While Leonard and Peter were reconciling as father and son, trying to leave the past behind, Catherine reluctantly had to put on a kind face. She kept thinking that if she didn’t maintain a cordial relationship with her grandson’s future wife, she’d have to say goodbye to spending time with her grea
Peter hurried past the table where Maximus and Alexia were talking, searching for a secluded spot where no one could overhear or interrupt him.“Marcus, what’s going on? Your email in the middle of the night caught me off guard.”“Peter, there’s something I need to tell you…” Marcus said, letting a
“Catherine, Mary, please, let the authorities do their job. I’m tired… It’s better for everyone this way,” Albert said, struggling to breathe steadily.“No, Grandpa! You didn’t do anything wrong! It was all your friend’s fault!” Mary sobbed uncontrollably.Standing at a distance, Alexia observed the
After what felt like an eternity of driving, Peter arrived at the emergency room. Philip Hill was already waiting for him. As Peter opened the passenger door to help Mary out, Philip stepped forward and said urgently:“Your grandmother filled me in on everything. Come on, let’s not waste any time!”
Peter ended the call with Catherine and stepped into the room where Mary was sitting. His heart sank at the sight of her tear-streaked face—the same face that had been glowing with happiness in his arms that very morning.“My love, I’m here now! Everything will be okay,” Peter said, pulling her into
Peter and Mary stayed at the hospital that night. Exhaustion eventually overtook her, and she would drift off to sleep, only to wake up minutes later crying again. Peter was deeply worried; he didn’t want his beloved to spiral into the same despair she’d faced two months ago.“Please, my love, you n
Maximus, feeling uncomfortable after seeing Peter and Mary together, decided it wasn’t the time or place to speak with her. Instead, he headed to Alexia’s room.“Alexia? Can I come in?” he asked, knocking lightly on the door.When he got no reply, he opened it to find Alexia sitting with her face bu
By midday, the priest arrived to officiate the mass. The gathering was small, intimate, meant to give Albert Preston a dignified farewell. After the service, Catherine and Leonard would accompany his body to the crematorium. Mary had been gently persuaded to stay behind; her health and the baby’s sa
After that hug, Valerie walked over to Laura, Serenity's sister, with whom she'd developed a bit of a bond."Laura and beautiful Adele—I wish you both all the success in the world… You must finish your studies and use your degree. You're living proof that it's possible—and that's exactly what your l
The day had finally come—the Bartz family and the newly formed Palmer-Bartz family were leaving for Hesperia.Without meaning to, the three families found themselves gathered once again at the airport.Marcus was saying goodbye to Peter, who, due to his memory loss, only held onto the memories of th
While Valerie packed up their things for the move back to Hesperia, Peter was driving with Celeste and their little girls toward Willowcombe.He was taking her to see how the renovations on the house—where they'd soon be living—were coming along.Celeste was in the back seat with the girls, tending
Valerie was packing clothes into the suitcases, though she kept drifting off, thinking about the reason they'd come here in the first place.At first, everything had seemed simple—quick even. Within a few months, they'd be back in Hesperia. But it had already been over a year.Things hadn't gone as
After Maximus said goodbye to Pierre, he went back into the mansion and headed straight to his son's room. Paul was lying on his bed, facing away from the door."Paul, can I come in?" Maximus asked gently."You're already in, Dad… Are you here to scold me for something that happened years ago?" Paul
"That's right. I'd like to speak with him alone, if you don't mind, Mr. Evans.""I think you're misunderstanding something. Letting you into my home doesn't mean you get to decide whether I'm in the conversation or not. Still, I'm trying to be reasonable—and if Paul wants to speak with you alone, on
Not too thrilled about it, Paul left his room and headed toward the garden, where a man was already waiting for him—one who didn't look his age. And to be honest, the resemblance between young Paul and the man was unmistakable.As soon as he heard footsteps approaching, the man—already sipping a cup
Time had flown by. The Bartzes were about to leave, and with them, Serenity and Alden. In just a week, everything would change again. It was clear that once the Bartzes returned to Hesperia, the families in Valentia would start making moves too. As everyone already knew, Theodore would stay in Flor
She was still holding her bridal bouquet—hadn't even had the chance to toss it. And even if she had, there would've been no one to catch it, since the whole wedding had been so secret and closed-off.Mary walked behind him, trying to catch up. She didn't understand why he was so upset."Mary, there'