Chapter 129 What the hell do you think you guys are doing bringing her here?" The words ripped from Mia's throat like glass. They echoed across the once Serene and silent ceremony, sharp and unforgiving, cutting through the reverent hush that had settled over the mourners. A light breeze rustled the trees, lifting black veils and sending floral tributes gently shifting. Yet nothing moved Mia. Nothing except rage. Tania stood only a few feet away, flanked by two officers. Her hands were cuffed, but her expression wore an air of contrived humility, the kind Mia didn't believe. She thought it looked acted, rehearsed, weaponized. "I'm sorry, Mia... Please, I know I don't deserve your forgiveness..." Tania whispered. Mia's heart thundered. "Of course you don't. As a matter of fact, you don't deserve anything!" Andreas joined her at her side, tension radiating off him in waves. She barely glanced at him, her eyes remaining locked on the woman she now loathed. Tania turned her gaze t
Chapter 128April sat silently beside the hospital bed, the hum of machines and the distant echo of hurried footsteps providing the only soundtrack to her thoughts. The light in the hospital room was too bright. Almost painfully sterile. And yet, it felt like a spotlight shining on the impossible decision April had made.Her eyes were locked on the doctor standing in front of her, a composed, middle-aged woman with kind eyes and a heavy truth."You're a perfect match," the doctor announced softly.There was a brief, loaded pause.April's heart matched for the transplant for Brian. They found a donor. lGloom settled over the room like a descending curtain. No one moved. No one breathed.Then Mia crumbled. A guttural sob tore from her chest as she staggered toward April, arms outstretched. Her body trembled, overcome with a storm of relief and guilt."You don’t have to do this," Mia cried as she collapsed into April's arms. "Please. There has to be another way."April, already tearful
Chapter 127That night, when everything unfolded. The Mediterranean moon cast a ghostly light over the Aegean waters, calm and deceptively serene. The resort glowed like a crown upon the island, basking in luxury and secrets. And within one of its most opulent suites, history was rewriting itself in the dark.Years ago.April stood on the private balcony of her penthouse suite at the Blue Serenity Hotel in Greece, the same hotel where Mia and Andreas were about to meet for the first time. It was fated to happen. April was there for work. The sea breeze tousled her thick, auburn hair, and the wine glass in her hand trembled slightly from the tightness of her grip. Below, lights sparkled across the poolside, and laughter echoed like cruel reminders of the joy she had lost.She had seen Andreas enter earlier. Being as influential as she was, she knew every celebrity by name. Especially a scandalous celebrity like Andreas. He was in the news a lot lately. She thought. Though she hadn't
Chapter 126The next morning arrived cloaked in a strange quiet. It wasn't the peaceful kind, but rather the kind that lingered after a storm had passed, uncertain if it had truly ended. Somehow they thought the worst was over. How wrong they were. April's confession last night had put them all on their feet. The living room now buzzed with an uncomfortable tension as the family assembled. Andreas stood tall behind the couch, his hands resting gently on the shoulders of Mia and her mother, Mrs. Angela. Both women sat with straight backs, their hands clasped tightly on their laps. Across from them, April sat alone, her shoulders slightly hunched, as though the weight of what she was about to say had settled on her spine. Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her blouse, knuckles white, as she summoned the courage to speak about everything. She wasn't leaving anything out anymore. No more lies. "First, Mia," April began, her voice soft, almost trembling. "I'd like to apologize to you
Chapter 125Within the warm walls of the Leonardo household, there was no loud laughter or clinking of glasses…only the quiet, steady rhythm of forks on porcelain and the occasional soft-spoken word passed across the table.The evening breeze whispered through the trees, carrying the scent of jasmine and rain-drenched earth.Mia sat with Sofia beside her, occasionally brushing the child’s hair away from her face. Her eyes were tired but soft with affection. Across from them, Andreas sat close to his mother-in-law, Mrs. Angela, who gently dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief she kept pressed in her palm. Susan and Shawn sat to the right, their fingers laced beneath the table. Martin, usually so reserved and watchful, had relaxed just enough to join in the quiet intimacy of the meal. And April, though still unsure of her place, had been welcomed and seated beside Mrs. Angela.No one said much, but everything was understood. Their hearts spoke in silence. This dinner was
Chapter 124The gates of the Leonardo estate creaked open with a subtle groan, as the black SUV bearing Mia, Sofia, and Andreas rolled in beneath the cloudy dusk sky. The journey from the hospital had been quiet. Mia had spent most of it with her eyes closed, Sofia resting on her lap, while Andreas sat with his hands clasped, a man visibly carrying more weight than before. The doctors had confirmed they were stable. No internal damage, just surface bruises and exhaustion, but the wounds of the soul were deeper, slower to heal. Only Brian had been kept behind for close monitoring, Andreas’ mother choosing to remain with him.But just as the car turned into the driveway, they were met with the unexpected frenzy of flashing lights. Reporters flooded the front porch and the front yard, yelling questions, their lenses poking over the perimeter fences like weapons. Microphones thrust forward as they mobbed the vehicle.“Andreas! Is it true your ex kidnapped your family?”“Mia, can you confi