“Oh my God, son! You’re finally awake!” Priscilla’s face was the first thing Darson saw when he woke up in a hospital room. “Boni, call a nurse or doctor! Darson is awake!”“Argh!” Darson immediately felt the weight of his body as he tried to sit up.“Don’t move, son! Your body is fractured!” His mother quickly stopped him from moving.In pain and confusion, he looked up at her. “What happened?”With a worried and angry expression, Priscilla sat on the edge of his bed. “You survived what the Lombardis did to you! Thankfully, your father acted quickly, otherwise, you’d be lost to us like Chiarra!”The events of that tragic night came rushing back to Darson. The vehicle he and Chiarra were in went off the cliff due to a barrage of gunfire.He mentally cursed several times. When their vehicle rolled over, he lost consciousness. He thought it was the end for him!“Where is Chiarra?” he asked his mother with furrowed brows.Priscilla sighed heavily. “She’s in a coma right after giving birt
A MONTH LATER…Celeste gazed at herself in the mirror, dressed in her wedding gown. The makeup on her face was simple, and her flowing, chestnut-colored hair was braided and tied back with the white veil attached. She couldn’t help but smile with admiration at her reflection. This wasn’t her first wedding, but it was the first time she felt truly beautiful in a wedding dress.The luxurious design of the gown shimmered against her pale skin. She twirled in front of the large mirror, unable to get enough of admiring her own beauty on this day. The ceremony would start in less than an hour. They were just waiting for the guests and everything to be set up at the church before she could leave.“Are you happy, Celeste?” Valentina approached her with an unmistakable smile.Celeste's smile widened as she turned to face her. “Val, I’m so happy to be marrying Semion today. But I think I’m even happier that you chose the best fashion artist to prepare me today!” she joked, laughing.Valentina la
“A-Anna?”Celeste’s voice trembled as she stared in disbelief at the woman standing before her, alive and well—the very person she had mourned for so long.But if there was something even more shocking than seeing Anna alive, it was the way she was behaving. Celeste’s eyes widened in terror as Anna suddenly slapped her hard across the face, causing her to stumble and fall onto the cement floor.Her heart pounded with fear. How could such a thing happen in the blink of an eye?Anna’s voice rang out sharply. “Madam, come with me!” She roughly yanked Celeste to her feet and began dragging her down the hallway in a hurry.“What are you doing?! What the hell are you doing?!” Celeste screamed as she tried to break free, but Anna’s grip on her elbow was too strong. She could hardly move under the weight of her wedding gown. “Help!! Someone help!! Lyn!! Lisa!! Val!!”“Shut up!” Anna snapped, turning to face her again, slapping her so hard that Celeste was stunned into silence.Celeste’s heart
The wedding continued despite the earlier chaos, leaving Celeste questioning whether what had happened was real or just a nightmare.From the moment they arrived at the church, walked down the aisle, followed the ceremony, exchanged vows, and even said "I do," she felt like she was floating in mid-air. Everything happened before she could fully comprehend what had been on her mind—the encounter with Anna and the sound of gunfire.The speed at which everything unfolded made it difficult for her to process. No matter how much she tried to calm herself, she couldn’t shake the fear that those people might follow them to this location. If that happened, many innocent people could be caught in the crossfire.Yet, whenever Celeste glanced at Valentina, Luca, or even Lyn and Lisa, they all seemed normal, as if they hadn’t been traumatized by the earlier events. They could still smile, talk to others as usual, and carry on with their duties.“Am I the problem?” she wondered to herself, whisper
The lights glittered in the luxurious hall that night, with soft music echoing throughout the venue and delicious dishes on every guest's table. It seemed everyone was enjoying the party after the long wedding ceremony. Every corner of the room was filled with laughter and conversation, where the newlyweds were the stars of the night.Before long, Semion stood up from their table, took a wireless microphone handed to him by a host, and walked to the center of the stage. The guests gradually quieted down, their attention already focused on him, eager to hear what he had to say. Celeste remained seated, smiling at her husband, feeling reassured by Semion after what had happened.As always, Semion wore his usual aura when facing people, a beautiful smile gracing his lips, hiding any trace of his true nature. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for being here tonight,” he began. “Your presence on this important day means so much to my wife, Celeste, and me. However, our union isn’t the o
“Congratulations on winning your case, Mrs. Celeste Lombardi!”“Congratulations, Mrs. Costa-Lombardi!”“May this event mark your flourishing~”“More wins to come for both the Costa and Lombardi families!”Celeste was greeted with a flood of compliments and congratulations after the live broadcast of the court's verdict.She wasn’t only congratulated on her wedding, but also on winning the case against Governor Demetrio Allegra.After mingling with the high-society families, Celeste found an opportunity to make her way to her own family.“Nanay Lordes!” She hugged her mother tightly, finally reunited after such a long time apart.Lordes laughed joyfully. “Oh, my child! I’m so proud of you, Celeste.” She returned the hug just as tightly, then held her face with shining eyes. “You did it, my child. Finally, that old demon is in prison!”Celeste laughed softly and shook her head. “Nanay, we did it. I couldn’t have done this alone. We did it together. You don’t have to worry about the prov
"What do you mean, Felip?" Celeste asked curiously.Felip let out a harsh breath, his concern evident in his expression. "When I first saw you walking down the aisle earlier, I expected to see that sweet smile on your face, the one you have when you're truly happy. But from then until now, I haven't seen you smile once. You also made several mistakes during the wedding ceremony, and you're usually such a perfectionist. It's like you were in another world."Celeste fell silent."And your gown—yeah, it was beautiful, but why did it look damp and dirty? It's like no one else noticed there was something wrong with the bride. Not even your husband seemed to care. He was grinning like a fool, and I felt like smacking him."Celeste inhaled sharply and shook her head. "It's not what you think, Felip. You're misinterpreting everything. Everything's fine—""I'm worried about you because it's obvious you're not okay," Felip said, his brows furrowing. "Tell me the truth. Did something bad happen?
When Celeste and Felip returned to the main building, they were both caught off guard by a commotion.“Waah! Why are you doing this to me, Semion? You told me I was special! You said we had something special!” A woman was crying, clinging to Semion’s waist.“Oh my god! She did not!”“She’s had way too much to drink; that’s why!”“She’s been drinking all night; no wonder she’s lost it!”Celeste’s eyebrows slowly knitted together as she walked towards the crowd. She observed the scene unfolding before her.Semion had his arms raised in the air, one of which was holding a drink. He placed it on a passing waiter’s tray, clearly displeased by the situation.“Please, let go, Jessa.” Semion used one hand to push away the woman who was clinging to him, practically burying her entire body against his.“I-I waited! Huhu, I waited for years after that night! I believed you’d come back for me! But why did you marry someone else? And why did you marry a woman who was already taken by another man?!