The crowd pressed in around her, but Arabella barely felt them.

Everything sounded distant-like she was underwater.

Cameras flashed. Voices shouted. Her name echoed again and again.

But her mind was somewhere else entirely... stuck on the thought of bringing shame to what Victor cherished most-the Sterling name.

Her fingers trembled at her sides, cold despite the heat of the crowd.

A faint ringing filled her ears. Her heart thudded unevenly, like it couldn't decide whether to keep going or give up.

For once, she wondered, "How have I ever offended Serena?"

For Adrian and Catherine, she could fathom their hatred. It came from the company shares Victor had used to force Adrian into the marriage. And subsequently, his death.

But Serena was different. Yes, Arabella had loved him first, but he'd chosen Serena. He'd always chosen Serena

So why? Why was she bent on humiliating Arabella at every chance she got?

Arabella wanted to scream. She wanted to run... to just disappear.

But she couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Couldn't even breathe.

"Please stop!" Serena's voice cut through the chaos like a sword, bringing momentary silence to the room and snapping Arabella out of her daze.

Serena locked eyes with Catherine, whispering something between them.

Then she walked up to Adrian on the podium, gently rubbing his clenched fist. "Don't worry, Adrian. I've got you," she whispered.

"On behalf of the entire Sterling Group, I apologise for the disruption," she began, her voice calm, commanding, and convincing.

"I know there have been a lot of whispers surrounding us," she paused, linking hands with Adrian, who looked like he was barely recovering from the shock. "Especially since we've never publicly talked about our child."

She swept her gaze around the room before letting it land on Arabella, who was still trembling with fear. "Adrian and I had Axel through surrogacy, and Arabella helped us carry him."

Her words sounded so certain that Arabella doubted herself for a moment.

Then a reporter asked, "So why is Ms. Arabella claiming him as her son?"

Serena looked up at Adrian, who was already looking down at her, unsure of what she was planning.

She then looked at Catherine, exchanging a slight nod, before turning back to the reporters.

"It is with utmost regret that I announce Arabella Sterling has been mentally unstable for a while now."

Blood drained from Arabella's face as she clenched her dress tightly.

She looked up at them, and their gazes were already fixed on her.

The initial shock on Adrian's face vanished the moment he caught Arabella's gaze.

One corner of Serena's mouth lifted in a mocking curl, as if daring Arabella to correct her.

Murmurs erupted within the crowd-some critical, others filled with sympathy.

Reporters immediately followed with questions.

"Is this true?"

"Mr. Sterling, can you say a word about this?"

Arabella looked up at Adrian, her eyes filled with hope.

Maybe... just maybe he would say something in her favour.

But before he could open his mouth, a feminine voice cut in.

"Serena is right."

Catherine wheeled toward Arabella, drawing everyone's attention.

"After causing such a terrible accident that destroyed our family forever, Arabella has become more and more delusional by the day."

She looked directly at Arabella as she added, "Anything to steal the inheritance from its rightful owner."

The flashes intensified, as did the questions.

Everyone knew about the accident, but the accusations that followed were wild, adding fuel to the tension in the room.

"Mrs. Sterling, what do you mean by that?"

"How did it happen?"

Serena stepped forward, positioning herself just behind Catherine's wheelchair.

"Why don't you ask the gold digger who is trying so hard to seduce her own 'brother' and marry into the family that raised her?"

"Or better still," she paused, the curl on her lips unmistakable as she glanced from Arabella to the child beside her.

Arabella's eyes widened as she immediately understood what Serena was about to do.

"No... not Axel. Don't drag him into this..." her heart pounded violently

But her pleas fell on deaf ears.

"...ask my son who his real mother is."

Camera flashes exploded as attention turned back to Arabella and Axel.

Reporters shouted over one another.

"Ms. Sterling, how long have you been ill?"

"Young Sterling, can you tell us who your mom is?"

"Are you seducing your brother?"

The questions were endless, but no one seemed to care.

Arabella pulled Axel close, shielding his face from the flashing lights.

She was lost, barely gasping for air. The only thing stopping her from breaking down was the child in her arms.

