[The present, Madrid]Maximus was taken aback when he saw who was calling him, but he went ahead and answered.“Hello...”“Hi, Mr. Palmer!” the girl said nervously. “I just wanted to say...”“Go ahead...”“Well, I wanted to thank you for making sure I got home safely. I feel awful for drinking too m
As Mary boarded the plane, tears streamed down her face. She avoided looking out the window. Paying with that sleek black card granted her access to first class, though she knew this would be the last time she'd experience such luxury. When she reached her seat, she let her tired body sink into the
The private jet carrying Marcus Bartz landed in Hesperia at 4:00 p.m., a full four hours ahead of Mary's flight. Marcus had been enduring an intense pain in his leg almost since leaving Coravela, but he hadn’t mentioned it to Frederick because of the circumstances. When he stood up, a burning sensat
Mary woke up in that hotel room where, just the night before, she had cried tears of pain. A grumble from her stomach reminded her that her little one was hungry. She got up, freshened up, and went downstairs to have breakfast at the hotel restaurant. After eating, she left the hotel. She had rested
[The present]The private jet carrying Marcus Bartz touched down in Madrid at midnight. His eyes blazed with fury and malice, his mind racing with countless thoughts throughout the flight. He wished the plane could fly faster, but then he scolded himself—he knew it was nighttime, and his daughter wa
[The past]After a long journey, Catherine finally returned home, carrying in her arms the only thing left of her youngest grandson—his ashes. The woman’s face was drawn, her features weary. It was clear she had been crying for a long time, unable to believe that only two days ago, she had seen him
Mary saw a woman’s hand extended toward her. The sun behind her was so bright that Mary had to lift a hand to shield her eyes and make out the woman’s face.“Thank you! My legs went numb, and I couldn’t get up,” Mary said with genuine gratitude.“You really shouldn’t sit like that anymore. How far a
Mary sat on a bench, lost in thought about where she would spend the night. The hotel she’d stayed in for one night had been fine, but it wasn’t a long-term solution. Besides, she didn’t know if anyone might be following her. The best option was to erase all traces of her presence. She decided the n
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