MasukTo my incredible readers,We finally made it to the end of this journey, and I am sitting here staring at the final words of Julian and Eva’s story with a heart that is completely full. When I first started writing this book, I didn’t know how it would turn out or if the characters would find their way through the dark.But you walked every single step of the way with me. You stayed up late reading the updates, you felt the tension between Beatrice and Eva, you cried with Eva when she felt unloved, and you rooted for Julian to fix his mistakes. Honestly, your passion is the exact reason this story came alive. Every single comment, every message, and every time you clicked to read the next chapter gave me the strength to keep writing.Authors do not exist without their readers, and I am so deeply grateful to have the absolute best ones in the world. Thank you for giving my words a home in your hearts.As one door closes, a brand new one is already opening. I am so excited to let you kn
The pains started at four in the morning, three weeks early.Eva woke Julian by gripping his wrist, her fingers digging deep into his skin. "It's time."He was awake instantly, his heart racing as he stared at her in the dark. "Now? It's not supposed to be now. We have three more weeks.""Julian, look at me." She was breathing in short, shallow gasps, her forehead already slick with sweat. "My water just broke. It's coming right now." Get the car.He got her downstairs and into the car in four minutes. Leo was on the wheel.The estate gates swung open before the car even reached them, the tires gravel-crunching as they sped into the dark. In the back seat, Julian held her hand tightly. He kept saying it was all right, over and over, until Eva glare-focused on him through the dark."Stop saying it's all right," she gasped, her face pale. "It hurts. Just breathe with me."At the hospital, They wheeled her into a room with a large window, and then the hours began to drag like a heavy chai
They found her at six the next morning.A guard doing his rounds saw her sitting upright on the edge of her cot, her hands folded neatly in her lap, her eyes closed. For a split second, he thought she was praying. Then he said her name twice and got no answer at all.Her lawyer called Julian around past ten."Julian, I need to tell you something." "What is it?" Julian asked, his voice tight."Your grandmother was found unresponsive in her cell about twenty minutes ago. The prison doctor pronounced her dead at the scene." The lawyer paused, swallowing hard. "They don't know the cause yet. They're calling it highly suspicious because her vitals were perfectly healthy yesterday, and nobody saw her fall ill."Julian stared blankly at the wall. He thought he should feel something enormous, a wave of shock or relief, but instead, he just felt a quiet, suffocating coldness. "Who saw her last?""The visitor log has one name for yesterday afternoon," the lawyer hesitated. "Lucien castellan."
Isabella's sentencing took less than an hour.She stood in a gray suit with her hands folded in front of her, listening to the judge read the charges one by one. Conspiracy to commit murder. Attempted murder. Fraud. Embezzlement of more than three hundred million dollars. Bribery of a medical technician. The judge spoke slowly, and the courtroom stayed so quiet that Julian could hear the sharp scratching of the court reporter's pen beside him."Mrs. Castellan, you have shown absolutely no remorse in this court," the judge said, looking down from the bench. "Taking into account your age, the court sentences you to life imprisonment, with no possibility of parole for thirty years."Isabella nodded once, the way someone nods when a train is announced late. She didn't look at the gallery. She didn't look at Julian.Beside him, Lucien let out a long, slow breath. In the row behind them, Eva pressed her hand over her stomach. Beatrice and Victor sat at the far end of the family bench, perfe
Victor was released on bail the evening before the board meeting. The conditions were simple. He surrendered his passport, wore a black tracking monitor around his ankle, and was legally banned from leaving the city or contacting a single witness.Beatrice’s terms were exactly the same, with one extra detail from the judge: they were confined to the estate. To make sure they stayed there, Julian put armed guards at every exit. The family home had officially become a luxury prison.The board met the next morning. When the doors opened, Julian walked straight to the head of the table and sat down. Nobody challenged him. Nobody even said good morning.Charles moved down the line, placing a thick folder in front of every director. Inside were the offshore bank records, Henderson’s signed confession, and the court's official findings on Isabella. For the next ten minutes, the only sound in the room was the heavy, scraping noise of paper turning."Some of you voted to kick me out because y
Long time no see, sis."Eva stopped at the end of the defense table, close enough for Sophie to see the stitches beneath the gauze covering her cheek."You look terrible," Sophie said. The words came out smaller than she had intended.Eva pulled out the defense chair. "Mind if I sit?"Sophie nodded. A guard standing near the door glanced in their direction before looking away, seemingly deciding not to interrupt.For a while, neither of them spoke.Sophie turned the cuff of her navy sleeve between her fingers. She had rehearsed a hundred different speeches in her cell, some cruel, others pleading, but now that she was sitting in front of her, she couldn't remember a single one."I know you hated me, Sophie, but you shouldn't have dragged my husband into this," Eva finally said. "You made me doubt him." She paused, her expression hardening. "And now, I'm going to make sure you pay for what you did."Sophie's throat tightened. She had prepared herself for shouting, accusations and perha