Just as she felt herself about to collapse, Axel wiggled free from her grip.

Arabella's breath went shallow, her lips trembling as she tried to hold him back, but he moved away.

His eyes were red with tears as he stood amid the crowd. This was nothing a five-year-old should have to endure, yet none of the adults around him seemed to care.

"Axie," Serena called gently, though the smile on her face was strained and brittle.

His hands curled into the sleeves of his jacket, fingers disappearing as if he wanted to hide them, before he ran to Serena and wrapped his arms around her.

"That woman is crazy. She is not my mom," he said quickly, glancing over his shoulder.

Arabella felt the words strike her chest; sharp, precise, right where it hurt most.

The murmurs around the room faded into distant noise.

For a moment, she didn't move. Didn't breathe. Her body went still the way it did when something inside her cracked and she couldn't afford to let it show.

It was one thing for him to favour Serena at home, but to denounce her in public? She never thought she would live to see this day.

"Do you have no shame?"

"Are you after the company?"

The questions were cruel, the murmurs accusatory-and she stood in the middle of it all.

The noise overwhelmed her, her legs too weak to keep her standing.

Just as she started to lose her balance, Adrian's voice cut through the chaos.

"Enough!"

And it stopped.

The questions, the noise, the flashes- all fell into silence as Adrian pushed through the crowd and stopped in front of Arabella.

A glimmer of hope sparked in her eyes.

Maybe he was going to help her. Tell everyone she wasn't crazy, that Axel was their child.

"Adrian..."

Adrian turned sharply, lifting Axel into his arms before facing the crowd.

"I do not want to see pictures of my son or..." he paused, glancing over his shoulder, "...Arabella outside of this room." His voice was sharp and commanding. "This is our family's business, which I do not wish to make public."

Gavin Bush, Adrian's personal assistant, immediately stepped forward to address the crowd, though his eyes lingered on Arabella's trembling form for a moment longer than necessary.

Adrian then walked back to Arabella, leaning in close, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"This is where it ends, Arabella."

His tone was calm, but it sent a chill down her spine.

As she watched the two most important people in her life walk away, Arabella's vision blurred.

The floor tilted.

And then she was falling.

The sound of her body hitting marble echoed through the hall.

Adrian paused mid-stride. For one brief moment, his shoulders tensed.

He glanced back.

Their eyes met.

Then he tightened his grip on Axel and walked out.

And Arabella, lying on the cold floor surrounded by strangers and cameras, finally understood.

He was never going to save her.

"This is where it ends!"

The words echoed in her head as Arabella opened her eyes.

She was in Axel's room, curled on the floor beside his bed, sunlight streaming harsh and bright through the window.

She barely remembered getting home last night-just stumbling through the empty house, collapsing in the one place that still smelled like him.

Sunlight.

Her eyes flew to the clock: 9:47 a.m.

She shot to her feet. She never slept past six. Never. Not in five years of living in this house.

Where was Ms. Shaw? The elderly housekeeper woke her every morning at 5:30 sharp with a list of chores.

Unless she'd been told not to.

The bed was empty.

Her heart lurched. She pushed to her feet, checking his bathroom, his closet. Nothing.

"He should be at school..."

Then her eyes landed on his school uniform, still hanging pristine on the back of his door.

She grabbed her phone and called his homeroom teacher.

"Oh, you didn't know?" The woman's tone shifted to sympathy. "Mr. Sterling called to inform us Axel transferred schools. I assumed you'd discussed it..."

The words barely registered. Transferred? In the middle of the session?

Arabella ended the call, her mind racing.

Adrian had taken him. Actually taken him.

She needed to see Adrian. Now.

Fifteen minutes later, she was walking through the Sterling Law Group offices, ignoring the whispers that followed her down the hallway.

Adrian might have used his power to stop the media frenzy last night, but gossip among colleagues and friends was inevitable.

"Arabella, what are you doing here?" Gavin asked politely, standing as she entered his office.

"I need to see Adrian. It's urgent," she replied, forcing a smile.

