"It's okay," I assured them, fighting to keep my voice steady. My hands itched to reach out, to touch them, to confirm their reality. "I'm... I'm a friend of your mother's." The description felt woefully inadequate for what Eva and I had once been to each other, for what we might still be to each ot
Chapter 162 Max's Point of View The tension in the classroom was suffocating as Eva stood before me, her eyes blazing with a mixture of fear and anger. The children huddled closer together, sensing the storm brewing between us. My heart hammered against my ribs as I slowly rose from the tiny chair
Chapter 163 Max's Point of View The drive back to my office was a blur of frustration and determination. My grip on the steering wheel was tight enough to make my knuckles white as I navigated the busy streets of downtown. Eva's words echoed in my mind, sharp and cutting: "Stay away from my childr
"When?" I demanded, already rising from my chair, my body coiled with tension. "In thirty minutes," Clara replied, already anticipating my next requests. "The board is gathering in the main conference room." "Notify legal," I ordered, grabbing my jacket from the back of my chair. "And have the lat
Chapter 164 Eva's Point of View My heart pounded against my ribs like a trapped bird as I stood before the board, Samuel glaring at me with a mixture of shock and fury. The whispers and murmurs of the board members filled the silence, but I kept my head high, channeling every ounce of strength I h
Chapter 165 Max's Point of View The tension in the boardroom was thick enough to cut with a knife. I sat at the head of the table, my fingers laced together to hide their slight trembling as I watched Samuel Graves struggle to maintain his composure. The board members exchanged glances, their deci
Chapter 166 Eva's Point of View It was my father's funeral day. The sky hung low and gray, mirroring the hollow ache in my chest as the priest's words droned on, a somber melody marking the end of my father's life. The air felt heavy with the promise of rain, nature itself seeming to hold its brea
Chapter 167 Eva's Point of View Three days after the funeral, I sat in Mr. Thompson's law office, my fingers nervously twisting the tissue in my lap. The familiar leather chairs and wood-paneled walls should have been comforting I'd been here countless times with my father but something felt off.
"Why help her?" Eva asked. "Why come after my family?" "Because it was the only thing that made the pain bearable," Victoria answered honestly. "Thinking that one day, you would understand what it feels like to lose everything." A flash of movement caught Eva's eye, something shifting in the shado
Chapter 299 Eva parked at the far end of the abandoned shipyard, exactly where Victoria had specified. The meeting had been Eva's idea, a bold move that Max had fought until he understood there was no other way to end this nightmare. Two days had passed since the children left. Two days of Eva and
Diana leaned back. "There are excellent surgeons overseas. Part of Louis's package includes consultations with specialists in Switzerland." Victoria touched her scars. "Too little, too late." "After tomorrow, you can disappear. Become someone new." "And what life does Eva deserve?" Diana's eyes
The coffee shop sat on the edge of downtown. Victoria chose a corner table with her back to the wall, hair swept forward to cover her scarred face. Through the windows, she watched for any sign of surveillance. Thirty-six hours had passed since her confrontation with Eva in the parking garage. Thir
"You were innocent," Max reminded her. "You didn't ask to be in that prison, didn't ask to be saved from the fire." "I know," Eva agreed, sitting on the edge of their bed. "But I did get to come back to all this, wealth, family, safety. While Victoria got a ruined face and six more years in prison.
And finally, to Mia: "Dance when you're sad, my little butterfly. Find joy even in hard times. Remember how much Mommy and Daddy love you." The garage fell silent as the final goodbyes approached. Eva and Max stood together, arms around each other, facing their four children lined up beside the wai
The blunt assessment hung in the air. Eva reached across the table to take Sam's hand. "We're sending you somewhere Victoria can't find you," she explained. "Somewhere you can play outside again, go to sleep without guards at your door." "But you're not coming," Leo said, his voice rising in compr
Eva woke before dawn, her mind already racing with the day ahead. Beside her, Max slept fitfully, his arm thrown protectively across her waist even in sleep. She watched the slow lightening of the sky through bulletproof windows, wondering if Victoria was watching the same sunrise, planning her next
"Already on it, sir," Jensen replied, dispatching orders through his radio. As they drove back to the compound, Eva stared out the window at the passing landscape, Victoria's scarred face burned into her memory. The pure hatred in those eyes had been chilling, but there had been something else too,