Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 228: Quitting was not an option she would ever consider.

Everything Maia had stolen from her burned fresh in her mind, fueling a fire that would not die until Maia paid for it all.

Curling her lips into a cold smile, Rosanna muttered to herself, "Maia, enjoy your little moment while you can. The man you once chased after four years ago is about to stand beside me at the altar. In the end, I'm the one who wins, and you were never meant to have anything beautiful."

Meanwhile, Jarrod pushed open his door and stepped into the quiet gloom of his room, his face clouded with unease. The echoes of Rosanna's broken sobs, Sandra's sharp accusations, and Richard's furious voice still rattled inside his head, making him feel restless and hollow.

His phone buzzed with an incoming call from a friend asking him to grab a drink, but he let it ring until it went silent.

Once upon a time, he had set a song written by Maia as his ringtone. Now he stared at the screen, unsure if it was right to keep it.

After a few seconds of wavering, Jarrod finally made up his mind and switched the ringtone.

The last thing he wanted was to stir up more hurt in Rosanna.

Right as he locked the phone again, a news alert blinked across the screen: "Maia, the Genius Composer K, Captivates the Internet with 'One More Day' and Her Stunning Vocals."

A sharp flicker crossed Jarrod's eyes, and his chest tightened.

Without thinking, he dragged his finger across the screen and pressed play.

The opening notes washed over him, and Maia's voice floated into the room, full of aching beauty and strength.

He had always loved this song.

Yet somehow, tonight, it sounded like a memory slipping further away. He had known that it was composed and sung by Maia.

That strange pull in his chest twisted his thoughts into a mess he couldn't untangle.

Without warning, he jabbed the pause button. His hand hovered stiffly, as if the screen had scorched his skin.

A deep crease formed between Jarrod's brows.

Searching for some kind of relief, he pulled up his music library and wiped Maia's song from both his favorites and his regular playlist. Determined to erase her completely, he scrolled through the rest of her tracks, ready to hit delete without a second thought.

Yet, as his thumb hovered above the final confirmation, he hesitated just long enough to second-guess himself. In the end, he shifted all the songs to a forgotten playlist he barely used.

Out of sight, out of mind. That was good enough for now.

He flipped the phone over onto the table and slumped back into his chair, rubbing his temples as frustration gnawed at him.

Over at the Ward family mansion, tension hung thick in the air despite the mansion being lit up like a grand affair.

Vince had just stepped through the door when he saw his father, Gavin Ward, sitting on the sofa, his expression darkened.

The coffee cup rattling slightly on the polished table told Vince that it had been slammed down hard not long ago.

Quickly crossing the room, Vince offered a careful smile. "Dad, I just got back. Why are you still awake?"

Setting the newspaper aside, Gavin fixed Vince with a piercing stare and replied casually, "I stayed up for you. I need an explanation."

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