Gavin had been Adrian's assistant for almost seven years. Unlike the others, he'd never looked at her with contempt. Never whispered when she passed. Once, he'd even held the elevator door when she was carrying groceries.

Small kindnesses. But in this house, they felt like lifelines.

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Um...Mr. Sterling is inside with Ms. Smith. Let me inform him."

"They even make out on our bed beside me. What worse could happen?" she muttered, scoffing as she walked away.

Gavin sighed, shaking his head as he watched her leave with pity.

When Arabella stepped into the office, Serena's voice reached her first. "...I only did that to protect you."

Arabella watched as Adrian leaned forward, his eyes unusually gentle, the way he hadn't looked at her in years.

"I'm not angry at you, Serena. I'm glad you thought to handle her mess," he said softly.

His eyes flicked to the doorway, locking on Arabella. His jaw stiffened, but he continued. "I am doing this to punish Arabella."

The gentleness vanished. "She deserved what she got."

Serena glanced at Arabella, her expression softening.

"Oh, Arabella. You're here..."

"Where's Axel?" Arabella interrupted, her voice trembling.

Something in Adrian's expression told her it had to be about Axel.

"What did you do to him?" she demanded, though her hand shook.

Serena let out an exaggerated gasp, glancing between Adrian and Arabella. "Oh, you haven't told her?"

Arabella's eyes widened. "Tell me what?"

"Axel is currently in Asia," Adrian announced, his voice flat as he leaned back in his chair. "On his way to be enrolled in a boarding school there."

The lie tasted bitter on his tongue. How could he afford to send his child away? But Arabella didn't need to know that.

Arabella shook her head. "What? That's impossible. He's only five. No school would accept him."

Adrian rose and circled toward her, his hand buried in his pocket. "Not when that school runs an orphanage that just happened to receive a generous donation from me."

Arabella's legs weakened, and she grabbed the edge of the desk for support.

He leaned close, whispering, "You want him back living with me?"

His face was so near she could feel his breath.

"You sign the divorce papers," he added, pointing at the desk.

"No. No, that can't be right," she whispered, brows furrowed.

'Adrian loves Axel...there's no way he could do that, right? He must be trying to pull my leg.'

As if reading her thoughts, Adrian pulled out his phone and showed her a video of Axel in a different school uniform, held in the arms of one of Adrian's guards.

"Don't worry, Dad. I'll be okay here as long as it takes. Tell Mommy she doesn't have to stay because of me anymore."

The words were wooden. Rehearsed.

Arabella's resolve shattered.

Still she believed her son was too sweet to say those words.

He was doing this for Adrian. Because Adrian asked him to.

Because Adrian had convinced their five-year-old that his mother's refusal to divorce was the problem.

Not the affair. Not the abuse. Not the public humiliation.

Her.

"You turned him against me," she whispered. "You actually turned my son against me." Hot tears blurred her vision. Adrian had crossed the line.

Arabella's legs weakened, and she grabbed the edge of the desk for support.

She watched the video again. And again. Axel's small face on the screen, trying so hard to be brave. The uniform that didn't fit right.

"A child whose birth you weren't even there for!"

On the day of Axel's birth, Adrian was nursing Serena's bruised ankle in the same hospital. Five years later, he had the audacity to take that child away.

Adrian's jaw tightened, his eyes darting everywhere else but her.

"Do you think it's easy to send my child miles away?" His fist came down on the desk. Not enough to hurt, but enough to make his point.

"I tolerated you for years, letting you watch him grow!" His voice shook with rage he could barely control. "But you had to barge in, acting like a lunatic, like Serena was going to eat him up!"

He leaned in close, his voice dropping to something cold and precise. "You embarrassed me. You made my son a spectacle. You think I can let that slide?"

His eyes were ice. "You need to learn that actions have consequences. And since you keep using my son as a shield to cling to me, I decided to send him away."

"Serena sent me a text with your phone, Adrian! This is all her! Can't you see?" Her voice cracked before she steadied herself.

Adrian raised a brow, eyes shifting between Arabella and Serena. "What?"

