Peter climbed into his truck, and Marcus and Serenity could only watch as the man drove away. Serenity still couldn’t believe everything that had just happened. She was lost in her thoughts when a warm hand took hers."Sweetheart... Serenity..." Marcus said nervously.Serenity turned to him, tears i
"You don’t know how much I needed to do this!" Peter said, pulling his lips away from hers.Celeste was stunned. She never imagined he would show up at this hour to find her. She noticed something odd about him—he was sweating cold, his hands were shaking, and his face was pale. They both entered th
Peter was holding Celeste, his nose buried in her unruly curls. The scent of this woman brought him a sense of calm. As he hugged her, for a moment, his hand moved from her waist to her lower abdomen. As soon as he did, a memory flooded his mind—the scent of rosewater, that warm belly—he had experie
Peter dropped Celeste off at the door, and several of the teachers whispered when they saw the handsome gentleman helping her out of the car. Most of the teachers at the school knew Peter Palmer. The charming man had an irresistible physical appeal, and when they saw Celeste holding his hand, jealou
"What did the director say?""She just asked me to be more discreet. Please, Peter, help me with that. I know we’re just starting something, but this is my job, and I’ve worked hard to get it. I don’t want to lose it because of my colleagues’ gossip.""Celeste... I don’t want to cause you any proble
Celeste was in a sort of trance, her mind consumed with worry for the children, not realizing that she was the one most affected."Director, please, check... check on the kids... the kids..." Celeste kept repeating, unable to get up."Celeste, calm down, everything’s going to be okay. Help is on the
Meanwhile, Theodore, who was on a business trip, received the messages from the parents' group, and his face went pale. He immediately called Peter, who had just begun his meeting. Peter was focused on the discussion but saw who was calling and answered. Theodore informed him that something had happ
Valerie stood up from her seat, eager to see who owned that familiar voice. Her surprise was immense when the secretary opened the door and a familiar figure, a familiar face, appeared before her. Valerie’s face turned pale, her eyes widened, and everything began to spin. Valerie almost collapsed to
"Thank you, Serenity. I have a lot to think about… But first things first—my daughter and my studies.""That's the spirit, my beautiful sister!" Serenity said, hugging her again.Finally, Serenity turned to Maximus and Diana. She looked at them, and they smiled at her. Maximus opened his arms and pu
Peter watched little Ethan, who still wouldn't meet his eyes. During all the goodbyes, Ethan had avoided coming near him—but now, the moment had come to do what was right."Ethan, come here…" Peter said, looking at the boy.With his head down, Ethan slowly walked toward him. Peter crouched down to t
[A few months earlier ]It was nighttime. Alden was out of town, and Serenity couldn't sleep. Her belly was still round with pregnancy when she noticed Peter sitting alone in the garden. She decided to join him—as long as he was okay with her company.He had recently woken up, and to him, nearly eve
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