LOGIN“We missed all of you!” he chimed cheerfully. “We missed you too, buddy,” Dino called out, stepping forward with a wide, excited grin. “We even built hammocks and a treehouse at the orchard. You should check them out later.” “Yey! We have a treehouse and hammock!” Atlas’s face lit up instantly,
Four years later— The convoy slowed as it entered Sta. Cristina, the once-quiet town now alive with movement and color. Gone were the uneven dirt roads. In their place stretched smooth pathways that wound through thriving fields—rows upon rows of crops swaying beneath the sun, their greens deeper,
The wedding celebration slowly softened as the sun dipped behind the mountains of Sta. Cristina. Laughter still lingered in the front yard of the humble Greene home—warm, unrestrained, filled with the joy of a union long awaited. But somewhere between the laughter and the fading light—Cassie and A
A breath. “Every day.” Her smile deepened through her tears. “Every lifetime.” Their gazes remained locked—quiet, unwavering—despite the swell of applause rising around them. It filled the chapel, warm and thunderous, echoing against the wooden walls. Pride shone in the men’s eyes, steady and u
"Cassie…” His voice came out quieter than anyone had ever heard it—stripped of authority, stripped of control. Just Ashton. Just a man standing before the woman he loved. After her slow, soulful walk toward him… after Eliseo and Celia had gently, tearfully placed her hand in his— He held her now.
Cassie allowed herself to be pulled forward, though her expression remained stunned, her mind still trying to grasp the sheer extravagance hidden beneath what she thought was simplicity. Behind her, Eliseo and Carmel exchanged a glance. Then, almost in unison, their gazes drifted back to the gown.
The tension around the table thickened, coiling tightly in the air as all eyes shifted toward Ashton, waiting—almost daring—for his reaction. Mirriam and Rima exchanged a loaded glance, a silent understanding passing between them before identical sneers curved their lips. “Sister,” Mirriam drawled
“Ah—nothing,” she said quickly, forcing a small laugh. “Just… a funny memory crossed my mind.” She lifted her glass to hide the tension in her face, hoping desperately that no one could hear the frantic pounding of her heart—or sense the silent battle unfolding beneath the table, where Ashton Pierc
The lavish dinner commenced beneath the soft glow of crystal chandeliers, silverware chiming gently as attendants moved with practiced grace. To Mirriam’s mounting annoyance, Cassie had been seated squarely between Ashton Pierce and Zandrie Wallace, while she herself was placed across the table—cl
This time, the bitterness slipped through. Years of it—pressed down, swallowed, endured—bled into her words. “All I ever wanted was a family. A home.” She paused, drawing a deep breath, memories flashing like shards of glass. “And I believed—foolishly—that if I did everything you asked of me, I w







