Graham's lifeless body was thrown on the ground. Devastated, Theo found blood clot-like tissue, dark red and shiny under Rose's leg, which had been carried out when he pulled off Graham's arm. The tissue was shaped like a heart and there was a pouch with a pea-sized embryo inside. Theo looked closely and in detail ... devastated to see eyes, arms, and legs already formed.
What father's heart doesn't break. He had just lost a child. What kind of human would do that to an innocent fetus? The previous statement was true. The culmination of Theo's regret... he felt it was wrong to have brought Rose into the encounter that ruined their lives. There was no more little being in Rose's womb. Their hopes were dashed, snatched away by the selfishness of one man. Seven months Theo and Rose should have waited, but reality told them otherwise. They failed with a sad ending. And what of Rose's inner pain? The poor woman was persecuted the most. The deep trauma would obviously affeHowever, Theo did not get the slightest response. Instead, Verasco looked at his face. Instead, the middle-aged man ordered the person in the driving seat to speed up the car. Theo took action first. Lightning fast, not letting the distance get too far behind him. He had already reached the corner of the front of the car. Intentionally making his body hit until it rolled a few meters. The Rolls Royce came to an abrupt stop. Verasco got out with a curse and anger overflowing. "Your brain and mind are completely broken!" He stood proudly beside the car. Folding his arms across his chest with a glare that was about to shatter Theo's body into pieces. "I'm not willing to accommodate your whore," Verasco said dispassionately. "She's better off dead." Theo had to crawl to his feet. Keep thinking... it was wrong to ask for help from the trouble maker in his life. Theo's painful gait passed Verasco. He approached Rose and hugge
Theo stumbled into the large mansion. Almost everyone bowed in respectful disregard. Including Lion, he was silent as something was not right. He didn't dare to approach Theo any further, although the feeling of wanting to vent the chaos in his heart the past few days was unstoppable. Lion didn't know what kind of incident had jolted Theo until his body looked almost lifeless. Lion couldn't even find out where Rose was. He would call Travis to make sure. "Please get me a hoe." Lion's decision to reach for the cell phone was aborted. He took a quick glance at Theo's halting steps. Then hurried to the shed near the kitchen without interrupting. "Here, sir." Lion handed over the hoe with many questions raging in his head. The entire surface of Theo's arm was covered in dried blood. Lion could not define what the face looked like. Theo's look was horrifying. "What
"Just a moment, sir." Beatrace rushed out to intercept Theo who was about to start the car. "Sorry, sir." Smiling a little doubtfully Beatrace had to receive an unusual look from Theo in the driving seat. But she had already forced herself to meet just to give something that was pocketed from earlier. When she heard that Theo had returned to the mansion for no apparent reason, Beatrace felt no problem. Theo's presence was more than enough. At least Beatrace wasn't completely lost, though she still wondered why Rose ended up in the hospital. The place where she stood was very quiet. No one wanted to tell stories and speak out, that was the important point. Beatrace could only hope that Rose would soon be allowed to go home. "This is for you, sir." Beatrace handed her a small square box with a neatly tied red ribbon. A small gift from her, which Beatrace thought she could not give the other day. Beatrace was still smiling. It was hard to ignore the look on Theo's face that cou
"You can go, Travis. I'll look after Rose here." Since hearing Travis' statement. Theo just looked down, not putting any intention on anything just looking up, even looking at Rose was reluctant after taking a sitting position next to the blanket. Theo's body leaned back. Occasionally playing with the bracelet given by Beatrace. He wasn't fully staring, but the fingers were still touching the knitted string in the center of the heart that was forced into chaos. The arrangement of the word 'Daddy' there was the most painful thing, when Theo himself didn't have the chance to do soโeven a little. Theo let out a rough breath. Knowing full well Travis was still standing stiffly not far from his position. The shadow of the man's legs was intact refracting in the light of the VIP ward lamp. "I asked you to leave." "No, I'm not. Unless you get checked out first," Travis argued. Tightening the folds of his arms across his chest. "I'm not in the mood to argue." "That's because you
Verasco turned a sour face. He pulled out the revolver behind his back, checking that the bullets were still intact inside without looking. Verasco was certain that one close-range shot would take the poor woman's life. He smiled with a sardonic grin, noticing that the corner of the hospital was in sight. "Wait for me here." The pentacle-clad feet stepped out. Verasco had a thousand ways to do whatever he wanted. Smooth and agile, there was no telling how he knew Rose's ward. His movements paused, watching Rose's prone body in there through the slightly open door. There was Travis waiting, he couldn't act that rashly. Verasco remembered Travis being the closest he had ever been. He had to be vigilant and hide for a while. "I'll see you in a moment, Miss. Lion will be arriving at the hospital shortly in my place."
