The CEO's Regret: His Lost Wife's Secret Twins novel Chapter 200

Chapter 200

ARIA

I tucked Aurora into bed, brushing her blonde curls away from her forehead. Her big eyes-carbon copies of my own-blinked up at me

sleepily.

“Mommy, can we go to the park tomorrow?” she asked, tiny fingers clutching her stuffed elephant.

“We’ll see, sweetie. Time to sleep now.”

“That means no,” she pouted, way too perceptive for a three-year-old.

“I promise to think about it,” I said, kissing her forehead. “Now close those eyes.”

William was already half-asleep when I checked on him, thumb firmly planted in his mouth despite what the pediatrician said about his teeth. I stood watching him breathe for a moment, my chest tightening with an emotion I couldn’t name.

Back in the living room, the silence hit me hard. The day’s chaos at the hospital kept replaying-Matthew acting weird, Blake falling, Emma rushing in with her Oscar-worthy performance. My nerves were shot.

I grabbed a bottle of red wine from the cabinet and poured a generous glass. The first sip burned my throat. The second tasted better. I sank onto the couch and closed my eyes, utterly drained.

BANG!

The front door slammed open so violently I jumped up, spilling wine across my shirt. Dammit.

Olivia stood in my doorway gasping for breath. Her designer blouse was ripped at the shoulder, her hair looked like she’d stuck her finger

in an electrical socket, and her makeup had smeared into raccoon eyes. A nasty bruise was forming on her left cheek.

“Aria,’ she gasped, stumbling inside. I almost got freaking killed tonight!”

I rushed to lock the door behind her, heart hammering. “What the hell happened to you?”

She collapsed onto my couch, hands shaking so bad she couldn’t even hold them still. That private investigator I hired to check out Dr Smith after we saw her fighting with Emma? He found something big.”

I abandoned my wine glass and sat beside her, pulse racing. “Tell me everything.”

“Dr. Smith has this secluded place out in Long Island. The investigator discovered she kept a hidden safe there-probably containing a USB with all those medical records we’ve been looking for.”

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14:28 Mon, Jun 15

Chapter 200

My stomach knotted. “You went there tonight.

G47

“Yeah, with the investigator. Olivia pushed hair from her face with trembling fingers. “The place was completely trashed-someone had torn through everything looking for something.”

“And?”

“This masked psycho attacked us out of nowhere! They smashed a freaking ashtray at my head!” Her voice cracked. “If the investigator hadn’t brought backup, I’d be dead. During the fight, I scratched the attacker’s arm deep enough to draw blood. They ran off bleeding.”

I rushed for my first aid kit, anger building with each step. Coming back, I examined her injuries under the lamp light. The bruise on her cheek was darkening by the minute. Her elbow had an ugly gash.

“Did you see their face?” I asked, cleaning the wound more roughly than intended.

“Ow! Dammit, Aria!” Olivia jerked her arm. “No, it was too dark. Medium build. Moved fast. That’s all I got.”

“Sorry, I muttered, gentler now. “This confirms everything about Dr. Smith. Someone wanted whatever information she had badly enough they were willing to commit murder.”

“Exactly,” Olivia nodded. “Whatever Dr. Smith discovered was dangerous enough to get her killed. Something that could absolutely destroy

someone.”

“Someone with Emma’s resources,” I said, voice hardening.

Olivia caught my eye. “You finally believe me?”

I secured the bandage with more force than necessary. “I was an idiot to doubt you. Everything leads back to her.” My throat tightened. “I just didn’t want to believe she could have-*

“Murdered your father?” Olivia finished bluntly.

“Three years ago, I saw Emma at Redwood Medical Center the day Dad died,” I said, voice barely audible. “But when I demanded the security footage, there was magically no record of her ever being there.”

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