They waited a month for Emma's baptism, and that same month was how long Deanna refused to see or speak to Harry. But the excuses had finally run out because Daniel would be the godfather.
She couldn't avoid it—when he saw her again at the church door, arriving with his brother and nephews looking like a perfect family, he felt that familiar ache in his chest. But all those feelings had to fade eventually; he had decided they would.
It was Deanna's first time meeting the baby in person, having only seen photos before. Laura insisted she hold her, though it was obvious Deanna had built walls around herself for protection against more pain.
But the tiny pink bundle brought a gentle smile to her face, and for a few moments, she forgot everything else. Both men watched her cradling the ch
Leonard was going crazy, literally. He had been closely following the aspiring Prima Donna through photos published online. The latest ones he'd seen were from Harry's daughter's baptism, and Daniel appeared with her in all of them.He couldn't shake that strange sensation that had lingered since the day he met her. He didn't even know what drove him to keep insisting—maybe wounded pride because she had resisted him, or maybe the idea that she was the right woman for him.He had an episode of desperation when he called Marcus to force him to find her and convince her to return to the theater. His friend refused, and Leonard erupted in anger. All avenues were cut off, with Crusher standing in the middle blocking his path.He was tired of waiting. He had done his part, and nothing was r
Leonard's blood ran cold in an instant. The man with the fewest scruples and the least shame suddenly felt like crying. The connection he'd felt with her wasn't physical after all; something deep inside had drawn him to her, and he'd mistaken it for desire. Wanting to die didn't even come close to what he felt in that moment.Everything made sense now. He'd once told Marcus that Deanna sang like an old soul; she was like her mother. His cold and dismissive mother had also sung when his father met her, before forcing her to abandon her career and becoming a bitter woman.Deanna had inherited her grandmother's talent. But the hair and eyes were all Philippa's. He'd always had that nagging feeling of having seen her somewhere before. If he'd bothered to ask for her information from the professor who arranged her auditions, he would have
It was strange, but she opened the notification anyway. "He's cheating on you," it said. She played the file that barely lasted 3 minutes, but with each second she watched, her chest tightened more."What's wrong?" Leonard asked her.But she didn't respond.Reed stood up and approached her, took the phone from her hand, and then he saw it.The video seemed to have been recorded from a high angle in an office. Daniel's office. There he was, sitting with a woman standing in front of him. Then he touched her and this woman straddled his lap, they kissed, and the next thing was on the desk with Daniel between her legs. Shit! It was Beverly."What's happening?" Philippa began walking toward them
Daniel was growing anxious. She had gone to visit her mother that afternoon but still hadn't returned and wasn't answering his messages. Everyone had arrived quite a while ago; his plan was to try to repair relationships now that the truth was out in the open.Harry cradled Emma while feeling the same unease. Was she avoiding him? Maybe she was deliberately running late so she wouldn't have to show up because he was there. But that wasn't like Deanna—she never hid from confrontation.Someone mentioned a car pulling up. Daniel glanced out the window and saw a vehicle parked at the entrance, but nobody was getting out."Want me to wait?" Leonard asked."I thought you were worried about him seeing you?"
"What happened?" Camila asked Harry."Your son is an idiot. He lost the only good thing he could have by sleeping with Beverly.""What? That can't be...""What can't be, mom? I told you not to mess it up!" he shouted at his brother.She entered the bedroom, her bedroom, the one she had shared with him for so long; she leaned against the door and tried to fight the anguish that was making it difficult to breathe. She inhaled and exhaled through her mouth several times, large amounts of air each time; she was about to break down.She grabbed a bag from the coat rack and hurriedly, without looking at what she was taking, began to fill it. She didn't even need any of that stuff; she just wanted
Daniel woke up in his office, still with the door closed when the children left for school. Fortunately, Susan had refused to leave that night. She stayed with the children in Ethan's room, not coming out, but the shouting was heard anyway. She had to comfort Naomi and Jonathan who had been frightened by their father's harsh voice.She knew him, knew her brother very well. All that wall of cement and ice that made up his armor was nothing more than a defense for him; inside he would be breaking into pieces. Before leaving for school, she tried once more to knock on his door, but got no response.He would stay there until he had no choice but to face reality again. Silence was falling over the house once more, but this time it would feel heavier and more oppressive. The pieces of the phone and the ring had been left on the floor in the livin
"I told you it would work. It's done.""Now I'll have to endure his anger.""Don't worry too much about that. I did this very carefully.""What are you talking about?""You'll see soon enough. I opened the door for you; it's your move now. You've stayed in the shadows too long. Either seize the opportunity now or do what you want. For me, the game is over.""You really are frightening."
