The Weight of Broken Promises

The rain cleared by morning.

Bella hadn't slept a minute.

All night, her head spun. She'd seen love at its purest—how could she ever settle for a heart that had already changed?

She was Bella, the girl who once loved Steven with everything she had.

But she was also Bella Beaufort, the Beaufort heiress. She couldn't stomach even a grain of deceit.

With that resolve, she made a call.

"Dad, remember how Beaufort Corp wanted to expand into Inglane? Heidi's husband's from the royal family there, and she's heading back in a couple weeks with her kid. I want to go with her and check things out."

Jonathan frowned. "Did Steven tell you to bring this up?"

"No. This time it's my choice." She let out a bitter smile.

Even her own dad saw her and Steven as one.

Jonathan was thrown. His daughter had never once left that Rocca boy's side. Why was she suddenly set on going so far away?

"Bella, did Steven hurt you?" His tone sharpened.

Bella pressed her lips together.

"Dad, don't ask right now. Once I'm in Inglane, I'll explain everything."

The Rocca and Beaufort families had been tied together for generations, their marriage sealing the bond even tighter. She refused to drag her family into the fallout.

In the end, Jonathan gave in. "Alright. Come by Beaufort Corp later and get familiar with the plans."

Bella nodded and hung up. She dragged herself out of bed to wash up. Her eyes were swollen, and the bitterness in her chest wouldn't quit.

The lawyer had already sent over the divorce papers, but she still hadn't figured out how to tell Steven. After all those years, it wasn't something she could just toss aside.

She covered the tear-stains with makeup, slipped into a crisp, professional outfit, and stepped out.

Downstairs, Heidi was having breakfast with Nico. Bella figured she'd scared him yesterday.

"Aunt Bella, you're up!" Nico ran over, grabbed her hand. “Mom said your heart was sad yesterday. I can make it better!”

Six-year-olds—too sweet for this world. Bella brushed his cheek. “Good boy. I’m okay now. Go back to your mom.”

He nodded, still confused, then skipped back to Heidi.

Bella's mind flashed to Steven laughing with that other boy yesterday.

If their baby had lived, they'd be older than him by now.

She forced down the ache, gave Heidi a quick explanation, and slipped out of the house.

But the second she stepped past the gates, she froze.

Steven leaned against the car, looking wrecked, a cigarette hanging from his lips. Smoke blurred his face.

Bella's chest clenched. The records showed his side chick—Ada Fowler—and her son both had July birthdays. Ada's just passed—the boy's was still coming. So why was Steven back already?

Her stare must've given her away. Steven looked up, confused at first, then his tired eyes lit up when he saw her.

He crossed the distance fast and yanked her into his arms.

The heat of him used to mean comfort. Now it burned.

"Feeling better?" His voice was soft, loaded with worry. "I heard you yesterday and knew something was off. I drove back overnight. When you weren't home, I guessed you'd be here with Heidi."

He really did sound worried.

But Bella couldn't wrap her head around it. If he'd loved her that much, how could he live so easily with another woman and a kid?

Her lips shook. She swallowed the bitterness and forced out, "I'm fine. I was just heading home."

Steven let out a breath. "Next time you're sick, tell me. Don't scare me like that."

His voice was so soft, so gentle, it almost tricked her into thinking nothing had changed.

Then Bella caught movement—a slim figure under a tree.

Ada. On her phone.

A beat later, Steven's cell lit up. He checked the screen, hesitation flashing across his face. "Something urgent at work. I need to handle it."

Bella's stomach dropped.

She wasn't stupid. She'd seen the name: Ada.

The bitterness burned, but she forced a smile. "Go ahead. Work comes first."

Guilt flickered in his eyes before he pressed a kiss to her forehead and slid into the car.

The second he got in, Ada ended her call. She swayed her way over, smirking. "Hi, I'm Ada Fowler. I'm—"

Her eyes caught Bella's tight expression, and the words shifted.

"So, you already know about me and Ollie. Perfect. Enjoy the show."