Chapter 165: Freedom and Punishment Ruby didn’t understand what Hanna meant. She stood up and left again, demanding a phone from one of the soldiers. Her hands trembled like a green twig with everything that was happening. As she made the call, anxiety consumed her. “Office...” “Gabriel!” Hanna stammered, cutting him off before he could respond. “Hanna! How are you? Where are you?” He stood up, surprised, stumbling over his words. “I need you to solve a problem for me, right now,” she pleaded, anxious. “Hanna, how did you even manage to call me? What’s going on?” he asked, concerned. “Morgan is already getting sick from searching for you...” “No! I don’t want you to tell him where I am or how I’m doing,” she warned hesitantly, massaging her stomach. Suddenly, she remembered Morgan’s words about having children. “Alright... just tell me where you are, and I’ll be there by tonight if possible.” “Can you get here by tomorrow morning? My... grandmother... sister... aunt... I’m no
**Ch. 166: Each Life** The next day, Gabriel accompanied Hanna on a tour of the places mentioned in the will she had inherited. However, there was still one place she dreaded visiting—the hospital room where her father lay. Despite her reluctance, Hanna knew she had to see him, understand his condition, and decide what to do. "Do you really want to see him?" Gabriel asked hesitantly as they stopped in front of the door to the room. Hanna remained silent, her head bowed, displaying apprehension and sorrow. Her emotions were conflicted: she didn’t want her father to die, yet she harbored deep resentment for his actions. "I just don’t want him to die," she admitted, her voice thick with emotion. "It wouldn’t be fair to strip so many people of their freedom for years and then just die like that." "He’s an old man now," Gabriel offered, trying to console her. "Still filled with malice..." Hanna smiled, but it was a disconcerted and melancholic smile. "Can you imagine he wante
**Chapter 1: Wedding Without a Groom?**Hanna stood on the brink of a significant milestone in her life, although it wasn't exactly by her own choice. An arranged and hurried marriage was far from the romantic scenario she had always dreamed of. Yet, given the circumstances, it was the only option she had to get what she needed at that moment.That morning, Hanna had already received everything she needed to prepare for the wedding. A legion of servants was at her disposal, ready to attend to her. She wondered why all this apparatus was necessary for a marriage that, in the end, was only to fulfill a contract."All this expensive clothing and dedication to make me presentable makes me wish my marriage was with someone I love. After all... why put in so much effort and care into planning something that's false?""One day when this agreement ends... if I think of getting married, I'll never be able to overcome the impeccable organization of the Farrugias. I didn't even have to move for
**Chapter 2: Agreement with the Groom's Father**Morgan walked to the balcony of his second-floor room, staring disdainfully at the number on his cell phone screen. He hesitated several times before making the call. He could barely stand to hear Hanna's voice, especially since he had witnessed firsthand what that family's illness could do to a person. Even though it wasn't contagious, it was unsettling to observe and deeply regrettable.Hanna answered the phone immediately."Hello, Mr. Farrugia?" she asked anxiously. "I thought you were sending a car to pick me up. There's less than half an hour until the wedding! Why are you taking so long?"Morgan swallowed hard, his gaze lost."Miss... Ortiz," he cleared his throat lightly before continuing. "Unfortunately, we'll have to postpone the wedding."Hanna furrowed her brow, confused, as she stared at herself in the mirror, all dressed up. She could hardly believe it."I disagree! This wedding cannot be postponed! If so, then... how will
**Chapter 3: My Disfigured Bride**Morgan stepped out of his room to find the entire family gathered, anxiously awaiting news. As soon as he mentioned the agreement with Hanna, that he would be the temporary groom until his son returned, a deathly silence fell over the room. His ex-mother-in-law, her face twisted in disapproval, was the first to speak out."You made me a promise, Morgan! You can't just break it now. Don't you dare get involved in a new relationship, especially of this magnitude, after everything you've done in the past!" she grumbled, vehemently reprimanding him. "William Morgan!" she suddenly asserted, gripping his suit collar. "Don't you dare renounce your promise! You deserve nothing but the life you have!" she growled, releasing him forcefully.Morgan stepped back, rubbing his throat."I'm not doing this willingly. Ever since my grandmother made this damned marriage agreement, we've all been trapped in this hell, eagerly waiting for this day. Do you think I'm happ
4: Finally MarriedHanna positioned herself beside Morgan, keeping a distance so that neither of them would touch. The atmosphere was tense and silent among the people; it felt more like a funeral than a wedding. The only thing breaking the silence was the sound of camera flashes taking photos as evidence to fulfill the requirements of the will.As soon as the justice of the peace's standard speech ended, both confirmed their desire to marry and signed the papers, joining them in matrimony."Are you satisfied, Mr. Grumpy?" Hanna asked without looking at him."For now, Mrs. Ortiz. Enjoy the buffet. No one will bother you until it's time to leave.""Sure!" she muttered sharply, turning her back on him and heading to a distant table in the banquet hall.As soon as Morgan moved away from Hanna and towards the other guests, his ex-mother-in-law interrupted his steps."Is she really that ugly?" she asked, now mockingly glancing at Hanna."You're enjoying seeing my life turn into hell, aren'
