A middle-aged woman in a plain grey T-shirt and light blue jeans sat on the living room sofa, her hands on her closed knees, her eyes downcast. The coffee in front of her was steaming, and it was obvious that she hadn't touched it.“Hey!” I whispered. “I'm Eva.”“Hi!” The woman stood up at once. She looked at me a little stiffly. “My name is Joe. I'm a friend of Joan's. We're all in the same union.”“How did you find me?” I motioned for her to sit down.“Joan gave me your number,” said Joe, “And we found your place. I'm sorry to bother you so late. Joan needs your help.”“You didn't come alone?” I asked curiously.“I have another colleague with me,” Joe said truthfully. “He's waiting for me outside.”“Is he here to ensure your safety?” I looked at her. “Since your friend is worried about your safety, why are you looking for me? So, what's the matter?”“We just...” Joe looked down sheepishly. “Just in case. But Joan says you're a trustworthy person. You're not like your father.”“I hel
In the room, Vickie is lying on her bed, a private nurse holding a clear plastic tube attached to a ventilator up her nose. Since a trip to Italy, Vickie has grown weaker. Mark told me that she was taken home in an ambulance from a private hospital after she landed.“Why don't you take her to the hospital?” I asked in a low voice.“She's determined to go home,” Mark said. “No one can change her mind, and you know it.”“The patient needs to rest. Please leave the room,” the middle-aged brown-haired nurse said politely.Mark and I left the room just as Frade and Vickie's doctor came out of the other room. That was the room where they had been discussing Vickie's condition, and Frade's sullen face didn't look good.It's terrible.“Mark, please help me get Dr. Hans out of here.” Frade's voice was hoarse and tired, and the stubble on his face seemed to have grown overnight, making him look even gloomier.“Are you all right, darling?” I stroked his cheek and looked at the man in front of me
According to Vickie's will, her body will be transported back to Italy for burial. So Frade decided to hold a simple farewell ceremony for Vickie in the manor. After the ceremony, he would be in charge of sending Vickie's body back home with Mark.Vickie was right that no Sicilian would refuse the dying wish to return home. This time, they offered to open their arms to the Logan family to show their deepest sorrow.The place of the farewell ceremony was chosen in the hall of the manor, and all the participants were dressed in black as a sign of mourning. Black-and-white photographs of Vickie's life were placed in the centre of the hall. As her body was temporarily placed in the hospital morgue, guests had to mourn over her picture in silence.Each of the guests held a white chrysanthemum in their hands and placed it in front of the tablet. In the photo, she looked at everyone with a smile on her face, her eyes looking at everything indifferently.Frade greets guests who have come to p
I didn't expect Mickle to agree to meet with me as soon as I contacted him. But I had to go jogging with him, so I changed into a white sweatshirt and drove to his estate.We jogged side by side on a path near the estate, with two bodyguards following us. I can't remember the last time I ran in the morning. I was a little out of it at first, but after a while, I got my breath back.“Do you need a few minutes?” Mickle, who was wearing a black, short-sleeved tracksuit, turned to me. “Looks like you haven't exercised in a while.”“I'm fine,” I said.“I'll wait for you at the lake ahead,” he said as he continued to run.By the time I got to the lake, he was resting. A burly bodyguard offered him water, but Mickle gave it to me.“You need water,” he says.“Thank you.” I opened the bottle cap and took a sip. The bodyguard somehow took out another bottle of water and handed it to him.“It's a rare day for you to call me,” Mickle said, his face flushed but his tone calm. Judging from his stro
“Why do you always have to decide before you tell me?” Frade asked, smoking hard on the couch. “Didn't I tell you to consult me before you made any decisions?”“Because this time there is no room for negotiation.” I stood in front of him, looking at him like that. My heart felt extremely painful. But I had to tell him about my decision. We have to face the truth eventually.“Mia was dead.”Frade's face froze for a few seconds. “She's dead?”“She escaped from the sanatorium, frantically searching for her father and questioning him as to why he had abandoned her. Mickle's bodyguard shot her for endangering the president. It happened right in front of me.”I have mixed feelings about Mia's death. Even though she was detestable, her death was like a razor blade slicing through my unsuspecting skin. It was instant, clear pain.Frade continued to smoke heavily. He didn't show much emotion about Mia's death. But I guess he felt the same way.He was in love with Mia. Her love was fake, but hi
A week later, the trip to Mexico didn't go well. Mexicans were angry at Mickle's claims that the wall had been expanded. The Mexican president and Mickle met in secret for three hours. I don't know what they talked about.After the meeting, he got on a plane and left Mexico. But he left me behind, and I knew exactly what he was doing.I was not surprised to see Daley in front of me as the representative of Mexico. Instead, I had the urge to punch him, but I held back.During my stay in Mexico, Daley was responsible for receiving me as the Mexican representative. The night we met, he took me to a fancy restaurant in Mexico City.“I had no idea that the famous Daley was already a member of council.”I looked across at Daley. The last time we parted, he looked pale. But now, beneath his mask of calm lies a kind of ineffable pride.“Do you have to talk to me like that?” Daley smiled at me, “It's been a long time since we were alone together and I miss you so much. I think we should celebr
It is said that every wife expects a surprise from her husband on their wedding anniversary, and so do I.“No matter what I did wrong, you'll forgive me, right?”My husband, Ron, sat across the table from me and looked at me gravely.“Yes?” The lights in the fancy restaurant made me dizzy for a moment. I thought I was hearing things.“You know how much I want to have a baby. He will be the heir to our company. But we've been trying for so many years and we're always disappointed. I even thought about giving up.”“I’m so sorry!” I put the unopened box back on the table. I felt a bit uneasy that my husband had suddenly brought up the subject. My gut tells me that the following discussion may not be a pleasant one.I looked down, afraid to meet my husband's eyes, only to catch a glimpse of his thin lips pressed into a line. When I graduated from college at the age of 22, my father married me to him, Ron Moore. I knew it was my destiny to marry a businessman and turn my happiness into a t
“Is that Ron?” I asked eagerly, and when I tried to stand up, the guard glared at me. So, I had to crouch down.“Stay here!” The guard turned away after he said.Five minutes of suffering is just as long as five hours for me. I can't tell how many five minutes I've spent in this dingy prison, but I felt excited as long as I thought about someone finally willing to visit me. The one who came must have been Ron. He must have found out the truth and come to save me. Yes, it must be. He's my husband. We've been married for 7 years. He certainly wouldn't forget his wife.I touched my belly and tried to tell the baby that it was his dad coming. However, he is too small to give me any response. But it doesn't matter. He will grow. He will grow up happily with his dad and mom. It definitely will.“Don't worry, Daddy will help us out of here!” I stroked my belly, put my head against the cold wall, and whispered the songs of my childhood, dreaming of a better life.Just then, the sound of high-