Peter remained lying down, lost in his thoughts, memories, and what he had to do from now on. He couldn’t get the image of Mary out of his mind—her smile, her eyes, the first time they were together. He felt a strange sensation in his hands. He had been repressing everything.The day he went to Etha
Celeste was lying in her bed, feeling strangely eager to see a familiar face walk through the door. She had only been dating Peter for a few days, but she already began to miss him. At first, when she met him, he had seemed like an imposing man. When she learned his age and the way he looked at her,
[Silverstone Clinic]"Mr. Palmer, after the series of studies we've conducted, we can indeed observe that the static field we had has begun to show movement. See for yourself; the study on this side shows how this field looked 20 years ago, and then this one from 10 years ago. Although it's very sli
Peter started walking down the same hallway he had come through. He quickly arrived at Celeste’s room. She was still asleep, but as he sat on the sofa beside her bed, she seemed to feel his gaze and slowly began to wake up.“Pe... Peter, what time did you get here?” she asked, her voice groggy.“Not
[Marcus Bartz]Marcus froze the moment he saw Peter at the same hospital. It felt as though fate itself was going out of its way to ensure Valerie and Peter would cross paths again. He knew it was only a matter of time before they inevitably met, but the real question wasn’t when—it was how his wife
Peter embraced Celeste and kissed her forehead. Inside, a quiet conflict still simmered, but he knew he had to let it go. He couldn’t turn back time to his life with Mary. Their paths had diverged 12 years ago, a decision he had made himself. There was no point in reopening old wounds. He didn’t wan
As Celeste slept, Peter’s thoughts drifted to a conversation he once had with Theodore during his recovery. In that conversation, Theodore had laid out their shared past, explaining the nature of their relationship before the accident and the intricate web of their mutual dealings. Over time, as tru
Laura’s life had changed drastically in the two months since she transferred to Clearmount College. She had started dating Adrian, and Maximus had made several attempts to meet the young man who was courting his daughter. But fate—or excuses—kept getting in the way. When Maximus was available, Adria
[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
"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