Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 502:

In all these years, he had never once considered marrying again. Part of that was due to his position, which attracted too many women with motives he couldn’t trust.

Still, the deeper truth pointed back to Melanie.

At his wife’s grave, Hurst had once made a silent promise—to pour every drop of love and protection into their daughter’s life. Since then, he had chosen solitude, channeling everything into his work and his role as a father.

For the longest time, he believed that would be enough.

But now, after hearing Melanie’s unexpected words, a sliver of doubt began to carve into that certainty.

It became painfully clear that his daughter needed more than a stable home and financial security.

What she truly longed for was something warmer — a mother’s presence, her voice, her arms, her steadiness.

Hurst pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose, trying to ease the sudden heaviness in his chest.

was finally time to think about someone who could

had settled fully, and a soft breeze drifted lazily

confirmed that it was already well past ten-thirty. The neighborhood, at this hour,

home, Chris figured that

stairs, slid the key into the lock,

𝓥𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓯𝓲𝓮𝓭 𝓫𝔂 𝓼𝓲𝓽𝓮: 𝗀𝖺𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀﹒ⅽ𝗈𝗺

a faint aroma wafting from the kitchen as soon as

over. The kitchen light was still glowing. Maia

comfy set of loungewear. The soft glow traced the outline of her figure, casting a warm, peaceful scene that felt almost

and a flash of surprise.

stove and carried a bowl of steaming

catching sight of him just as he stood in the entryway. She blinked, surprised by the timing. He had shown up at the

Ethan home, she’d come back earlier than usual, slipping into the kitchen the moment

full hours had gone into preparing the soup — measured, stirred, and simmered with