pov justinI arrived at the hospital, and Jade was still breathing with the apparatus. The doctor informed me that she had asthma, which prolonged her recovery, and she could only leave once her breathing returned to normal completely. I sat in the chair next to her, observing. The calm expression and gentleness on her face brought me inner peace, as if she had the power to make everything tranquil amid the chaos. On the other hand, I couldn't stop thinking about how to help Tyler find Emily and Olivia. If Emily was indeed alive, she wouldn't be well – whose blood was on the mural? Jade began to stir, and before opening her eyes, she was already removing the breathing apparatus.I got up and went to her, stopping her hand. "You can't take it off," I said, concerned. Her eyes turned to me, and a gentle smile formed on her face. Despite my warning, she removed the device, taking a deep breath, trying to regain control of her breathing. Her breath was heavy, and she seemed to be struggli
Tyler's POVI searched every inch of that warehouse, trying to find the missing part of that puzzle. I must be overlooking something; it can't be possible. I turned my gaze back to the mural; what did those pins signify? I heard some noises upstairs, which was my office and the social part of the company; there shouldn't be anyone there at this hour. I began to climb the stairs quietly to avoid making noise, checking every part of the floors, but found nothing. The last place left was my office. I finished climbing all those stairs and opened the door, but again, nothing. I looked closely and noticed a body on the floor. It was Mariana. I tried to listen for any heartbeat, but she was already dead. I saw a piece of paper inside her mouth and pulled it out."The protection of the roses will lead the man to recover the heart. To end the agonizing wait for the flowers, the gardener faces a dilemma. Allow the roses to leave, losing the Eden, or keep the garden, where only the extinct rose
Pov emilyTyler wouldn't listen to me; he was determined to send us away. Every time he entered the hospital room, I could see the sadness in his eyes, the dark circles indicating he had been crying as much as I had. We didn't go home; he packed some clothes and brought them to us at the hospital, saying our bags would be on the private plane. Jade chose to accompany me, leaving Justin bewildered."It's time, love," Tyler enters the room."You know we don't have to do this; I can stay and fight by your side," I say, getting up.He picks up Olivia and comes over to me."You are my sanity, my storm in the desert, the reason I will build a safe and dignified home, and then we can be together again," he says, holding back tears.I see tears streaming down his worried face, and I can't hold back either; now both of us are crying. I can't do this. From the moment he smiled at me, I knew it was him, that smile that would make me complete. Now, I am the reason for his tears, and it feels like
**EMILY POV**"Mrs. MITCHELL?" The man in the white coat interrupted my thoughts."Yes?" I woke up from my nap, tossing my coat to the other seat."Your husband is awake; his condition is stable. He'll just need a few days of rest. I'll discharge him tomorrow morning," he said and left.On the way to Justin's room, the images returned to my mind like a terrifying dream.**Flashback on**"I'm a Mitchel now." With that, I closed my eyes and shot.I shot."You did it," Tyler grumbled, surprised."I killed her.""You saved all of us."I saw that his leg was bleeding; without hesitation, I took off my shirt and tied it around the wound. The fire began to spread towards us, and I grabbed his body, starting to pull him."It took more than ten minutes," I said as Justin entered the scene; he smiled and helped me with Tyler. I had just killed the woman who almost destroyed our lives; I had put an end to our torment. In the car, I stayed with Tyler in the back seat, and Justin drove. I turned t
**Justin's POV**"Who were you talking to?" Jade asks as soon as I return to her."That was Chanel; she came to warn me that Luke escaped." I shrugged, throwing myself on the sofa."Is that a problem?" Jade asked worried."For her, yes, she'll have to raise the child alone but for us, it's fine. Are we going home?" I replied, looking at her."Actually, I want to do something. Can you take me to a beauty salon?" She asks, with her shy and curious eyes."A beauty salon?" I frowned suspiciously. What could she be up to?"Yes, Justin, can you take me?" She crossed her arms, impatiently rolling her eyes with anger."All right, let's go." I said, guiding her to the car.We left the hospital for the nearest salon. Jade said I should wait. The result of this? I spent almost an hour waiting. But it was good to think a bit. I love Jade, I just don't want to hurt her, but I also don't want to lose her. After all this, I really understood that life is unpredictable, and if we have to do something
**Tyler's POV**Finally, I was home. The night had fallen, and the cold made all of us gather in front of the fireplace after dinner. Josh told his stories, making everyone laugh, while Justin and Jade exchanged affectionate gestures and smiles. Emily couldn't stop observing all of us with a loving expression, and Olivia was on my lap, wide awake and unwilling to sleep."Guys, I want to say a few things to our heroine," I called everyone's attention."Oh, don't make me embarrassed," Emily said.So, I began."When we marry someone, even if it's not for love, we create an unbreakable bond, and this bond begins to sustain itself through problems until a delicate line is drawn, a