"Shit!" Verasco's body was pushed away along with the revolver that fell to the ground. The hot lead, which was supposed to perforate the inside of Rose's head, missed by a long shot. Verasco turned away, jerking at the presence of someone beside him. Theo with a bandage on his head had just foiled his plan. Verasco didn't have time to let his anger build up. He crawled quickly to reach for the revolver just to repeat his evil deed. 'The one who lies down, must die'. Until one second had passed, he was still patenting the phrase. There was no mercy for her. Rose was the easiest target. The target most able to satisfy his desires and all that was suppressed. "Don't you dare do this to her." Theo growled sharply. Interrupting Verasco's actions just like he did the first time after entering Rose's ward.
The end of Verasco's act. Theo approached Rose's position. The touch on the top of the woman's head was too gentle. He intertwined his fingers between Rose's knuckles. "Where is the doctor? Why hasn't Rose regained consciousness until now?" asked Theo in a worried tone. "I'll call him, sir." Long after Lion's depature, suddenly the link tightened. Theo caught Rose's eyes blinking several times. He smiled a small smile-waiting for Rose's consciousness to collect itself. "My child ...." Rose's weak murmur made Theo swallow harshly. "Calm yourself first." He tried not to discuss anything about the loss. The spark was still lingeringโit could be very jarring to Rose's emotions. "Tell me, Theo. My pregnancy is fine, right?" "It's alright, don't think anything strange. Everything will be fine." Rose's wounded gaze momentarily traced each of Theo's f
"Let go! I can walk on my own." Verasco shook both hands and smoothed out the folds of the crumpled cloth wrapped around his body. Theo had always been against Verasco, the very reason why he didn't want to even consider Theo's existence, let alone consciously call the man by name. It was far better for Verasco to liken Theo to Zever, until the day he and Zever could meet again. Verasco turned away. He left the hospital grounds with a sour look on his face. He got into the car with his mind on fire. Failed plans made... he would not give up that easily. If rushing was the decision that made it unsuccessful. Verasco would detail every step he would take. Not at this time. "I received news that Elijah and his subordinates are awake, sir." The information distracted Verasco. Of course he had another problem. The device Selena had found in the collar of his clothes that time had a close connection to some of the events unfo
Zever's sudden departure made quite an impression on Rose. At that moment she and Travis silently watched the backs of two people who were moving away. Rose didn't dare say anything as she herself realized Travis was leaving her behindโTravis looked down and Rose hoped he was okay, then followed with careful steps carrying her triplet into the mansion building. Two hours after the incident in the back garden, and after putting the children to bed, Rose soon caught up with Zever's whereabouts. Through the messages given to Lion, Rose certainly monitored whatever was happening outside. This included asking how Travis was doing. The man was behaving as before, but there was one problem. Zever in the living room with a ripple face so cold and gray eyes that stared half-empty arranged miniature joints on the table. Rose repeatedly took a breath just to steady herself sitting next to her husband. "Zever," Rose called out, wanting to make sure he would respond or not. Z
"I'm done, Theo. Now it's your turnโ" Rose thought, after stepping out of the bathroom and changing there. She would find Theo keeping all three of their babies in their proper positions, but that big bodyโin his sideways sleepโseemed to be deeper than the three babies who were snoozing peacefully. Exhausted. That's how Rose interpreted it, because these days Theo was often busy in the middle of the nightโlooking after their babies, while Rose was forced to rest. Rose smiled slightly as she rubbed the top of Theo's head. It was only for a moment that she turned to her triplets to transfer them to the trolley. Rose would take them for a walk in the back garden. Finished with the transfer she returned to Theo simply covering her husband's body with a thick blanket. "We're leaving first." Rose briefly kissed the corner of Theo's face. She pushed the trolley carefully towards the elevator. Rose already knew where the elevator was, it was quite hiddenโand Theo had no
"I got a lot of grandchildren." O'Douglas laughed like a pirate captain who had just discovered a historic treasure. Each of the middle-aged man's arms flanked two tiny babies, while the other was in the arms of Verasco, who continued to hold them, occasionally bringing them closer with a lighthearted joke. There was no telling what Rose would say as she watched her children being swarmed as soon as Verasco and O'Douglas walked into the ward. She had just finished breastfeeding, so the satiated babies would just sleep through the day, and not trouble their two grandfathers. "You never stopped looking at me," Rose said quietly. Most of the time Theo had a glare on his face, but right now the gray bead was shining something different. It was so loving and some of it Rose couldn't interpret correctly. How could Rose stand being shot at so closely. Theo had to, just once, look away from her. "Thank you, Sugar." A gentle touch on the skin of Rose's face made her
Rose didn't expect Theo to take her to the island of Ortogia, the historical center of the Sicilian city of Sirakusa, to enjoy the beauty of the Mediterranean sea. The scents by the sea were soothingly beautiful. Rose had not forgotten that Theo had not once let go of her body on the man's broad shoulders after walking along the old buildings on the islands of Ortogia. "Whose house is this?" asked Rose looking at a sturdy building that looked like it was meant for two people to live in. "Our house." There wasn't much Rose could say, except to bury her face deep in the hollow of Theo's neck. The masculine scent was still very much present, even after they had spent the whole day entertaining the guests, as if the perfume was very much at home on Theo's clay skin. "Want to go straight to bed or shower first, Sugar?" In front of a door Theo stopped and let Rose get on the floor. Between hesitation and the need for something fresh she finally looked up at Theo.