Serena's eyes widened, filling with tears. "Arabella... how could you think I would do something like that?"

She turned to Adrian, her voice breaking. "I've tried so hard to be kind to her. To understand her condition. But this...accusing me of-"

A sob cut her off.

Arabella watched Serena's shoulders shake, her hand clutching Adrian's desk for support.

The tears were real-or looked real. The trembling voice, the wounded expression.

But Arabella had seen this performance before.

"Check your phone, Adrian! You'll see she orchestrated the whole incident," Arabella insisted, a little more confidently.

Adrian hesitated as he grabbed his phone. He had given it to Serena last night, but she...she was too innocent for that, right?

"Adrian, are you really going to listen to her?" Serena asked, her brows knitted with fury.

But Adrian didn't listen to her.

As he opened the text app, a frown crept onto his face. "What the hell is this?"

"What is this new tactic, Arabella?" Adrian asked, raising his gaze to meet hers.

Arabella's brows furrowed as she tried to speak, "W–what are you..."

"Arabella, I know you hate me, but please don't implicate me like this!" Serena cried, but only Arabella noticed the curl at the corner of her lip. "What do I have to gain from ruining the family's reputation?"

Adrian ran a hand through his dark crew cut, "Serena is right. You should be thanking her for cleaning up your mess, not coming up with more lies!"

"Our last messages were dated to over a month now and it's from you!"

Serena sniffled dramatically, "Adrian...I'm more heartbroken that you chose to believe her instead of me."

Adrian slipped a hand around waist, helping her wipe out the fake tears that she always seemed to have ready, "I'm sorry, Serena."

Arabella bit her lower lip bitterly.

What was she thinking? Serena was one hell of a smart lawyer. There's no way she'd leave evidence behind.

"I doubt you can delete mine," she scoffed, pulling out her phone.

But upon checking her message, nothing was there.

"What?" she muttered, scrolling up and down. There was no trace of any message from Adrian in the past few months.

"What? Can't find the message?" Serena asked with a smirk.

Arabella immediately knew Serena had tampered with it. Ms. Shaw actively worked for her-there was no need to think twice. She sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat.

'Serena is really unbeatable, isn't she?'

"Arabella, no amount of scheming will change my mind today," Adrian interrupted her thoughts. "Unless you don't want Axel back."

Arabella looked up slowly, eyes red. "You want divorce and full custody..." Her voice broke as she paused, "How is this a choice for me?"

Adrian turned, a mocking curl lifting one corner of his lips. "Axel gets to come back home to live with me, my mom, and Serena...a happy, normal family."

Hot tears trickled down Arabella's cheeks faster than her hand could wipe them.

"Or he remains in the boarding school with no one until he's 18," Adrian continued, dawdling over the words, barely hiding his smugness. "Your choice."

He returned to his seat, typing on his laptop, trying his best to be nonchalant about the whole situation...and failing.

Serena leaned closer, her voice pleading, "Arabella, please don't let Axel stay there. He's too young..."

Arabella raised her gaze, silencing Serena.

For the first time, she saw raw fury reflected in her own eyes, sharp enough to pierce Serena's smugness.

Arabella didn't speak, but her stare was warning enough.

As she stepped forward, Serena quickly moved back, unsure why the look intimidated her so much.

Adrian lifted his gaze from his laptop as Arabella approached his desk.

"I will sign it," Arabella said firmly, despite shaky breaths.

Serena ran up to her, excitement written all over her face. "Good choice, Arabella."

But when Adrian looked at her, she quickly added, "Uh...Axel will get to come back home."

"But...I need you to promise me you will protect Axel at all costs," Arabella insisted, voice firmer now.

Adrian frowned. "He's my son too. I don't have to promise you. It's my responsibility."

"Well, I'm just worried Serena will start scheming against him once I'm gone, and you'd blindly believe her like the fool you've become," Arabella murmured with a small, bitter smile.

"ARABELLA!" Adrian snapped-but that was all he could do as she picked up the pen and signed the papers.

As she finished, Arabella felt a strange lightness, as if a huge weight had lifted.