**Chapter 5: Life is Unfair to Hanna**"If that woman comes to this place, she must stay in the annex and not frequent the mansion!" she asserted. Morgan sighed impatiently."Are you afraid that I might give her a chance?" Morgan smiled skeptically."That's not it. After all, it would be hard for you to stay in a woman's life after what you did to my daughter's and grandson's lives. That's why I know if you take the risk, you'll just ruin more lives."Morgan sighed heavily, swallowing his words without arguing with her."Think what you want; if that's the case... you're right then.""Of course I am.""When will you be able to forgive me for that? Are you going to torment me for my entire life? Will you never let this heal?" he asked, distressed."Never! Morgan... neither you nor I will have peace with this!" she confessed, pressing her lips together with bitterness.He stared at her without reaction, adjusting his tie at the same time. Despite being a much larger man than Liara, who w
Ch.6: Morgan's DecisionMorgan ordered some security guards to gather information in Hanna's neighborhood. The search was futile until they interrogated the last person who had seen Hanna; they learned that she had gone somewhere else and that she was okay.Morgan visited Hanna's house accompanied by his mother. Both stood in front of the ruin, walking among what was left, finding even traces of the wedding dress, documents, and Hanna's belongings."It looks like someone was trying to kill her, don't you think?" Abigail asked."Definitely," he confirmed, apprehensive. "But this is really bad. I have to keep this marriage for at least three years, and we barely managed twenty-four hours.""True, like it or not, it will be better to keep her under our nose; otherwise, our family will sink with her.""But we still have to find out where she is.""Couldn't you call her?""I did, the lawyer did too, but she doesn't answer," he commented, restless. "There's nothing here, let's go home now."
**Ch. 166: Each Life** The next day, Gabriel accompanied Hanna on a tour of the places mentioned in the will she had inherited. However, there was still one place she dreaded visiting—the hospital room where her father lay. Despite her reluctance, Hanna knew she had to see him, understand his condition, and decide what to do. "Do you really want to see him?" Gabriel asked hesitantly as they stopped in front of the door to the room. Hanna remained silent, her head bowed, displaying apprehension and sorrow. Her emotions were conflicted: she didn’t want her father to die, yet she harbored deep resentment for his actions. "I just don’t want him to die," she admitted, her voice thick with emotion. "It wouldn’t be fair to strip so many people of their freedom for years and then just die like that." "He’s an old man now," Gabriel offered, trying to console her. "Still filled with malice..." Hanna smiled, but it was a disconcerted and melancholic smile. "Can you imagine he wante
Chapter 165: Freedom and Punishment Ruby didn’t understand what Hanna meant. She stood up and left again, demanding a phone from one of the soldiers. Her hands trembled like a green twig with everything that was happening. As she made the call, anxiety consumed her. “Office...” “Gabriel!” Hanna stammered, cutting him off before he could respond. “Hanna! How are you? Where are you?” He stood up, surprised, stumbling over his words. “I need you to solve a problem for me, right now,” she pleaded, anxious. “Hanna, how did you even manage to call me? What’s going on?” he asked, concerned. “Morgan is already getting sick from searching for you...” “No! I don’t want you to tell him where I am or how I’m doing,” she warned hesitantly, massaging her stomach. Suddenly, she remembered Morgan’s words about having children. “Alright... just tell me where you are, and I’ll be there by tonight if possible.” “Can you get here by tomorrow morning? My... grandmother... sister... aunt... I’m no
**Cap. 164: Control is Mine.**She, filled with curiosity, opened the bedroom door and realized that the men had followed Lins. This further reinforced her suspicions. Carefully, she went down the stairs and began to wander aimlessly through the house's labyrinths until she heard screams and pleas for help.Hanna followed the noise and found the two guards dragging Heydi and Ruby. Her heart raced uncontrollably in her chest. What would she do? She watched Lins following behind the men as they took her grandmothers to some unknown place.They continued down to an underground area, an old stone corridor, damp and dark. The wet walls made the place feel even more frightening. Finally, they reached a room with prison bars on the door. Through a small window, Hanna could see what was happening inside.“Get the whip!” Lins ordered furiously.“Please…” Heydi whimpered in panic, kneeling on the floor beside Ruby, who kept her head down.“You had to break the rules and tell him, didn’t you?” L
**Chapter 163: The Mask Falls**Maya turned the doorknob fearfully, and as soon as she entered, she found Liara sitting motionless on her bed, her hair disheveled. She looked like a madwoman who hadn’t slept in days.“Mother...” Maya called cautiously as she approached, but Liara didn’t respond. “Are you okay?” she asked, extending her hand to try to touch her mother’s shoulder. Suddenly, Liara stared at her furiously.