Selene Hartley and Raina Westbrook were inseparable-a bond forged in childhood, tested by life, and shattered by love. Selene, a soft-spoken fashion designer with a heart full of dreams. Raina, a fierce CEO, bold and loyal. They shared everything... until they fell for the same man.

Lucien Ashbourne-the world's richest and most powerful tycoon, known for his icy beauty and hidden scars. Raina confessed her love. Selene promised to help. But fate had other plans. Lucien and Selene fell for each other in secret, their love hidden behind Raina's back. When the truth surfaced, the betrayal tore the women apart.

A decade later, Selene is gone-murdered in silence by an unknown enemy. At the funeral, Raina returns, broken and silent, standing before the man she once loved... and the twins Selene left behind. Children who had only known her as a story told in bedtime whispers.

As Raina searches for the killer, Lucien-consumed by grief-finds himself drawn back to the woman he once lost. And the twins, desperate for a mother's warmth, begin to love the very person their mother once called "sister."

In the ashes of betrayal, could healing begin? Or is this just the beginning of another heartbreak?


---

Rowan and Lyra sat on opposite ends of the long velvet couch, neither speaking. The thunder outside rolled softly, but nothing louder than the silence between them.


Lyra hugged her knees to her chest. "She looked… like a ghost."


Rowan didn't answer at first. His eyes were still fixed on the floor, where Raina had stood.


> "She didn't cry," he finally said. "Everyone else did. But not her."


> "Because she didn't care," Lyra snapped, more to convince herself than him. "She pushed Mom out. Chloe said—"


> "Chloe says a lot of things," Rowan cut in, his voice sharper than usual.


> "You don't believe her anymore?" she asked, uncertain.


Rowan didn't answer right away. He leaned back, fingers drumming slowly on his knee. "I don't know. But when she looked at the grave… she didn't blink. Not once. It was like she'd already died with Mom."


Until Lyra asked, softly, "Why did she look at me like that?"


> "Like I was someone else's child… someone she loved but didn't recognize."


Rowan swallowed. "Because maybe… we were."


They sat with that truth, raw and splintered.


Chloe stepped in, arms full of pastries and her fake-sweet voice trailing behind her.


> "My angels! I brought your favorite—berry danishes!"


Lyra stood too, eyes narrowed. "About Aunt Raina. Did you lie about her?"


Her smile flickered for a second—barely noticeable. Then it returned, tighter.


> "Sweethearts, I know you're shaken. Seeing her must've been confusing. But I told you the truth—your mother chose to cut her off. Raina was... cold. Dangerous. Even Lucian said so."


> "She didn't look dangerous," Rowan said flatly. "She looked broken."


> "And angry," Lyra added. "Like someone who didn't get to say goodbye."


Chloe's jaw clenched, but she recovered quickly. "She's always been dramatic. You two need rest. Don't let her poison your hearts."


For the first time, Chloe felt it—the shift.


Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: The Children She Never Held