She looked at Adrian, expecting to see relief...maybe even triumph.

But his jaw was locked tight. His eyes fixed on the signed papers like they'd betrayed him.

"You should be over the moon now. All your insecurities about my 'golddigging' are over."

Adrian didn't say a word. He stared at the signature-her name in black ink, finalizing everything he'd demanded.

His throat worked. His fingers curled into his palm.

For a moment, he looked like a man who'd gotten exactly what he wanted and hated himself for it.

For someone who always wanted this divorce, that felt weird.

As much as Arabella tried to stay strong, tears blurred her vision as she looked at the man who had once ruled her heart.

"We are divorced now. Can I at least...see him before I leave?"

Adrian didn't hesitate, "No!"

His jaw clenched. "It's only after I'm sure you're far away from him that he comes back. Don't get any ideas or try any tricks."

All the while, ignoring her gaze.

Arabella inhaled sharply, hurriedly wiping a tear before Adrian could notice. She forced a smile, holding his gaze one last time. "Yes, it was my fault I fell in love with you. I disrupted your relationship with Serena... but remember, Adrian, you kissed me first."

Serena's face twisted, the mask slipping just for a second before she composed herself. "Adrian was drunk. You took advantage-"

"You moaned my name as we fucked," Arabella screamed, veins throbbing in her neck. "Was that a mistake too?" Angry tears poured down her cheeks.

Adrian didn't respond. His eyes slowly reddened, glistening as if he were holding back tears. His hands clenched the edge of the table.

"Adrian Sterling, I will never forgive you for ruining my life." Arabella started to walk away, wiping her cheeks.

Just as she reached the doorway, her phone pinged, and Adrian's voice followed, stopping her in her tracks.

"I sent $5 million to your account." His voice softened, almost like the boy she once loved.

Five million dollars. Like he could pay her to disappear. To forget her child.

To stop existing in his world.

She almost laughed. Almost threw it back in his face.

But she would need to survive...to come back stronger.

So she took his blood money and said nothing.

Then he spoke again, "Live a good life...Petals."

Petals. Named after the birthmarks on her shoulders that only he had ever noticed.

The nickname that once made her heart race now made her blood boil.

She opened the door and walked out. She didn't stop crying, letting the pain spill over as she left the company and hailed a cab.

The cab ride was a blur. She didn't remember paying the driver or walking through the front door.

She only remembered the sound of it closing behind her-final, hollow-before her knees gave out and she slid down against it, finally alone enough to shatter.

This was the last time she would cry over him.

Eventually, she began packing, but everything reminded her of him-from the expensive jewelry to the small hair brooches he had bought randomly, saying, "If I don't spoil my sister, who will?"

What used to make her heart flutter now only burned her skin. She took only essentials: clothes and documents.

She paused at her business degree, realizing she had never used it since marrying Adrian straight out of college.

Then she went to Axel's room. She could almost see him lying peacefully on his bed.

Her fingers trembled as they clutched the blanket, still warm with his scent.

The room was silent, toys lined up neatly as if waiting for him. Her shoulders curled inward, each breath splintering her chest, forcing her to hold the bedframe to stay upright.

Her gaze drifted to the wall where tiny stickers clung in a crooked line-pirates, planets, a smiling sun he used to say looked like her.

A shaky laugh escaped, shattering into jagged sobs. She pressed her forehead into the mattress, remembering him crawling onto her lap with morning hair sticking up like a startled bird.

Axel loved her. She refused to believe otherwise.

As she tried to stand, her hand brushed something hard at the bed's edge.

A notebook.

She remembered it clearly-a fancy diary she'd bought Adrian for his 21st birthday eight years ago. "You may need a place to write your deepest, darkest secrets," she had joked.

Arabella wiped her eyes and dusted it off. "Why is this here?"

Adrian often spent time in Axel's room so he might have dropped it?

She wanted to put it back-she didn't need reminders of him. But curiosity won.

The date at the top caught her eye: his birthday.

The first line read:

"Dear Diary, as scary as it is to admit, I am in love with my sister."