[Valeria, 20 years ago]Leonardo, still in disbelief, hesitated over whether to call his mother or not. Instead, with trembling hands, he decided to call his son. He pulled out his phone and attempted to dial Peter, but the call wouldn’t connect. He checked his call log—the last time they spoke had
Following her instructions, they headed to the emergency wing. Upon arriving, they were directed down a hallway where Leonardo’s legs nearly gave out at the sight of Mary sitting on one of the chairs. She looked utterly shattered, her face streaked with tears. She was accompanied by an older woman a
[The present, Madrid]After a long conversation between Maximus and Serenity, he signaled for the bill. It was getting late, and he didn’t want her walking alone through the streets of Madrid after dark. Just as he turned to flag the waiter, Serenity snapped a photo. Maximus didn’t notice until she
Maximus drove Serenity to her home in Chamartin. She had slept through the entire ride, waking up groggy when they arrived. Gathering her things, she hesitated for a moment before leaning over and placing a kiss on his cheek.“Thank you, Mr. Palmer. You’re a true gentleman. I had my doubts, but you’
Mary and Maximus arrived at the beach. Maximus chose one of the lounge chairs provided by the hotel and sat down. Mary, eager to feel the sea, set her bag aside and began to remove her dress, excited to dive into the water.This was only her second time seeing the ocean, and she wasn’t going to miss
Marcus Bartz, after having lunch with Valerie, went to his study and sat behind the luxurious marble desk. He retrieved the briefcase Frederick had handed him upon his arrival in Italy from the safe. After staring at it for several minutes, he finally spoke:“Peter, I know that one day I’ll get my r
“Come on, Mary. Keep talking! Are you out of arguments now?”“I want you out of here! Get out of my house!” Mary shouted.“This house belongs to Peter Palmer. In other words, it’s the Palmer family’s property. It’s not yours. Unlike you, I’m actually about to marry Maximus, and you? Well, you’re not
After the Palmer family left Peter's home, an unsettling silence engulfed the house. Frederick couldn't comprehend what had driven Marcus to react with such fury—Marcus, a man he had always known as composed and level-headed, now appeared shaken to his core.“Sir, Agnes, we need to treat your injuri
Valerie approached, one last time, one of the most important women in her life in Valeria.Emma Fiore—the woman who had taken her in almost like a daughter. While they had grown close during the three years Valerie was married to Maximus, their bond went far beyond that. They were family.Emma had c
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