Mary and Maximus arrived at the beach. Maximus chose one of the lounge chairs provided by the hotel and sat down. Mary, eager to feel the sea, set her bag aside and began to remove her dress, excited to dive into the water.This was only her second time seeing the ocean, and she wasn’t going to miss
Marcus Bartz, after having lunch with Valerie, went to his study and sat behind the luxurious marble desk. He retrieved the briefcase Frederick had handed him upon his arrival in Italy from the safe. After staring at it for several minutes, he finally spoke:“Peter, I know that one day I’ll get my r
“Come on, Mary. Keep talking! Are you out of arguments now?”“I want you out of here! Get out of my house!” Mary shouted.“This house belongs to Peter Palmer. In other words, it’s the Palmer family’s property. It’s not yours. Unlike you, I’m actually about to marry Maximus, and you? Well, you’re not
After the Palmer family left Peter's home, an unsettling silence engulfed the house. Frederick couldn't comprehend what had driven Marcus to react with such fury—Marcus, a man he had always known as composed and level-headed, now appeared shaken to his core.“Sir, Agnes, we need to treat your injuri
Agnes accompanied Mary back to her room, helping her lie down before speaking softly.“Mr. Bartz had a heated argument with Mr. Maximus. That’s why he’s in such a bad mood. Please forgive him; he didn’t mean to be rude to you. He’s under a lot of pressure. He’s upset because Mr. Peter’s family wants
Maximus arrived at one of Frank Levett's houses. Alexia, deeply concerned about his battered appearance, quickly ushered him to the room they would be staying in. She demanded the staff attend to his wounds and called for a doctor to examine him.Meanwhile, Frank bid farewell to his friend, profusel
Marcus drove through the rainy streets, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel, while he called Frederick. He needed an update on Mary—needed to know if she had been found. The memory of their earlier interaction replayed in his mind, filling him with guilt. He cursed his cold, dismissi
After dropping his mother off at a hotel in central Galea, Leonardo drove back to Peter's house, gripping the wheel tightly as the guilt and frustration churned inside him. It was past 10:00 p.m., but he was determined to fix things. He still couldn’t understand how everything had spiraled out of co
Alden held Celeste tightly as she wept, her body trembling against his. It felt like a part of her was being ripped away. It had already been a week, and still, there were no signs of Peter waking up.The swelling in his brain had gone down, but for some unknown reason, there was no neurological act
"I was thinking we could grab some vanilla ice cream and sit somewhere to talk. Sound good?""Perfect."We stopped by an ice cream shop and bought a liter each.As expected, she devoured hers.I watched her for a moment before taking a deep breath."Mary… there’s something I want to talk to you abou
After a few minutes, I helped Mary into the car. As I closed the door, I noticed Agnes stepping outside to see us off, drying her hands on her apron.Seeing her there—knowing she would be one of the many people affected by my death—I walked over and pulled her into a hug."You stubborn old woman… I
She hesitated. "Well… when you put it like that… maybe."I exhaled, running a hand through my hair."I have to admit something. You’re my least favorite person in the world.""Gee, thanks.""But you’re also Mary’s best friend. And you’ve proven to be a good friend to her. So, I just want to ask one
As I stepped out of my room, I was immediately greeted by the loud, unmistakable laughter of Aurora. God, that woman still got on my nerves… And to think that at one point, Mary had actually suggested that she and I could be a couple. According to her, since we were both wild, chaotic, and loved par
After finalizing the last details of my fortune, I picked up the phone and called the one person who had the power to change my life forever."Peter?""Marcus…""What’s going on? You don’t usually call me twice…""Well… technically, you called me earlier…" I said, trying to sound casual."What’s wro
"I just remembered I have something urgent to go over with Marcus. I can’t put it off—it’s about the meeting. I completely forgot. I’ll talk to my father and the doctor to reschedule our appointment. Just give me until noon, okay? This is really important."Before she could respond, I turned toward
[Peter's P.OV]For a few seconds, I just stared at Celeste.She was just a girl—well, compared to me, she was.She was thin, her curly hair as messy as always, and she wore glasses that made her look even younger. There was an innocence in her eyes, a brightness untouched by the weight of life.I sm
Alden’s stomach dropped. "What do you mean by that?"Maximus hesitated before saying, "I’m sorry, Alden… Celeste… But we have to be prepared for the fact that he might not wake up.""He will wake up," Celeste said firmly, her voice trembling with emotion. "He promised me. You said it yourself—Peter