LOGIN🌙 Will Michael’s anger drive him to hunt Archer down despite Fernando’s warning? And can he protect Henry from becoming his father’s son—or is destiny stronger than love? 👉 Keep reading to find out in the next chapter.
Michael's POVFor several seconds after seeing Marlo, I couldn't move.My pulse hammered against my ribs as I stared at the man who had nearly destroyed so many lives.Every memory of what he had done came rushing back at once and now he was standing in front of me smiling as though none of it mattered.As though prison had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience.I immediately took a step backward then another. My first thought wasn't myself, it was Henry.Every protective instinct inside me came alive and I turned slightly, ready to head straight back inside to get to Henry but before I could take another step, two large men appeared behind me, blocking the path.I immediately tensed. The old instincts I had developed years ago surfaced without effort.I slowly looked back toward Marlo and my voice came out cold."Move" I ordered. Marlo laughed."I haven't even said hello properly" he said."I don't care."He smiled and that made me hate him even more.My jaw tightened."Stay
Michael's POVI opened the door and stepped into the hallway. A few minutes later, I exited the hospital through the main entrance.The evening air was cool, the parking lot was illuminated by rows of streetlights, cars came and went and doctors and nurses moved between shifts.Everything looked normal.My eyes immediately found the familiar car and beside it stood the guard.It was the same tall, broad-shouldered, expressionless man who had been following me around for days.The moment he saw me approaching, he straightened slightly but I stopped a few feet away."You're leaving" I said coldly. The guard blinked then calmly replied."I'm sorry, but I can't" he replied. I stared."I'm sorry?""I said no" he said firmly. My eye twitched. This conversation was already going badly.I folded my arms."Fernando didn't tell you to stop following me?" I asked."No.""Then I'm telling you.""I still cannot do that" he said.I stared and the guard stared back. For a moment neither of us mov
Michael's POVFor a long moment after Fernando left the hospital, I simply stood there in the hallway. My mind was exhausted and everything felt complicated.I felt like I was carrying the weight of ten different lives on my shoulders. Eventually, I let out a slow breath and started walking back toward Theo's room.I needed to stop thinking about Fernando, at least for a little while.Every time I thought I understood what I wanted, Fernando would appear and ruin everything again. The man had somehow mastered the art of causing emotional damage simply by existing.I pushed the door open quietly to see Theo awake. The soft light from the hospital lamp illuminated part of his face.He looked exhausted, his skin was pale, bandages were visible beneath the hospital blanket and the bruises and cuts across his body made my stomach tighten.Seeing him like this reminded me how close I had come to losing him. The thought alone terrified me.Theo looked up and smiled when he saw me."There you
Fernando's POVThe entire drive back to my hotel was torture. Carlos would not stop talking.I sat in the back seat of my car, staring out the window as the city lights flashed past.My mood had never been worse. Every few seconds, I found myself replaying the look on Henry's face.Across from me, Carlos was talking as if we had just come back from a vacation."Honestly, I think the kid likes me" he said.I slowly turned my head toward him and Carlos smiled."I'm serious" he said.I stared and he kept smiling, until my stare became colder then his smile slowly disappeared.Everything had been progressing slowly but progressing. Michael had started listening to me, he had begun considering New York and he had admitted he wanted our family together.Those moments mattered, every single one of them. Then Carlos arrived and suddenly everything became complicated again.I closed my eyes.Wonderful, just wonderful.By the time we arrived at the hotel, my patience was completely gone. The ve
Michael's POVI didn't want to think about Carlos. Unfortunately, he had made that impossible.The hospital hallway felt quieter after Fernando and Carlos moved away, but somehow the silence only made my thoughts louder.I sat down heavily in one of the waiting room chairs and rubbed my face.I let out a long sigh.Across from me, Kim was sitting with her legs tucked beneath her on the chair. She had been staring through the glass window toward her father's room for several minutes.Every now and then she would glance toward the door as if expecting someone to come out and tell her Theo was completely healed.I felt sorry for her.No matter how mature Kim acted sometimes, she was still a daughter worried about her father.Then I realized she was looking at me, not Theo's room."What?" I asked.Kim tilted her head."You look stressed" she replied. I laughed weakly. After several moments I finally sighed."It's Carlos" I replied. Kim blinked."The guy with Fernando? What about him?" S
Fernando’s POVThe hospital lights reflected off Carlo's expensive sunglasses which were currently perched on top of his head.The bastard looked like he'd stepped off a magazine cover. Meanwhile, I looked like a man whose life had been turned upside down and somehow Carlos still smiled like this was a pleasant surprise.It wasn't.I immediately looked toward Michael and the expression on his face told me everything.He was angry.I hated when Michael was like that, especially when the subject was me.Carlos smiled brightly."Fernando" he greeted. Before I could react, he wrapped his arms around me and I nearly groaned.Carlos hugged me tightly, like we had been separated for years, which honestly wasn't far from the truth.I awkwardly patted his shoulder.The entire situation was a disaster. When Carlos finally stepped back, I immediately noticed Henry staring.The look on my son's face made my stomach sink."Dad?" Henry asked.I already hated this conversation then Henry pointed at
Michael’s POV The air outside the roadside motel was already heavy with the heat of a late morning, the kind that clung to your skin and made every breath taste faintly of dust. The cracked neon sign above the office buzzed faintly, half the letters dead, spelling something closer to MOT L than M
Ashley’s POV The night was heavy when I pulled up to the estate gates. It was already past midnight and the air hung thick with silence, broken only by the low hum of my engine as I killed it. From my windshield, I looked around hoping to see any of Fernando’s guards and stop them before they
Fernando’s POV I stood on the cracked sidewalk, watching the taillights of Ashley’s car disappear into the night. The red glow pulsed once, twice, then faded into the distance until it was swallowed completely by the dark. The cold stretch of the road felt infinite, like a road leading not just
Fernando’s POV Michael’s face was pale, his lips parted but no words leaving them. His wide eyes flicked over my face, searching for mockery, for some indication that I had spoken a joke. But I had not. I had said it as naturally as one might say pass the wine. “If you want to have a say in how







