Damn, we made it, guys!š©·āØ Thank you so much for sticking with Mikaela, Ethan, Natasha, and Samantha through all the suspense, twists, and surprisesš¤§. I hope you felt the betrayals, the heartbreak, and the moments of hope just like I did while writing itš©. Mikaela lost a lot along the way, but she found freedom, and the people who TRULY matteredāØ. I hope her journey reminds you that even when life feels messy, we can still choose who we want to be and who we let into our livesš„¹. I canāt thank you enough for readingš«¶š¼. It means the world to mešāāļø. And hey....stick around for my next bookšāØ With love, Heppie Leo
EpilogueMikaela:The sun had just started to rise over the city. Its light spilled into the building, making the walls glow soft gold.I stood by the window, looking out at the skyscrapers stretching into the sky. From up here, the world felt quiet, almost unreal. Dubai was so far from everything I had known, but it was safe. For the first time in a long time, safe felt like home.Ethan was in the kitchen, cutting fruit with careful hands. Natasha and Samantha were on the living room floor, playing a board game, giggling and arguing over turns. Their voices floated through the apartment, and for a moment, I let myself breathe.I touched the scar on my chest. The sniperās bullet had missed my heart, but it left its mark. Every time I traced it, I remembered the chaos, the hospital lights, Ethan screaming at me to hold on. Survival had not come easy. It had been bought with fire, betrayal and loss. My family, my bloodline, my name, my wealth, all gone. Everything I had ever thought
Chapter FifteenVeronica:The warehouse was cold and smelled of dust and oil. I sat on a wooden crate, watching him from across the room. His hands were tied behind the chair, his head bent low. Even like that, he still looked strong. Karenās son. The one no one was supposed to know about. The one I had been meeting in secret while all this mess went on.The others thought he was just a hostage. They thought tying him up here with me meant they had won. But they did not know the truth. They did not know about me and him.He lifted his head when he heard my steps. His lips curved in the faintest smile, and my chest ached.āVeronica,ā he whispered, his voice rough.I walked closer. My fingers brushed the rope on his wrist. The skin there was raw. āI cannot leave you here,ā I said softly.āIf they find out, they will kill you,ā he answered.I pulled the knife from my boot. My hand shook as I pressed it against the rope. It snapped after a few cuts.His hands dropped free, and he let out
Chapter FourteenKaren:I was in my room when I heard the doors break downstairs. The sound was heavy, sharp, like the house itself was crying out. I had lived in this mansion most of my life. I knew the sound of every floorboard, and I knew when strangers entered it.I did not fight when they burst into my room. I saw one of them first, I recognized this menace.Savage.His eyes burned with the kind of hate only a man like him could carry. Two of his little servants came to hold me by the arms and dragged me out. My feet slid along as I was dragged like a prisoner in the place I once ruled.They shoved me into the living room. And in the center, leaning on his cane, was the old man. Their leader. Mr. Hills.They forced me into a chair. My wrists were tied, the rope rough and biting into my skin. I lifted my head and looked around. I saw Savage grinning like a beast. I saw the servants whispering and laughing at me. And I saw the old man, who thought he had finally won.He took a st
Chapter ThirteenMikaela:The first thing that reached me was the sound. A steady beeping sound. It was faint at first, then sharper, like it was counting down how many seconds I have been dead. Then came the smell. It was sharp, clean, suffocating with bleach and antiseptic.I forced my eyes open.White ceiling. White sheets. Cold air on my skin.Enough clue to figure it out. A hospital.Pain rushed in right after. Not sharp, not wild, compared to what I felt with that gunshot, but heavy. Like something sat on my chest and refused to get up. My body felt pinned, even though I knew I was lying flat. I tried to move but nothing happened.Then I saw Ethan.He was sitting so close to me that if I reached out, I would touch him. Except my arm couldnāt move. His elbows were pressed into his knees, his fingers raked through his hair like he had been clawing at his own head for hours. Blood stained his shirt. I could tell it was my blood. His eyes were red, swollen, not from lack of slee
Chapter Twelve Mikaela: I could feel the car shaking under us. Ethan had the wheel in a tight grip, jaw grinding, shoulders locked. His whole body screamed focus, but I could see a flicker of fear in his eyes when the headlights behind us spread wider and closer. Four cars. They were too many for just us. It felt like a race for a moment. āDonāt let go of her,ā Ethan snapped without looking at me. His voice was low but sharp, the kind that didnāt allow room for questions or complaints. Natashaās little fingers dug into my skin, her face buried in my chest. She was shaking. I tightened my arms around her, wishing I could press her heart into mine and hide her from all of this. A phone buzzed, but it didn't matter whose phone it was. Ethan hit the speaker roughly. Silence. Then Samuelās voice burst through, broken. āI foundā¦.Samantha, she's safe, butā¦..ā The line cracked, and swallowed his next words whole. My stomach dropped. āSamuel? Where? Say it again!ā Nothing c