Chapter One Hundred and two

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• His Terms, My Surrender   Chapter one hundred and forty six

  Theo’s POVEvening came too soon.Sofia was already ready, baby Martha bundled up in her arms. The sight of them by the door, prepared to leave, made something in my chest tighten. I wasn’t the type to dwell on emotions, but this—this was different.I couldn’t believe this was happening. I couldn’t believe I wouldn’t get to watch my daughter grow.I might miss her first babbling, the first time she sits up, the moment she learns to crawl, her first steps—every milestone, every little thing that parents are supposed to witness. I might miss all of it.And the worst part? I had no one to blame but myself.Sofia adjusted Martha’s blanket, making sure she was warm. She hadn’t said much since we got back from the hospital. She barely looked at me unless necessary, keeping her focus on Martha. I understood why. I hadn’t given her much reason to believe in me—to believe in us.But now, with them standing at the door, ready to leave, I felt something close to desperation clawing at my chest.

• His Terms, My Surrender   Chapter one hundred and forty five

  The next morning, I woke up feeling like a stranger in my own life. The weight in my chest hadn’t lifted. It was still there, heavy and suffocating, but I had to keep moving. I couldn't afford to stop.I dragged myself out of bed, my body aching as I made my way to the bathroom. The shower water hit my skin like a cold reminder of everything I was leaving behind. I let it run over me, trying to wash away the exhaustion, the pain, the fear. It didn't help.Once I was done, I dressed quickly. A simple outfit, nothing too fancy. I didn’t have the energy for anything else.The hospital. I had to get Martha. She was strong now. No longer in the NICU. She was ready to leave.I picked up my phone and called a cab. I couldn’t drive, not with the way my hands were shaking. The thought of Theo following me made my stomach tighten, but there was nothing I could do. He was a part of this now.I heard a knock on the door just as I was finishing up. I opened it to see him standing there.He didn’t

• His Terms, My Surrender   Chapter one hundred and forty four

  Sofia's POVManchester.A fresh start. A life away from the blood, the lies, and the war that had shaped every part of me.It was what I wanted.Wasn’t it?I looked down at my hands, my fingers still curled into fists. I forced them to relax.I should have been relieved. The contract was over. The chains that had bound me to him were gone. I could walk away, take Martha, and never look back.But instead of relief, all I felt was… empty.I lifted my eyes to him. His expression was blank, but I knew him well enough to see what he wasn’t saying.He meant it this time. He was letting me go.No more fights. No more power plays. No more waiting for him to change the rules.I swallowed, my throat tight.This was it. The moment I had fought for, the moment I had dreamed of.So why did it feel like my chest was caving in?I forced myself to speak. “You really set everything up.”His nod was almost imperceptible. “You and Martha will have everything you need.”I hesitated. “And you?”He exhaled

• His Terms, My Surrender   Chapter one hundred and forty three

  Three Days LaterThe air was thick with grief. The cemetery was silent except for the occasional rustle of wind through the trees, the distant sound of birds chirping—too peaceful for a day like this.Two graves.Two names carved into stone.Martha Rodriguez.Javier Vargas.One was my mother. The other was the man I had killed.Sofia stood beside me, dressed in black, her face unreadable. She hadn’t spoken much since I told her we would be burying them together, giving her father the funeral he had been denied. I wasn’t sure how she felt about it.Maybe she didn’t know either.She had barely looked at me since that night in the NICU. Since I had finally let her go.I glanced down at the caskets. One was polished mahogany, sleek and expensive—exactly what my mother would have wanted. The other was simpler, darker, almost as if it carried the weight of the sins attached to it.Javier Vargas had died a traitor. A man I had buried in secrecy.Now, he was finally being laid to rest.Sofia

• His Terms, My Surrender   Chapter one hundred and forty two

  One Week LaterMartha was still in the NICU. She was stronger than she had been, her tiny body fighting every single day, but she was still so fragile.Sofia never left her side.She sat in the recliner beside the incubator, eyes locked on our daughter. Her body was still recovering, her movements slow and careful, but she didn’t seem to care. The doctors and nurses had to remind her to rest, to eat, but she only did so reluctantly, as if every second away from Martha was a second wasted.And me?I stood just outside the room, watching.I had been inside, had held Martha once under Sofia’s insistent gaze, but I still couldn’t shake the fear that gripped me whenever I looked at her.She was so small. Too small.What if I wasn’t enough?What if I failed her, the same way I had failed Javier?The guilt sat heavy in my chest, an anchor I couldn’t shake.“Rodriguez.”I stiffened at the voice behind me and turned to see Dr. Reyes watching me with a knowing expression. He was an older man, h

• His Terms, My Surrender   Chapter one hundred and forty one

  Two Days LaterSofia had improved. Her color was better, her strength returning bit by bit. She still moved slowly, but there was determination in her every action.And today, she was ready.I had done everything to delay this moment. Avoided every conversation about when she could see the baby. But the doctor had given his approval this morning, and there was no stopping her now.Me?I hadn’t even gone to the NICU.I told myself it was because Sofia should see the baby first. That she should have that moment before anyone else.But deep down, I knew the truth.I couldn’t bring myself to face the child.Because what story could I tell them?That they were born from violence? That their existence was a cruel twist of fate? That the first breath they took in this world was surrounded by tragedy?I didn’t even know the baby’s gender.Sofia didn’t notice my hesitation. She was too focused on getting out of bed, on making it to the wheelchair the nurse had brought in. Her fingers trembled