By the morning, an excited family loaded their suitcases into a 4x4 jeep and embarked on their journey.“Dad, let's play 'I Spy.”“I don't know that game.”“I can teach you.”“Perfect, let's play.”They played for most of the way. Bruno wanted his son to enjoy being a child, of course, he wanted him to be educated, but without losing the essence of his childhood.Nicole listened to them, feeling happy about their interaction. Bruno was slowly regaining her affection, and that dormant love was gaining strength again. After a while, Santi fell asleep.”You haven't told us where we're going.”“We're going to the Catskill Mountains region. You'll love it. Right now, in autumn, it dresses up in a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors. The changing hues of the tree leaves shift from green to orange, red, and yellow, only to later transform into a golden brown. Trust me, it's something worth seeing.”Nicole watched him attentively, seeing how excited he was about this trip.“We'll start in Livingst
When Nicole woke up, she didn't find Bruno. She looked out the window and saw him talking to some men who seemed strange to her. She went to take a shower, and after a while, she heard him come in.When he came out, she noticed that his expression was serious."Has something happened?" she asked, puzzled."No, why do you ask?" Bruno tried not to get nervous."Who were those men?" she sensed that something was wrong."Oh, those? They were locals. I was asking them some questions about fishing," he said, stating the first thing that came to his mind."By their appearance, they seemed like military personnel," Nicole thought they didn't look like locals at all, they looked different."I only know that they're from here, no idea what they do," he shrugged as he said it.Nicole found his attitude strange; he was clearly being defensive."And now, what did you eat?" she asked, serious now."Nothing, I haven't had breakfast," the question seemed odd to him, not relevant."I'm asking because
Bruno entered the room at that moment."Good morning, sleeping beauty," he greeted."Hello, my silver-armored prince," Nicole replied.Bruno bowed and then approached her, kneeling on one knee while taking her hand."Beautiful lady, before you stands your humble servant," he said."Haha, get up already, you clown. I saw that you packed our bags," Nicole said."Yes, that's right. We're heading to Lake George. Santi is excited to go fishing in the lake. I have a house in that area," Bruno explained."Perfect, then, my beloved prince, let's go to our next destination," Nicole said.A couple of hours later, they arrived at Lake George and made their way to a house on the outskirts of town, right in front of the lake. Nicole really liked the house; it was Victorian-style, just like many houses in the area."Dad, the house has a part built over the lake," Santi exclaimed."Yes, son. In that part, there are boats stored that go directly onto the lake," Bruno replied.Later on, they went for
“How is Rina?" asked Gío."I think it's time for you to refer to her as your mother. You know perfectly well that she's not to blame for your father keeping her away from you," Gío pleaded, aware that Rina was suffering because she thought her son hated her."I understand, and I have nothing against her. It's just difficult for me to get used to calling her mother," Leandro honestly replied. He had grown up without uttering that word."Going back to the topic, we won't allow our father to harm anyone else. We need to put a stop to it," Noah said, feeling fed up with the situation."Are you with us or against us?" Bruno asked."You know I'm completely against what my father does. I won't let him hurt Nicole or Santi. If he harmed my mother, he must pay for it," Leandro affirmed.Later, everyone said their goodbyes. They couldn't stay in the room for too long. Gío went back to Rina's side, and Bruno stayed with Nicole."You should have gone home. You need rest. You drove from the lake,"
Gío returned to the hospital later and found Leandro anxiously standing outside the room."Has something happened? Is Rina okay?" he asked."She's fine, but as soon as you left, my father came," Leandro replied."That means he's keeping us under surveillance.""Now I'm certain that he's the one who caused all this. He entered the room and asked me to bring a pillow to end my mother's life. Thankfully, a nurse came in at that moment, or else he would have realized that I disagreed. He's determined to kill her just to preserve his fortune. We need to have surveillance in place.""I'll talk to the hospital director right away to get authorization. Wait here for a moment, and don't leave her alone.""I'll wait here," Leandro said.Leandro entered the room and stood next to Rina. He observed her for a moment, unable to hold back his tears."Mother, you have to wake up. I need you; I've needed you all my life. We have to make up for lost time. Please forgive me; I know it wasn't your fault.
Alizza headed to the bathroom, took her phone, and made a call."Hello.""Sir, Mrs. Nicole and Mr. Bruno are still together.""I already know that.""She's pregnant.""Well, well, that's interesting. That's something new. Keep me informed of everything that happens.""Yes, sir."Alizza hung up the phone after the man on the other end ended the call. She hated that man because he forced her to be his spy, but she knew he was willing to make Nicole disappear, and she was pleased about that.Two days later, they gathered at Rina's house. It was the day she was discharged from the hospital, and they had organized a welcome party.Shortly after, she arrived with Gío. She was still in a wheelchair and would be for some time since she had fractured her foot."Welcome home, Mom," Nicole exclaimed and approached her, hugging her while handing her a beautiful bouquet of roses.Leandro did the same. Bruno and Nicole took advantage of everyone being gathered to share the news of their pregnancy.
