Shadows Of A Forgotten Spring

Chapter 149 Chapter 149

"I was protecting my kids!" Emma snapped, her voice cracking under the strain of her emotions.

"Protecting them from whom?" Alexander asked, his voice breaking with disbelief. He looked to his left and then to his right, as if to ask, Where is the bad man? "From me?" He scoffed in bitterness, shaking his head. "I never thought you'd stoop this low, Emma." Emma's chest heaved as she struggled to hold back her tears. "And I never thought you would divorce me for a woman you hadn't seen in years. You made your choice, Alexander, and I made mine. It is a win win, isn't it?

"Stop trying to justify yourself!" Alexander's voice thundered, raw with the pain he had bottled up for weeks. "If you had told me back then, I might have reconsidered everything."

"Reconsider?" Emma scoffed, the word bitter with resentment. "You were too blinded by your love for Annie to even notice me, Alexander. To you, I was nothing but an obstacle. A woman you were forced to marry in order to claim your inheritance."

"You hid my children from me!" Alexander roared, his anguish spilling over. "I missed four years of their lives, years I can never get back. And even when I finally met them, you told me to stay away, as if I'm some kind of threat

Emma furiously wiped away her tears. "They are my kids.

"They are our children." Alexander reiterated, firm but his voice soft and steady. "It's time, Emma, we did right."

Emma took some steps backward, her head shaking. "I won't let you take them from me."

though the hurt still resonated in his voice. "But I

Her tears fell freely as she turned and walked away, her heart shattering with every step. She couldn't let him see how deeply his words had

through her veins was

took a deep breath. He had not wanted the whole conversation to go

what Emma has done

him in the worst

on the railings, he let go

AAAAA

her mind refused to grant her even a moment's reprieve. If she had known that things would go this way, she would have stayed as far away as possible

of her choices pressing down on her like a suffocating blanket. She knew Alexander too well, better than she cared to admit. He had always been a man of unyielding determination, someone

this wasn't about a business deal or some trophy he wanted to claim. It was about her children,

ray of sunshine through the stormiest nights. The thought of Alexander taking them from her sent ripples down into her very

her, he was sorely mistaken. Emma was ready to fight tooth and nail for them, to protect them with everything she had. Annie ran into the bathroom for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. She was faking

staring back: circles were under her eyes, and there was an air of tenseness everywhere. She splashed cold water on her face, trying to compose herself,

physically, yet he showed no signs of leaving the hospital. For a month, Annie had endured