Colton's POV. Even with the papers burning a hole into my palm, my mind won’t stop thinking about Felix."No, Lisa! Don't do this!" I went to my knees, blinking rapidly as the tears refused to stay back. My pride didn't matter anymore. My son did. "Hate me more if you want. Cheat on me if you want. Just don't leave Felix; he needs you more than anything." My voice cracked.Growing up without parents had left me with deep scars I still carried, and I couldn't let Felix suffer the same fate."Exactly why I want to leave! Felix is the biggest mistake of my life, and you are the second mistake. I wish he died at birth; I wouldn't have to waste my life raising a sick son!" Lisa snapped with no hint of regret. My stomach twisted; I must have heard her wrong. How can a woman call her son her biggest mistake? "What? He is your son, Lisa! How can you wish for your son's death?" A scream tore through my throat as pain exploded through my body.I stared at the floor, letting the tears flow

Colton's POV“Then become my husband.”For a few seconds, I couldn't move. Her words hung between us, and I stared at her as though waiting for her to take them back. Become her husband? My mind struggled to process what I had just heard, but my body reacted before my thoughts could catch up. My fingers tightened around the arm of the chair, and I remained silent, staring at the woman sitting across from me.Slowly, I tried to sit up straighter, but the movement sent a dull ache through my bruised ribs. I stopped halfway and gripped the chair harder until the pain eased. Only then did I remember the beating I had taken earlier. My entire body felt exhausted, my arms heavy, my legs almost too weak to carry me, yet Maita's proposal had somehow forced me to forget the pain for a moment.“Why me?” The question finally escaped my lips. My voice sounded rough and unfamiliar, even to me. I looked down at myself before meeting her eyes again. My clothes were dirty and wrinkled, my face st

Colton's POVThe next morning, I woke before the alarm on my phone. For a few seconds, I stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, trying to remember where I was. Then everything from the previous day came rushing back.I sat up carefully, waiting for the ache in my ribs to settle before getting out of bed. The room was quiet, and the clothes someone had left for me were neatly arranged on a chair. I changed without paying much attention to them, then picked up my phone and called the hospital before leaving the estate.“Felix is stable,” the nurse told me. “He is still unconscious, but there hasn't been any major change.” I closed my eyes briefly and nodded. “I'm coming.” Those two words were all I could manage before ending the call.A driver was waiting outside when I stepped into the driveway. I stopped for a moment, looking at the car. It was another reminder that things had changed overnight, even though nothing that mattered to me had changed at all. I got into the back seat, gave the

Colton's POVThe board meeting had been pushed back for weeks after Felix woke up. Maita wanted to give me enough time with Felix before handling the company affairs. Today was finally the day.I stood in front of the mirror and adjusted the dark suit Maita's stylist had chosen for me. I checked the collar, straightened my tie, and buttoned my jacket carefully. If I was going to walk into that room as Sterling Colton, I would at least make sure I looked like I belonged there.My new phone vibrated on the table, Maita had changed everything about me. Before I could reach for it, there was a knock on the door. Maita stepped inside, already dressed for the meeting. She carried a thin folder in one hand and a few photographs in the other.“We need to discuss something before we leave.”I turned toward her. “What is it?”She walked over and placed the photographs on the table. The first picture showed Lisa leaving a restaurant with a man. The next showed them together at a hotel, and ano