Deborah had thought that Nicole would intervene on her behalf, but upon realizing that she wouldn't, her hatred towards her grew. She left the place, trying to contain her fury.Bruno took Nicole's hand and they returned to the dining room. Sara, seeing that Deborah had left, took Santi downstairs so he could be with his parents. Later, they went upstairs to put the little one to bed, and as they did every night, Bruno told him a story.He enjoyed this role as a father; he had always felt that his life lacked purpose, and now he had found it.Nicole was lying down, and he applied cream to her hands before starting to massage her feet. He constantly surprised her; this wasn't the Bruno she knew. Perhaps he had changed.After a while, he rested his head on Nicole's abdomen."You, together with your brother, will be the most loved baby in the world. I will protect you for the rest of my life, I promise you, my little love."He fell asleep while she tenderly stroked his head. Bruno might
In the corporate office, Alizza was getting ready to leave when Dante approached her."Do you need something, Mr. Dante? I was about to leave," she asked, puzzled. Dante never spoke to her."Why?" His face displayed the fury he felt."I don't understand," she replied, unaware that she had been discovered."Why did you do it?" The intensity of Dante's gaze made her uneasy."You're scaring me, sir. I don't know what you're talking about," she instinctively took a step back."Don't play dumb. You put oil on the stairs to make Nicole slip. We have evidence," he said, restraining himself from slapping her."Sir, I have no idea what you're talking about," the girl trembled, terrified of being exposed.At that moment, Bruno entered the room. Alizza saw his face distorted by pain and anger, and she attempted to run away."You're not going anywhere," Bruno grabbed her arm and without thinking, he struck her in the face. Then, he grabbed her by the throat and began to apply pressure with his ha
Bruno and Nicole were enjoying their honeymoon. They had barely seen Dante and Sophie, as they had explored much of the beautiful island. It felt like being in a completely different world, wonderful and peaceful."The island of the gods, now I understand why it's called that," Bruno said, standing on the beach and gazing at the beautiful turquoise waters. He was barefoot on the soft sand, feeling like they were in paradise on Earth.Nicole was playing in the water, resembling a little girl. She was collecting some seashells, and when she had gathered several, she would return them to the sea."What are you doing?" Bruno asked, amused."I'm observing these little shells. They all have something different," she replied. Bruno looked at them, seeing them all as absolutely identical.He approached her and kissed her neck, a playful smile forming on his lips."How about we postpone our trip to Ubud until tomorrow?" he suggested, hoping she would accept his proposal."What plans do you hav
They transferred Nicole to the delivery room. Bruno was given special clothing to accompany her. After they were sterilized, he set up two cameras to film the birth from different angles and stood beside Nicole, holding her hand.Nicole was sweating profusely. The doctor tried to administer an epidural, but she adamantly refused. Bruno took a cloth to wipe her forehead.The pain from the contractions became even stronger, and she squeezed Bruno's hand tightly."Damn it! It hurts so much.""My love, sweetheart, you're going to rip my hand off," Bruno said gently, trying not to upset her."You can rip off my hand and what's between your legs, and you still wouldn't feel what I'm feeling."Bruno turned pale at the thought of actually doing what she had said. Instinctively, he squeezed his legs together.He decided to endure her tight grip on his hand without complaining. That way, she wouldn't decide to squeeze anything else. The doctor instructed her to push with force, and she did so w
Nicole was in her bedroom, unable to believe what was happening. She had brought with her the photo that Leandro had in his house in Milan. They had transferred his body to be buried in New York, and she still couldn't grasp the reality of what had happened.Shelsy and her mother had traveled with them. Bruno allowed it because the pain Sergio had caused him no longer hurt, and it was important for Nicole and Rina because the baby she carried in her womb was Leandro's.Nicole stood in front of the window, her gaze fixed on the photo. Bruno entered the room and approached her, pained to see her in such a state. He wiped away her tears with his hand."It's time, my love. We need to go to the church and then to the cemetery. I can't bear to see you suffer like this. I never got along with Leandro, and I apologize for that. I know he was very important to you and our child. By the way, my mother will stay with Santi. The doctor has advised that he should not be exposed to strong emotions.
