Alden and Serenity enjoyed a delicious dinner. The young woman was amazed by Alden's cooking skills; she never would have imagined that this man could cook so exquisitely. She was still in awe of the thoughtful gift he had given her. He had met the high standards her father had taught her to seek in
She felt a slight sting in her intimate spot, and for a brief moment, she hesitated and stopped him. But after a pause, they continued. For Serenity, this was her first time—a moment of discovery. For Alden, it was a night he would never forget.Instinctively, Serenity reached for his hands, intertw
Peter was sitting in the wide chair behind his elegant desk, his gaze distant. No matter how hard he tried to think about something else—anything but Mary—nothing worked. Guilt consumed him. In the same house was the woman he had once felt so at ease with just months ago.At times, he cursed himself
Peter left the bedroom and headed to his study, where he’d been spending most of his time lately. He pretended to have a lot of work to avoid being around Celeste too much. Being with her only made him feel guilty.He had to admit it—he’d made a reckless decision. In a moment of irresponsibility, he
“To see you, Mary! Can’t you understand that I care about you?”“If you cared as much as you say, you never would’ve hidden your existence from me.”“Mary… We’ve been through this before…”“No! You showed up, told me ‘I’m alive,’ and then disappeared. Why, Peter?” Mary’s voice was trembling with emo
Dr. Hill visited Mary at the hospital, and her reaction was one of complete astonishment. The young woman she had met 20 years ago looked almost unchanged. Back then, she had seen her as a poor, abandoned girl.Sadly, even now, nothing seemed to have changed. Mary’s face still bore the same sadness
Peter had returned to Slovenia, still grappling with the weight of Maximus's words. He wasn’t naive—he knew exactly what his brother had meant. Since his memories had started coming back, his mind had become a battlefield of chaos. Between the problems he had created and those completely beyond his
Four months had passed since Valerie was admitted to the psychiatric hospital. Slowly but steadily, she was making progress. She was beginning to close the painful chapters of her life, from her childhood to her time in Valentia. Her heart was healing as she started to recognize that much of what sh
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