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Chapter 25

Author: Arab Wood
last update Last Updated: 2025-05-27 00:39:58

The coffee shop on Biscayne Boulevard looked like hundreds of others, old brick walls, different kinds of chairs and tables, the steady hum of coffee machines and quiet conversations. But the woman sitting in the corner booth looked like she never saw sunlight. Her pale skin was almost see-through under the hanging light bulbs. Dark hair fell across her face like a curtain, and her fingers moved across her laptop keys with the smooth skill of a piano player.

The warm air smelled of roasted coffee and something electronic, that heated scent from computers running all day. Steam rose from forgotten coffee cups while people hunched over their screens, lost in their digital worlds.

"This is Val," Sofia said, sliding into the booth next to me. Her voice sounded normal, but I could hear the worry underneath. "She's really good at finding things people try to hide."

Val looked up for the first time, showing eyes like green ice and a face that could have been twenty-five or forty—the kind of
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  • He Stole My Love, Heart and My Future—But I’m Taking It Back   Chapter 54

    The phone rang at seven in the morning, cutting through the peaceful kitchen sounds like a sharp knife."Emily, we need to meet. Today." Javier's smooth voice made my skin crawl. Mateo sat at the table eating his cereal, and Alejandro was making coffee. Everything felt normal until my phone rang and shattered the quiet morning."I don't want to talk to you," I said."I think you'll want to hear what I have to say. It's a good deal."I watched Mateo, so innocent and happy, with milk dripping from his spoon. I looked at Alejandro, with dark circles under his eyes from staying up all night worrying about the tax problems. Then I put my hand over my still-flat belly, already wanting to protect the tiny life growing inside me."One hour. Sofia's office," I said."Come alone.""No way."He laughed, but it sounded cold and mean. "Fine. But Emily? This is your last chance to do this the easy way.""He's playing games," Sofia said, walking back and forth behind her desk. The morning sun came t

  • He Stole My Love, Heart and My Future—But I’m Taking It Back   Chapter 53

    The man who said he was Carlos's half-brother looked nothing like him.Javier Reyes sat across from Sofia and me in the meeting room at her law office. His expensive suit fit perfectly, his smile looked practiced and cold. Where Carlos had been tall and wide, Javier was thin and wiry. Where Carlos had dark eyes, Javier's were pale green. The only thing they shared was their cockiness."I know this must be shocking," he said, his voice smooth as silk. "Carlos hardly ever talked about family. Our father had... messy relationships.""Messy how?" Sofia asked, her pen ready over her legal pad."Different mothers. Different countries. He grew up in Mexico with his mother after our father's first marriage ended badly." Javier spread a folder of papers across the table. The afternoon light coming through the office windows made the documents look official and threatening. "These are his birth records, DNA test results proving we're related, and the will naming me as the person who gets his ov

  • He Stole My Love, Heart and My Future—But I’m Taking It Back   Chapter 52

    The man who said he was Carlos's half-brother looked nothing like him.Javier Reyes sat across from Sofia and me in the meeting room at her law office. His expensive suit fit perfectly, his smile looked practiced and cold. Where Carlos had been tall and wide, Javier was thin and wiry. Where Carlos had dark eyes, Javier's were pale green. The only thing they shared was their cockiness."I know this must be shocking," he said, his voice smooth as silk. "Carlos hardly ever talked about family. Our father had... messy relationships.""Messy how?" Sofia asked, her pen ready over her legal pad."Different mothers. Different countries. He grew up in Mexico with his mother after our father's first marriage ended badly." Javier spread a folder of papers across the table. The afternoon light coming through the office windows made the documents look official and threatening. "These are his birth records, DNA test results proving we're related, and the will naming me as the person who gets his ov

  • He Stole My Love, Heart and My Future—But I’m Taking It Back   Chapter 51

    The morning of the hospital opening, I stood in front of my bedroom mirror. I kept fixing my dress over and over. At four months pregnant, my belly was finally showing. It was a gentle curve that made me feel strong and scared at the same time."You look beautiful," Alejandro said from the doorway. He was already wearing his dark suit."I look nervous.""That too." He walked up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders. "But mostly beautiful. And strong. And ready."In the mirror, I could see both of us. He was tall and steady behind me, and I had my growing belly and hands that wouldn't stop shaking since I woke up."What if I mess up my speech?""Then you'll figure it out as you go. Like you always do.""What if the reporters ask about Carlos? About the trial"?"Then you'll tell them the truth. Today isn't about the past. It's about the future."I turned around in his arms. "What if I cry?""Then you cry." He kissed my forehead. "Emily, this hospital exists because you refused to

  • He Stole My Love, Heart and My Future—But I’m Taking It Back   Chapter 50

    The noise that woke me up wasn't thunder. It was Lobo making a deep, angry sound from downstairs. The house felt cold and wrong."Alejandro." I shook his shoulder. My heart was beating fast. "Something's not right."He woke up right away, like soldiers do. "What's wrong?""Lobo is really upset."Then we both heard it. A floorboard made a soft creak. Someone was in our house. Alejandro reached for his phone when Lobo started barking loudly."Stay here," Alejandro whispered. But I was already putting on my robe."No way."We walked quietly down the hall together. The darkness felt thick around us. The baby's room door was open. We had closed it before bed. My blood felt like ice water."Call 911," Alejandro whispered without making a sound. He moved toward the baby's room.Inside, a dark shape was bent over the crib Alejandro had been building. Even in the dim light from the window, I knew who it was. I knew that angry way of standing.Daniela.She was holding something in her hand. It

  • He Stole My Love, Heart and My Future—But I’m Taking It Back   Chapter 49

    The cold gel felt icy on my skin, but Alejandro's hand was warm in mine."First time hearing your baby's heartbeat?" Dr. Martinez asked, putting the tool on my tiny bump."First time for everything," I whispered. My voice was tight with excitement and worry.The screen lit up - a fuzzy black and white picture that looked like clouds to me. But then Dr. Martinez moved something, and there it was. A tiny flutter on the screen, barely bigger than a bean."There's your baby," she said softly.I couldn't breathe. That tiny flutter was mine. Ours. Growing inside me even though every doctor had said it couldn't happen."And here..." She pressed a button, and suddenly the room filled with sound. A fast, steady whooshing that seemed to come from everywhere at once.The heartbeat.I started crying before I knew it. Not quiet tears, but deep sobbing that came from my soul."Emily?" Alejandro sounded worried. "Are you okay?""It's so strong," I said through my tears. "Listen to how strong it is."

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