Hours later, the doctor emerged from the operating room, and everyone gathered around to hear the news. They could tell by his expression that it wasn't good."How is my son?" Rina asked desperately. Something inside her heart indicated that things were not going well. She felt a strong pressure in her chest."We managed to stabilize him. Unfortunately, the bullets did not exit his body, so we had to remove them. Internal organs have been compromised, so we'll have to wait and see how he responds in the next few hours. He's a young and strong man, so perhaps a miracle will happen. He will be transferred to a room, and in a few hours, he will wake up. Only one person at a time can visit him, only the closest ones, please. It's important not to exhaust him. He keeps mentioning a name, Nicole, repeatedly in his unconscious state."The women cried inconsolably, especially Nicole and Rina."Even near death, he thinks of me all the time. I can't handle this, really, I can't," Nicole said, i
Leandro received the location, and the convoy of vans sped towards the outskirts of the city. However, further ahead, the tire of the van carrying Bruno began to malfunction, and Leandro, who was in the front, didn't notice.When he arrived at the location, he realized that the other two vans weren't behind him. He immediately called Bruno and instructed them to have some men from the third van get into their van. Then, he sent them the updated location. They were relatively close.Leandro was impatient; time was crucial to save her.Inside the house, Sergio had tied Nicole and the child to chairs. The child was frightened but tried his best not to cry. He didn't want Sergio to punish him as he had done so many times before.Sergio blindfolded them, turned on the camera, and started recording."Leone, I truly hope you can see this. Your wife will have to sign some documents if she wants me to release her son. Let me make it clear, she will leave this place feet-first, so these will be
Later, the men went out in search of Sergio, leaving only Emma, Nicole, Rina, and Mara in the house, guarded by the bodyguards. In the evening, Nicole was resting in her room when her phone started ringing. It was an unknown number, and she was grateful to be alone at that moment. She already knew who it was.—"Hello," she answered.—"Well, you answer my calls quickly, my little dove. Are you already in Milan?" a chilling voice spoke on the other end.—"Yes," she replied weakly.—"Hahaha, I know. You're at my son's house. How obvious you've been," he taunted.Nicole felt shivers running down her spine. Could that man see them?—"Listen to me. Tomorrow, at four in the morning, a van will be waiting for you at the corner of the house. So, it's better for you to leave without being seen. When you arrive here, I will release your son. You will stay in your place."—"How do I know I can trust you? After all, you're not a trustworthy man," Nicole said, her voice filled with doubt.—"You hav
Bruno said, getting up from the armchair where he had been sitting. Perhaps it was the strength of the liquor that allowed him to react. He looked out the window, and Nicole was still out on the terrace. He approached her and embraced her, and they stood there, silently holding each other.They were interrupted by Mara and René, who arrived shortly after. Nicole's parents also arrived, and they all gathered in the living room, simply looking at each other."What can we do? I feel like I'm wasting time here. I'm leaving for Italy right now. I didn't want to leave Nicole; I wanted to be by her side throughout the process. Leandro offered to search for him so that I could stay with her. Knowing that Santi was no longer in Sergio's hands gave me some peace of mind, but now my son's life is once again in the hands of that monster," Bruno said."We're deeply sorry for what happened to Deborah," Noah said. Despite having abandoned Bruno, she was still his mother.Bruno responded with a nod.
Sara observed the couple with satisfaction as they continued to show their love for each other."It's only a couple of months until we have our baby in our arms. I know Santi will be with us soon, and our happiness will be complete," Bruno exclaimed, taking Nicole's hand and kissing it.In Italy, one of Sergio's men received a call."Sir, you have a call. It's one of the men who fled with Deborah."Sergio hurriedly approached, a satisfied smile on his face. He knew offering a large sum for Deborah would work."Speak," he answered, feeling restless."Sir.""Lazarus, it's good that you've decided to call me. Tell me, where is that damn bitch? You know I will reward you handsomely.""Transfer the amount you're offering to my family, and I will tell you where you can find her.""Send the account number to Sandro. He will make the transfer immediately. If you lie to me, your family will suffer the consequences. You know I can be very cruel when I set my mind to it.""Wait a moment." The ma
Shelsy stood there, petrified. She wished she could tell him that she was expecting his child, but she couldn't speak. She just watched him silently walk away while she cried. Endra approached her at that moment."Did you tell him?" he asked, seeing her state. He thought she hadn't liked the news of her pregnancy."I couldn't. He doesn't want anything to do with me or my mom. I won't force him to stay by my side.""The problem here is what you'll tell your father. When he finds out, he'll go after Leandro.""I'll figure out what to tell him. Please, don't say anything."Endra couldn't understand what was going through his daughter's mind. Leandro had the right to know he would have a child. If she didn't tell him, she would.Leandro returned to Milan in the helicopter. They had circled the city several times, hoping to spot the vans that matched the description they had been given, but it was futile. That woman had the ability to vanish in an instant. He called Bruno at that moment."