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Chapter 33

Author: Arab Wood
last update Last Updated: 2025-05-28 18:59:06

The café was chosen carefully, neutral ground, public enough to be safe, quiet enough for private talk. I arrived ten minutes early and sat at a corner table where I could see all the doors. Old habits from months of looking over my shoulder.

Marcus Yen, not Carlos's driver, but his lawyer, walked in at exactly three o'clock. Expensive suit, silver hair, the kind of confident walk that comes from decades of making problems disappear for rich clients. Carlos's attorney, the one who'd built a reputation for keeping wealthy men out of prison.

"Mrs. Reyes," he said, reaching out his hand as he came to my table. "Thank you for agreeing to meet."

"I haven't agreed to anything except listening," I replied, not shaking his hand. "And it's Ms. Reyes now. Soon to be Ms. Vega."

His smile was practiced, smooth. "Of course. Congratulations on your engagement. Mr. Vega seems like a good man."

"He is. Which is why this conversation needs to be short."

Yen sat down across from me, ordering coffee fro
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  • He Stole My Love, Heart and My Future—But I’m Taking It Back   Chapter 44

    The Sunday morning sun came through our kitchen windows like warm honey. I pulled out ingredients from the cupboard. Alejandro had gone to buy things for our new house, so Mateo and I were alone for the first time in weeks. The quiet felt different now—not heavy and sad, but full of hope."What are you making?" Mateo asked. He sat at the kitchen counter with his homework spread out in front of him."Pasta from the beginning," I said, putting flour on the counter. "My grandmother showed me how when I was your age."He looked up from his math homework. His eyes showed interest. "From the beginning? Like, not from a box?""Not from a box." I cracked eggs into a circle I made in the flour. "Want to help me?"Mateo waited. I could see him fighting with himself. He wanted to help, I could tell by the way his eyes stayed on the yellow egg centers, but he had learnt to protect himself. It was hard for him to let his guard down."It's okay if you don't want to," I said softly. I started to mix

  • He Stole My Love, Heart and My Future—But I’m Taking It Back   Chapter 43

    "Close your eyes," Alejandro said as we pulled up to the place he had been secretly taking me to all morning."I hate surprises," I said, but I was smiling anyway. After yesterday's therapy session, I felt lighter somehow like admitting I was broken had made room for something new to grow.The morning air was warm and smelt like flowers and ocean salt."Trust me," he said, and those simple words meant so much more than they sounded.I closed my eyes and let him help me out of the car. Mateo was giggling excitedly somewhere nearby. The ground under my feet felt soft and bumpy, not like a road or sidewalk."Okay." Alejandro's voice was nervous with excitement. "Open them."I opened my eyes and took a quick breath.We were standing in the middle of beautiful land—maybe two acres—with rolling hills and big oak trees making spotted shadows across wild grass. Far away, I could see the ocean sparkling like tiny diamonds."Alejandro, what is this?""Our future," he said simply. "I bought it y

  • He Stole My Love, Heart and My Future—But I’m Taking It Back   Chapter 42

    The gunshot always came at 3:17 in the morning.I woke up suddenly, breathing hard, my left shoulder hurting with pain that wasn't really there. The scar pulled tight as I sat up in bed. It reminded me that some hurts never fully go away, they just get quieter instead of screaming.The bedroom was dark and cold around me."Emily." Alejandro's voice cut through the darkness, warm and calm. "You're safe. You're home."But I wasn't home. Not really. In my dreams, I was still in that restaurant. I was still watching Carlos move his finger toward the gun trigger. I was still feeling the bullet go through my body like burning fire."I can't—" My voice broke. "I can't make it stop."Alejandro pulled me close to his chest, being careful not to touch my hurt shoulder. "The bad dream again?""It's different every time." I put my face against his neck, breathing in his familiar smell. "Sometimes he shoots Mateo instead. Sometimes it's you.""But it's not real. We're all safe.""Are we?" I pulled

  • He Stole My Love, Heart and My Future—But I’m Taking It Back   Chapter 41

    The stone steps of the courthouse felt different under my feet this time. The afternoon sun was warm on my back. Three months ago, I had walked up these same steps as a hurt woman—broken, scared, holding onto hope like it was all I had left. Today, I walked down them as someone completely new."Mrs Reyes!" The reporters rushed toward me like ocean waves. Their cameras flashed in the bright light. "How do you feel now that your ex-husband got his punishment?"I stopped at the microphone. The moment felt heavy and important. Behind all the cameras, I could see Alejandro holding Mateo's hand. They were both watching me with big, proud smiles that made my heart feel full."Justice won today," I said. My voice was strong and clear, reaching everyone in the crowd. "Carlos Reyes got fifteen years in prison for stealing money, trying to kill me, and planning to kidnap my son. He will stay in jail for every single day."The warm breeze carried my words across the courthouse steps."What about

  • He Stole My Love, Heart and My Future—But I’m Taking It Back   Chapter 40

    The gun looked too small in Carlos's clean, soft hands. But I could tell from the way he held it that he had used one before. The restaurant played quiet jazz music, but it couldn't hide the dangerous silence between us."Truth," I said again, keeping my voice steady even though my heart was racing. "What truth?""The truth about what you really are." His eyes shone in the flickering candlelight. "The truth about what I turned you into."I kept my hands flat on the white tablecloth where he could see them. I could feel the small recording device hidden against my chest and the tracking device in my purse. Somewhere outside, Alejandro and Detective Rodriguez were listening to every word we said."I'm listening."Carlos smiled, but it was a cold, mean smile. "Do you want to know when I decided you had to disappear? It wasn't when you caught me with Daniela. It wasn't even when you started asking questions about the foundation's money."He leaned back in his chair. The gun stayed pointed

  • He Stole My Love, Heart and My Future—But I’m Taking It Back   Chapter 39

    The Miami Convention Centre sparkled under TV lights as three hundred guests took their seats for what would become the most important press event of my life. The hospital groundbreaking announcement—originally planned as a quiet ceremony—had grown into something much bigger after Daniela's mysterious phone call three days ago."You look amazing," Alejandro whispered, fixing my microphone as I stood backstage. His hands were steady, but I could see the worry in his eyes."I feel it," I said and meant it. Despite everything—Carlos's threats, Daniela showing up again, the constant bodyguards—I felt more like myself than I had in years. "This is what I was meant to do.""Mrs Reyes?" The event coordinator appeared next to me. "Two minutes."I nodded, then turned back to Alejandro. "If something happens—""Nothing will happen." He held my face in his hands. "But if it does, Mateo knows how much you love him. We all do."The walk to the podium felt like floating. Camera flashes went off as

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