fragile line, fragile love. That's how it was for us; our bond started with lies and turned into fragile love. With difficulties, it learned to overcome, and everything we faced here only made our love a rock, the strongest thing in the world. There is no more fragile line; in our love, there is no place for frag
**Emily's POV**Six years...Can you believe that six years have passed, and this is the sixth Christmas we spend together without ever being apart? Everything is perfect. I graduated again, this time in pediatrics, and started my residency at a hospital near home a few months ago. Tyler has grown even more. Besides the carrier, he opened a club, which was quite successful, but he still hadn't given up on trafficking, the issue that causes the most arguments between us. Why continue in this business when he already has everything? Well, back to the subject, Josh is a partner in Tyler's club and also opened his own nightclub or brothel, call it whatever you prefer. He and Anne are separated since she went to Paris, and as a confessed jealous guy, he couldn't accept a long-distance relationship. He suffers for it.Jade? Oh, what to say about this young prodigy. She works as a music and dance teacher. Despite trying to convince her to pursue her own career, she preferred not to, and we a
Tyler's POV"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" I heard the little girl's first excited shout beside me. "MERRY CHRISTMAS, DAD, MERRY CHRISTMAS! WAKE UP, MOM IS ALREADY DOWNSTAIRS."I need to teach this girl about speaking softly, or better yet, not talking at all."Okay, Olivia, I'll just wash my face and be right down," I say sleepily."Just wash your face, Dad? You have to brush your teeth," she said, smiling."Brush what?" I asked, confused."Uncle Josh said you have little balls in your mouth," she says, getting off the bed. "Now go brush your balls."Note: I need to kill Chaz. Brushing the brakes, really? Ridiculous. I shook my head, annoyed.I did my hygiene as quickly as possible. I was eager to give Olivia her present. I bet with Justin to see which one she'd like more."Who's ready to open presents?" I say, getting everyone's attention in the room. They were all holding their cups, drinking hot chocolate; the smell was tantalizing. Emily offered me some of hers and invited me to sit beside h
### Pov Olivia"Are you ready, my daughter?" my mother asked, gently tapping on the door.I finished putting on my hat and nodded. She took my hand and led me to the car, where my father was already waiting in the driver's seat. We arrived early at the cemetery, and for now, only Justin and Ingrid were there, both with expressions heavy with sorrow as they gazed at the coffin.We approached slowly, and they greeted us with somber looks."We're burying him in an hour... you didn't have to come so early," Uncle Justin said sternly, trying to hide the anger and pain in his voice."She wanted to come say goodbye," my mother replied, looking at me with an encouraging glance. She signaled for me to approach the coffin.With a heavy heart, I took a few steps toward David's coffin. Each step felt heavier than the last. Ingrid placed her hand on my shoulder and tried to muster a smile. "He would have liked to see you one last time. He loved you, Olivia," she said, her voice trembling but since
### POV Olivia"Antony..." I murmured nervously, looking at his body lying in front of me. Tears blurred my vision, but I couldn't waste any time."Come on, Olivia, we don't have much time. Forget about Antony, he's gone now. You need to live!" David said, gripping my arm tightly and dragging me towards the trees."How did you find me?" I asked in surprise, hearing footsteps of people running after us."I tracked your phone," he said seriously, looking for a place for us to hide."But it's turned off. They removed the SIM... and there's no internet signal here..." I grumbled, confused."I put a tracker on your phone," he replied."Oh my God, you creep, why did you do that?" I let go of his hand, stepping back in fear.David took a deep breath for a moment and looked at me seriously. "Olivia, I did it because I love you. I couldn't stand seeing you pining over Peter. That day, when I saw you kissing him at your father's house, since that day I felt hatred, resentment. I wanted to kill
### POV Tyler"Are you crazy? That man is a scumbag! How can you do business with him?" Emily nearly vomited with indignation when I told her who my new ally was."I know," I replied, trying to stay calm. "But if we want to get our daughter back, he's the only person who knows Ethan's location. Remember when I asked Antony to check all the warehouses in the city? We found out that guy was the only one Ethan was doing business with. The frequency and his employees were so discreet it was almost imperceptible." I shrugged and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. "Any news from Josh and Justin?" I asked, noticing the worried look on Emily's face. She shook her head, confirming there wasn't."Anne can't stop crying. She's having to deal with everything alone. To make matters worse, Noah keeps saying Ethan is his father. She's devastated, and Ingrid can't stop looking for her kidnapped niece," she replied sadly, the pain evident in her voice."That's all the more reason I need to rip the hea
### POV Tyler"So, what do you intend to give me in exchange for this information?" the fat man with his cane asked suspiciously, his small, calculating eyes fixed on me."I'll release some of your men I've captured and stay away from your business for at least three months. You'll have carte blanche to do whatever