Beverly maintained a serious posture and an indignant face as they went down in the elevator. She was confident this would regain Daniel's trust, clear her of blame, and now that Deanna had left him, she would finally have her chance. But she needed to remain cautious.When they arrived at the security chief's office, everyone was surprised—the owner rarely came down to this basement."Good morning, Mr. Colins.""Good morning, Mr. Crusher. What brings you here?""I need to ask you some questions about the restricted security cameras on the upper floor. Recently there was access to the recordings from those cameras, and I'd like to know what happened.""That's impossible; those recordi
"Grandpa promised to take us to see you at the theater... Why didn't you tell us you were in town?""I'm sorry, sweetie. I took a few days to be with Mom and Grandma... To be honest, I wasn't sure if I should tell you.""Why not, Deanna?" Ethan asked. "Is it because of Dad?""I don't want to cause any trouble...""The only one causing trouble is Beverly!" Naomi said angrily."Come back, Deanna, so she'll leave," the child said innocently."I can't do that, grasshopper. And Naomi, it's not right to say those things.""But it's true! She's always hanging around the
"Deanna, dear. I have bad news. The theater where you were going to perform in Paris suffered a terrible fire.""Oh my God!""A tragedy, but luckily, no injuries. Unfortunately, until they finish the repairs and reopen, you won’t be able to sing there. Do you want us to look for another venue?""I don’t know. What do you think?""I honestly think we should wait, if you don’t mind.""Yes, I think that’s best. I could use a longer break.""Perfect! I’ll let you know as soon as I have any updates.""Thank you, Sacha."
"What a beautiful drawing, little grasshopper. Your drawings get better every day. Do you think you’ll become an artist?"Jonathan grinned from ear to ear. Every time they talked, he would proudly show her all his "masterpieces.""You know, I need to practice a little… Will you keep me company? We always talked about how one day you'd be my practice partner, but you still haven’t accepted my offer, hmm?"Nothing made him happier than hearing her sing. She always sent them recordings of her performances, and he waited for them with so much excitement. They communicated through music—it had always been their shared language, the unspoken emotions carried through notes and melodies. And when she sang just for him, he could feel their connection more
"He invited me to a party, but Dad won't let me go...""Louis? That's awesome, Naomi!""Yes! But if he gives me permission, I'll have to go with Ethan...""Well, at least you'll get to see him.""You have no idea how my dumb brother's been acting. He barely lets me do anything, and Dad always takes his side... I'm going to die single.""Haha! No, sweetie... It's way too early to think like that. Give Ethan time. When he likes some girl, he won't be thinking about watching over his little sister anymore.""I was hoping the dress you sent me for the party would arrive, but it hasn't yet."
"I can't believe it's been a year already... Happy birthday, Ethan!""Thanks, Deanna.""Where are your siblings?""They went shopping with Grandma... Boring.""I imagine you’re not interested in tagging along with the little ones anymore.""No, this year I’m starting driving lessons. If I get my license, Dad will let me drive his car.""You’ve grown so much...""Where are you?""In Sydney... We arrived last night… I’m still not used to the time difference.""La Bohème?""Yes, that one&helli
"Let us see the full costume!" Naomi asked excitedly.Deanna stood up and took a few steps back. She was wearing an empire-waist dress, burgundy with gold details. Her hair was styled in an updo reminiscent of the era, adorned with a delicate headpiece that looked like a small tiara.Six months had passed since she had started working with Sacha Feni, and that night was her debut. She was in Rome, waiting for the curtain to rise. The Teatro dell’Opera had been chosen to present the new gem of the operatic world. The theater was packed; every seat had been sold. Leonard had spared no expense in promoting her, and with Feni’s name attached, expectations were high."You look beautiful, Deanna!""Thank you, Ethan… I’m so nervous!"
What Daniel needed to finally accept that Deanna wasn’t coming back arrived in the form of a news article in the local paper.That Sunday, he had woken up and gone downstairs for breakfast like always. His kids were going to their grandparents' house to visit Emma and spend the day there, and for some reason, around 11, Beverly was already at his house. He didn’t care. He knew she was hovering around, trying to find a way into his life. She could do whatever she wanted—if she wanted to keep enduring his indifference, that was her choice.He locked himself in his office, trying to avoid her, but there she was again, with her laptop and a stack of documents. He didn’t even know why he didn’t just tell her to leave. He was too apathetic to care.He sat back in his chair, reading the newspaper, wh
But the papers remained abandoned in a corner of his desk; he didn’t even look at them. Her signature was on them, and he didn’t want to see it. If he did, reality would hit him straight in the face: "She doesn’t love you anymore."Harry had become the black sheep of the family. Susan was livid with him and never missed a chance to throw what he had done in his face. Daniel outright pretended he didn’t exist, and Charles would sometimes watch him with suspicion. He kept going over it in his head. He had gone down to the security department to check if it was true, and it was. His ID badge had recorded it, and he had made a copy of the video.What bothered him the most was seeing her with Leonard. It was more than confirmed that Deanna had left Daniel for him. They were seen all over the city together, and now people were saying the guy had
Sacha Feni wasn't just left open-mouthed; he was amazed. The call to Deanna didn't take too long—the next day he was already informing her that her audition had been a success and that he wanted to start working with her as soon as possible."I can't believe it..." She was so surprised."I told you! I told you! This is great, Deanna!" Leonard was euphoric."But...""But nothing! You did it!... I'll have to get in touch with the guy and see how we proceed... Get ready, baby, because the world awaits you from now on.""I have to call mom."Shouts of joy and tears rang out in the small restaurant. Her little girl had taken a giant step f