"Ready?" Rose nodded as Theo spoke over the top of her head. She was indeed standing with her back to Theo, holding the handle of a long cookie-cutter knife, while Theo's large fingers grasped each of her knuckles warmly. The multi-tiered cake, or not much different from a fragile tower, was being split open. The blade slowly descended downward to symbolize sharpness. Rose smiled almost melting into laughter when Theo whispered something funny to her, funny but Rose wouldn't tell anyone. Let her keep it to herself and make it an important fun moment. After the first slice of cake Rose and Theo should have been feeding each other. Instead Theo scooped out the cream and immediately applied it to Rose's lower lip. Rose's face was a mess, but that was exactly what Theo wanted. He took Rose's lips like he was taking a delicious cake. The sweetness of the sugar and butter mixture seemed to make Theo insatiable. He licks Rose so intimatelyโthere's no end to itโthat Rose
"It's enough. I'm full." Again Rose had to restrain herself as Theo's big fingers tried to push away the bowl of white porridge in her hand. "Just a little more, Theo. You have to finish your porridge." "Come on." Rose brought another spoonful of porridge closer, but that face refused. "Don't make me eat bad porridge, Sugar. It's tasteless." "That's why if you eat while looking at me, you'll get some flavor." "One more bite. I promise after this is over." "I don't believe it. You said that earlier, don't you remember?" Rose's wide grin completely fooled Theo. The man was exactly a child who had lost his appetite. It was very difficult to persuade him to open his mouth. "This time I'm serious about the last one. Ahk... open wide." Rose thought Theo would immediately accept her bribe. Instead, the man moved the elbow of Rose's hand, moving the bow of the spoon to Rose's own lips. "You should eat too." "I ate earlier," Ro
One day after Theo regained consciousness, Rose finally decided to return to her home, the place where she once lived alone next to her small restaurant. At the moment there wasn't much for Rose to do other than prepare to meet Theo at the hospital. Rose immediately drove her father's borrowed car. On the back passenger seat she placed a medium-sized box with several holes in it that was wrapped very beautifully. While beside her sat a cute little dog with curly hair and white color like cotton. Yesterday Rose had just bought the poodle breed at the pet shop. Intrigued. That was all that drew Rose's desire to bring home the poodle named Cocomelo. "We've arrived." Rose prepared a special backpack to carry Cocomelo on her shoulders, so that when she first entered the infirmary Theo would not immediately meet her Cocomelo but Rose would show him. And in her hand, she carried the medium-sized box and walked into the hospital. Not just daring, but Rose had already ob
Coming back from the bathroom, Rose thought she would be faced with the same situation. She had warned against it by waiting longer in the humid room until some of the noises from outside faded away. But everything Rose had expected was not true. The blood seepage on the floor when she opened the door was gone. Verasco's subordinates... even Verasco himself was nowhere to be seen, in his husband's infirmary. All that was left was Lion waiting very quietly, arms folded across his chest as he watched Theo silently. "Are you still here, Lion? Where are the others?" asked Rose as her steps brushed the side of the blanket. "Mr. Verasco asked me to wait here, Miss." Lion's attention was finally diverted. Rose suspected that he had just returned from the police station and helped Verasco and Elijah to execute George. As for George's betrayal, perhaps it was a wake-up call for Verasco to be more intolerant of hidden intentions and whatever else might happen. "Where is my
"On the way home. Their story has a happy ending. Finished." Rose closed the 400 pages book and placed it on the nightstand. Reading sweet stories had become her routine in the past few days. Rose smiled slightly at her husband's face who was lying so quietly. This morning the breathing apparatus had just been removed indicating Theo's condition was getting better after the bloody spear incident. Luckily, they immediately brought Theo to get the right treatment. Theo had to undergo surgery three times. He had lost a lot of blood and needed transfusions as soon as possible. Rose remembered that some arguments happened between them regarding Theo who had very step blood, even Verasco was helpless about it. Just a Wench .... That's what Verasco said at that time with a trembling tone of voice. Like he was so regretful. Really regretful, until finally Travis suggested the few people who were still left in Italy to bring some bags of Theo's blood that were taken two