you want during that time," I replied seriously, taking a sip of the whiskey on the table."Tyler... Tyler... who would have thought that after all this time, you'd come to me proposing a deal..." He laughed cynically, his eyes gleaming with malice. "What do you want with Ethan?" He raised an eyebrow, clearly suspicious."That's none of your business! It's personal... I want to know if you accept my deal," I responded curtly, shrugging, not caring about his suspicions."Tyler... Tyler... you’re as arrogant as ever!" He shook his head, thoughtful. "Do you think I'll let you come into my house and deceive me? Have you and that worthless Ethan made some kind of deal to take me
**POV Olivia**I woke up again feeling dizzy, with lapses of memory, alternating between waking and falling asleep without being able to keep my eyes open for long."Look, the little princess is awake!" Alana entered the room with a cynical look, while my hands and feet were tied to the chair, preventing me from escaping."This won't end like this. What have you done to me? Why do I feel so..." I couldn't finish the sentence. My lips were numb, and my mouth tingled."Sedated? Perhaps because you're under the effect of sedatives. We already know you're a match, but we had to run a lot of tests to check if your bone marrow is in good condition, considering the amount of alcohol you consume at your father's parties. We'll need at least two more days to detox you from all the medications. Don't worry, this is the last sedative!" She winked, applying that greenish liquid into my bloodstream again."My bone marrow? What do you want with it?" I asked, trying not to succumb to the anesthesia c
**POV Tyler**"Tyler... Tyler, wake up!" I heard a female voice beside me, shaking my body. The voice seemed distant, and I felt weak. After much insistence, I slowly opened my eyes. The brightness hurt my retinas. The room was all white, filled with equipment. I tried to move, but felt something attached to my arm. Then, a gentle touch on my face and a tight hug."Tyler... I thought you were dead. I'm so happy you're alive!"I opened my eyes and saw Emily in tears, her face red and swollen, looking like she had been crying for hours. I looked around and realized I was strapped to a hospital bed, with various machines monitoring my vital signs."What happened? How long have I been here?" I asked desperately. Emily stepped back, swallowing hard."Seven days. You've been in a coma for seven days. Josh and Justin still haven't woken up. The doctor said they're in critical condition, worse than you... we don't know when they'll wake up," Emily replied, lowering her head."No... that's imp
**POV Tyler**With my heart racing, I got into the car and started the engine. As I drove through the nearly deserted streets, a fierce determination took hold of me. No matter what it took, I would bring Sara back safely. Josh and Justin were my closest friends, and I knew I could count on them.When I arrived at the meeting point, I saw Josh and Justin already waiting. They looked at me seriously, ready for what was to come."We're going to get Sara and make sure she comes home safely," I said, looking at both of them."We're with you, Tyler," Josh replied firmly. Justin nodded, the same determination reflected in his eyes.We arrived near the warehouse, having meticulously planned every detail. There were a few men at the back of the building, and I had positioned some patrol cars at key points on the streets to prevent possible escapes. After rescuing Sara, the plan was to interrogate one of Ethan's men and find out what he was planning and why he was so fixated on Noah."Let's go
**POV Olivia**"It's better this way, honey. We need to trust your father. He wants the best for us," my mother said, smiling and stroking my hair as I lay on the bed, crying in anger.She wiped away one of the tears running down my face and suggested, "How about we watch a movie together? It's been a while since I arrived, but we haven't had time to do normal mother-daughter things. We've been apart for so long... I want to know more about you," she smiled, excited."Thank you, Mom... I would love that," I replied, a slight smile forming on my lips, and she nodded.As soon as she left the room, I sent a message to Peter, asking if he knew anything. I fiddled with my phone to pass the time while my mother made popcorn in the microwave. Finally, I received a message."Do you want to find that bitch Sarah? And your dear friend David, who betrayed you? Come to Xavier Marques Street, near the dark alley. I'll be there and take you to them..."There was no sender. It was another one of tho
**POV Tyler**"Okay... Does Emily have a twin sister that her father sold to a couple when she was born?" I asked again, shaking my head, unable to believe my own words."Yes, Alana Parker was a victim of human trafficking..." Olivia replied seriously, while Emily swallowed hard. "She helped me find my mom, but now it seems like she wants some kind of payment for her help..." Olivia finished her sentence."What does this crazy woman want? Money? Could she be working for Ethan?" I stood up from the table nervously, unable to stay still."I don't know... I didn't go with her... but she really wanted me to," Olivia muttered, hugging Emily, who didn't want to let go of her."Alana is dangerous. I always suspected her and doubted she was on our side. I don't know what she wants, but we have to protect our daughter, Tyler!" Emily said nervously.The anguish in Emily's eyes was evident. She clearly didn't want to lose Olivia after already losing so many years of raising her."Emily, we will