Marcus drove aimlessly, trying to cool his head and avoid escalating the argument with Valerie. Yet, his heart guided him to a place he instinctively knew wouldn’t bring him peace. Parking outside the hospital, he stepped out of the car, ready to confront the turmoil consuming him.At the reception
“Stop! Stop it! Calm down!” Peter shouted, holding Marcus back with all his strength.A stray punch escaped Marcus’s struggle, smashing into the window of Maximus’s car. The glass cracked, and Marcus’s hand began to bleed.“Enough!” Peter bellowed.“You’re a damned bastard!” Marcus shouted. “Why, Pe
He paused, leveling a hard look at Marcus. “By the way, why the hell haven’t you killed Frank yet? Everything that happened—this whole mess—is because of him! Did you forget what he did to your family?”“Don’t you dare bring up my family,” Marcus warned, wiping blood from his lip.“Oh, I haven’t for
Peter circled around Maximus’s car. It was clear he owed him a window now. He was heading to his house to ask Theodore for help taking it to the shop. Besides, there was no way he could return to the room with Celeste in this state. It was past 5:00 a.m., so the best option was to go home, take a ba
Minutes after Frederick received Marcus’s call, the man was knocking on his door. When Frederick opened it, he was greeted by the sight of his friend and colleague’s battered face.“Marcus, what happened to you? Who did you fight with?”“Can I come in?”“Oh! Right! Come in, come in, my boy. When you
Camille, having seen Marcus storm out, went to find the girl she considered her daughter. She found Valerie in tears, embraced her, and said:“Valerie, my love, I don’t think this is going to work. Have you thought about whether it might be better to end things?”“What?”“Valerie, darling, I’m not b
Peter took a bath and a short nap. He woke up when he felt someone tugging on his hair—a small hand playing with his curls."Ethan, aren’t you going to school?" said Peter, groggy, with his eyes still closed."Yeah, but I want you to take me. Where have you been, Grandpa?""I’ve had a lot of work, a
Before long, Peter arrived at the hospital where Celeste was being examined by a doctor Peter trusted."Peter," the doctor said, "I’ve checked on Celeste. Her wounds are healing well. If things continue like this, we can consider discharging her. After all, I know you’ll take good care of her. There
"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