly, then rested his hand over my belly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow are you feeling today?\u201d he asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled and leaned back slightly. \u201cThe pup is testing my patience. I think he enjoys it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scott chuckled. Just then, there was a firm kick beneath his palm. He froze, then his eyes widened in surprise. \u201cI felt that,\u201d he said, disbelief and happiness mixing in his voice. \u201cI actually felt it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:35 Sat, Jan 10\u2191\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 136\u00a0<\/p>\n
I laughed at his expression. \u201cHe\u2019s very active today.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouche\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scott looked delighted. \u201cI\u2019m glad my pup is keeping you busy,\u201d he said proudly. \u201cAt least you won\u2019t get bored\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I rolled my eyes playfully. \u201cRyan and Emma were exactly the same,\u201d I reminded him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That only made him happier. \u201cI\u2019m glad my pups keep you busy!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A few days later, I needed to go to my office to check on my shop. Scott had been insisting that I plan a grand opening, something lavish and public, but I wasn\u2019t ready for that yet. I wanted my store to be filled properly first, with designs I felt proud of. I had been working on new lingerie pieces, and until the shop had a wide range of my work, I didn\u2019t want to open it formally.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I stepped out of the villa and got into the car, something caught my eye.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Across the road, near the trees, my father was standing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked thinner than I remembered, his shoulders slumped, his face drawn with exhaustion. His eyes were fixed on the villa, and when I glanced at him, I saw tears shining there. He didn\u2019t wave or speak. He simply stood there for a few moments longer before turning away and walking off slowly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sight filled me with anger. If he had stood by me when it mattered, none of this would have happened. The one person who should have protected me had betrayed me instead, choosing his stepdaughter over his biological daughter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I asked the driver to drive fast. As we drove, my thoughts shifted to Scott. To how safe he had made me feel. How he had stood between me and every danger without hesitation. How he had always worked to make sure I and the children were protected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I picked up my phone at a red light and sent him a simple message telling him that I loved him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then my thoughts moved to Troy. Losing Millie had broken him in ways I couldn\u2019t even begin to imagine. I typed out another message, telling him to stay strong and that he wasn\u2019t alone. But I suspected he would return my text.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I reached my office, I walked through the shop, running my fingers over fabrics and sketches pinned to boards. These were my creations, pieces of something new that belonged entirely to me. As I was examining a new design, my phone rang. I smiled when I saw the name on the screen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandma,\u201d I said warmly as soon as I answered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isla laughed softly. \u201cI was hoping you\u2019d pick up,\u201d she replied. \u201cHow are you, my girl?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
We exchanged a few pleasantries, talking about my health and the baby, before her tone shifted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJared came to stay with me,\u201d she said carefully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I paused. \u201cHe did?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d she continued. \u201cHe\u2019s not in a good state, Bella. He\u2019s been drinking a lot. All he does is sit and look at old photos of Catherine and you. I\u2019ve tried to talk to him, but he keeps saying he made the greatest mistake of his\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:35 Sat, Jan 10\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 136\u00a0<\/p>\n
life by marrying Lucy. He says his mind feels clear now, but he can\u2019t live with the loss.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned slightly. \u201cI think he\u2019s acting,\u201d I said after a moment. \u201cLucy is gone, and now he wants sympathy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isla didn\u2019t argue, but she sounded unsure. We talked about other things then.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next day, as if to challenge my belief, I saw father again. He was standing across the road from the villa, in the same spot, with the same tired expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This time, I didn\u2019t ignore him. I stepped out and walked toward him, anger rising with every step. When I reached him, I didn\u2019t hold back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to stop this,\u201d I said sharply. \u201cStop coming here. Stop pretending. I have no interest in you or your regrets. I don\u2019t want any association with you anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked at me with eyes full of pain and something that looked like love, but he didn\u2019t defend himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll file a petition,\u201d I continued angrily. \u201cI\u2019ll separate from you legally as your daughter soon!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He swallowed hard and spoke quietly, something that shocked me. \u201cHow are the kids?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stiffened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I meet them?\u201d he asked softly. \u201cOnce?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I didn\u2019t know what to say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Midnight Winds Carry Secrets Toward Worlds Yet Unknown 136 Chapter 136\u00a0 Bella\u00a0 After the verdict was delivered and Maya […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-new-world-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23101"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23101\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23120,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23101\/revisions\/23120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}