Peter stood face-to-face with Marcus Bartz, the man’s presence a stark reminder of a past he had tried to bury. The good mood Peter had arrived with vanished instantly. A chill coursed through him as he understood what this visit could mean. His previously relaxed demeanor shifted—his dark eyes now
“Don’t worry, Theodore. Everything’s fine,” Peter replied with a faint smile.Theodore poured the coffee and exited, aware of the tension in the room. As he closed the door, he silently cursed the timing of Marcus’s visit. It seemed cruel that on the very day Peter had taken a rare step out of his s
"I spent a long time in intensive care. The truth is, my recovery took several years. By the time I could speak and was aware of myself, five years had already passed. I was like a baby—couldn’t talk, couldn’t walk. My body was atrophied from so much time in bed. I almost lost a hand, and when I fin
“After my ‘death,’ he gave Alden my last name, and, well, the rest is history. Alden wants to know more about me, but unfortunately, neither Theodore nor I can tell him much beyond what we know. That’s why he reached out to you, but with so much work, that idea has faded. Now he’s set on reviving Pa
“Marcus, I’m not blaming you for marrying her. I understand perfectly. You both thought I was dead, and I can’t blame you for making her happy. In my current condition, I couldn’t do that. Life decided it this way—don’t blame yourself for it.”Peter’s words made Marcus feel a lump in his throat. The
After a few minutes, Marcus left the Palmer mansion. Peter sat in his chair, his mind a complete mess. He couldn’t understand how he had managed to stay stoic in such a situation. Deep down, he knew it was only a matter of time before everything blew up in his face. What he didn’t know yet was wheth
Marcus let go of Peter, staring at him, searching for that same flicker of familiarity he’d seen moments before. But it was gone—he couldn’t find it again. Left with no choice but to accept things as they were, he headed for the door and said:“Peter, I never wanted… I never wanted this to happen.”
“Yeah? So what are you going to do with that?” Frederick asked, gesturing toward the report. “Are you planning to show it to Valerie?”“No! She’s in no condition to find out. She’s nearly four months pregnant. My babies don’t deserve for their mom to suffer because of news like this. At least for no
"Celeste, there’s nothing to worry about. Look, all of these symptoms are completely normal.""What do you mean, Dr. Kensington? Normal? I don’t feel normal at all...""Celeste, my dear, your situation is very normal. Congratulations! You’re pregnant!"Celeste’s face turned pale. Just when she had d
“Valerie! What are you doing up so early and on your feet?”“Hi, Emma! I was a little hungry and came for some milk and cake. By the way, Serenity should be having breakfast by now, but I don’t see her. Maybe I should go wake her up.”“No, sweetheart, don’t worry. Serenity didn’t sleep here last nig
Valerie got out of bed, woken by the insistent hunger of her babies. Her head felt like a tangled mess. She was dizzy, confused, unable to make sense of what was happening. How had her marriage ended up hanging by a thread? And why did she keep seeing Peter?Years ago, she had accepted that he was g
'“I’ll never forget you, I promise. But I want to spend the rest of my life with someone. And if life smiles on me with children, I’ll always tell them about you, and I’ll ask you to watch over them. I know you’ll agree that it’s time for me to move forward. It’s been so many years, and I think I’ve
[Celeste's P.O.V]Celeste sat by the window, gazing outside. Her legs ached slightly, though the medication she was receiving dulled most of the pain from her injuries. For a moment, she focused on the sky, letting her thoughts wander to her life and the struggles that had shaped it. She often felt
Peter left the hospital to meet with Darius. His plan was to make all the necessary arrangements to ensure he wouldn’t have to return to Valentia. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, especially now that his memories were slowly coming back. He couldn’t afford to leave any loose ends—he needed to o
Before long, Peter arrived at the hospital where Celeste was being examined by a doctor Peter trusted."Peter," the doctor said, "I’ve checked on Celeste. Her wounds are healing well. If things continue like this, we can consider discharging her. After all, I know you’ll take good care of her. There
Peter took a bath and a short nap. He woke up when he felt someone tugging on his hair—a small hand playing with his curls."Ethan, aren’t you going to school?" said Peter, groggy, with his eyes still closed."Yeah, but I want you to take me. Where have you been, Grandpa?""I’ve had a lot of work, a
Camille, having seen Marcus storm out, went to find the girl she considered her daughter. She found Valerie in tears, embraced her, and said:“Valerie, my love, I don’t think this is going to work. Have you thought about whether it might be better to end things?”“What?”“Valerie, darling, I’m not b