“Traitor!” Liara screamed shrilly, then stood up and rushed at Maya, who backed away, terrified.“Calm down, mother, it’s me!” Maya stammered.“I want you to die! Die! You and your cursed child!” Liara raged, clutching her head and messing up her own hair before grabbing a water pitcher from the desk. Maya, panicked, realized her mother’s intention and ran out of the room, still hearing the glass shatter against the door.Maya collapsed to the floor, her legs trembling, hands covering her face in horror. She then crawled away from her mother’s door, retreating into her
Chapter 162: Everything in My Hands?As soon as the two women introduced themselves, Hanna was surprised, not knowing they existed.“What’s going on here?” she asked, confused.“We don’t have much time to explain,” Heydi said anxiously. “But do you remember how you were raised here?”Hanna shook her head in denial.“Girl... you don’t remember because you were on controlled medication when you were younger. Lins lied to your mother, saying you had a disease due to congenital problems.”“Me? But I don’t have any health problems,” Hanna said, thoughtfully.“Yes... Lins made up that lie just to keep you locked up until you turned eighteen and could serve his plan,” Heydi explained. “I thought you were free from this torment, but it seems he never stopped searching for you.”“What are you trying to say?” Hanna asked, growing more confused.“That... we are all daughters of Lins,” Ruby revealed. “There is no other lineage in our family apart from his.”Hanna instantly understood what she mea
**Chapter 161: Ortiz Castle**Hanna decided to go with Lins that same day. Despite wanting to return, she was afraid of facing Davis again and feared he might discover her pregnancy and that she hadn’t lost the baby. "For my child’s life, I’d rather go..." she sighed to herself in front of the bathroom mirror. At that moment, she longed for a peaceful place. At the same time, her brother crossed her mind, but she didn’t know if she should tell Lins about the child’s existence. Even so, she still didn’t fully trust Lins, but he seemed like the safest option to protect herself at that moment, especially since she believed Morgan was now closer to Maya. Morgan had found out which country Lins had traveled to, but it no longer mattered since he was already leaving the country on another aircraft, and Morgan couldn’t track him anymore. After landing, they drove to an old city. With many well-preserved, picturesque old houses, it was a populous place with warm and cheerful people. H
**Chapter 160: Lins, My Father?**“How is her health?” the raspy, grating voice of the elderly man echoed in Hanna’s ears. “She’s in quite a weakened state,” the doctor explained. “It seems like she’s been neglected for a long time, which has made her frail. She has a cut on her leg that needs attention because it’s deep enough to get infected, but that’s not even the most critical thing. She’s pregnant.” When the doctor revealed this, Lins raised his eyebrows. “Yes…” he sighed, restless. “I heard she’s married to an important man.” “What do you want me to do regarding the child?” the doctor asked calmly. “Nothing. What do you think should be done?” Lins asked, indifferent. “I thought you might want to terminate the pregnancy,” the doctor commented. “I’m not considering that,” Lins replied firmly. “Let her have the baby. After investigating the hospital and the day she was there, I found out that her ‘perfect husband’ tried to terminate the pregnancy without her consent.
**Chapter 159: Too Late**In less than half an hour, Morgan had several police cars parked in front of the place where Luna said she saw Hanna.“Are you sure it’s this mansion?” Oliver asked Morgan with concern.“Luna said they were entering the mansion across from her father’s,” Morgan replied as the officers rang the doorbell, but no one answered.“Are they reviewing the footage?” Rudan asked anxiously.“Yes… They’re checking this morning’s footage,” Morgan confirmed. “There are cameras in front of Luna’s father’s mansion, and they’ve made them available.”“Wouldn’t it be easier to just say ‘your father’?” Oliver asked, annoyed.“That man means nothing to me,” Morgan said, then stared at the mansion he so despised. “But... unfortunately, there’s someone I need to see once I’m sure Hanna is in there, and I can get her out of that so-called father’s hands.”Morgan waited a few minutes until the footage was brought in, confirming they had indeed taken someone inside the mansion. But th
**Chapter 158: The Disappearance of Hanna**That same morning, Davis had already realized Hanna was missing. The room was in disarray, everything overturned, bed sheets strewn across the floor, and Davis furious as he threw the bracelet with the tracker far away.“How did this happen?” he asked indignantly.“This time...” Rudan sighed, pretending to be anxious about the situation. “It seems she really managed to escape,” he added, as Davis stared at him in rage, circling him.“You never took your eyes off her, and suddenly...” Davis murmured suspiciously.“Suddenly what?” Rudan retorted. “My job is to take care of your security, not play the role of Hanna’s husband while you act like a spoiled brat and womanizer. If you want to throw the blame on me, go ahead! But it wasn’t me who made false promises and mistreated her.”“Damn it! Are you against me now?” Davis asked indignantly.“You seem blind,” Rudan countered. “You’ve been completely oblivious to a life! Hanna was carrying a child