Chapter 49

Alexander POV

I found my mother in her study late afternoon. She was sitting in her usual chair, the one by the window, with a cup of tea perched delicately on the table beside her. Her posture was as stiff as ever, her expression one of cool, nonchalant as she skimmed through the pages of a magazine.

“Mother, we need to talk,” I said, my voice strained as I stepped into the room.

She looked up from the magazine, arching an eyebrow at me. “Alex, dear, what’s the matter? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

I didn’t waste time with pleasantries. “Christiana’s house was set on fire last night,” I said, watching her closely, searching for any flicker of emotion. The entire place was destroyed. The kids were inside.”

Her eyes widened slightly, and she set the magazine down, her lips pressing into a thin line. “The children… are they alright?” she asked, her tone as controlled as always, but I could hear the underlying concern.

“They’re fine,” I replied, though my voice was tight with the tension I was barely holding back. “Thankfully, they got out in time. But the fire was no accident”

Her gaze hardened, and I could see the gears turning in her mind. “What are you suggesting, Alex?” she asked, her tone icy. “That someone deliberately tried to harm them?”

I swallowed hard, preparing myself for what I had to say next. “Mother… did you have anything to do with this?”

Her reaction was immediate. Her eyes flashed with anger, and she shot up from her chair, her voice rising. “Are you out of your mind, Alex? How dare you accuse me of something so vile!”

“I had to ask,” I said, my voice cold, though it pained me to be this way with her. “I know how much you despise Christiana, how much you hate the idea of her being in our lives again. But if you did anything–if you even considered putting those kids in danger-”

“Stop right there!” she snapped, pointing a finger at me, her expression furious. “Yes, I loathe that woman, but those children. are my blood, my grandchildren! I would never harm them! How could you even think that?”

in my chest, emotions swirling within me. “Good,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. “Because if I find out that anyone had a hand in

expression faltered, shock replacing the anger in her eyes. “Are you threatening me, Alex?” she asked, her voice quiet,

I couldn’t. The words hung in the air between us, heavy and unresolved. Instead, I turned and walked out

through me–regret, fear, anger, jealousy. The image of Christiana with Daniel, the way she had looked at him, the way the kids had run to him–it was all too much. And then there

house, needing to get out, needing to breathe. Every step felt like I was walking through quicksand, my mind a chaotic mess of conflicting thoughts and emotions. I had failed them. I had failed her. The woman I loved, the mother of my children, was lying in a hospital bed because I hadn’t been there to protect

could have done this. The confrontation with Daniel, the fire–it was all pushing me to the

water. I wanted to scream, to punch something, to find whoever had done this and make them pay. But all I could do was stand there, my fists clenched, my chest heaving with the effort of holding back everything that was threatening to

I going to do?

11:53 AM

Chapter 49

and I closed

lose her. I

it felt like

pulled out my phone and dialed James’s number, my fingers trembling slightly with the

rang only once before he

as ever, but I could sense

keep my voice steady, “what’s

the police are still looking into it,” he began, his tone cautious.

in check. “What do you mean ‘smart? How could they

if he was reluctant to say the words out

I couldn’t speak. The image of it played out in my mind–Christiana, the kids, everyone in the house, completely unaware of the

silence. “Whoever they were, they planned this meticulously. There

balcony railing. The metal rattled under the force, but it did nothing to release the rage boiling inside me. “How can they

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