For a brief moment, Serenity allowed herself to imagine her parents were still together, and the three of them were simply out for lunch as a family. It was a comforting thought, but it quickly dissolved when Valerie broke the silence.“Okay, we’ve eaten. Now, Serenity, Marcus—what do you want to ta
Valerie stood abruptly, her frustration bubbling over. She was about to leave when Marcus grabbed her arm firmly, stopping her in her tracks. She turned, her eyes flashing with anger.“What do you want, Marcus?”“I want you to calm down,” he said, his voice steady but intense. “We need to keep our c
“Marcus, have you already given her permission?”“No. I told her she needed to discuss it with you. The last thing I want is for you to come home one day and find her gone. And she still needs to talk to Maximus. From what I understand, this is just something she’s decided on her own—neither we nor
Maximus and Laura entered the consultation room. Dr. Baker raised her eyebrows slightly, surprised to see Maximus again so soon. She managed a polite smile and said:“Back again as moral support?”“Yes,” Maximus replied casually. “This time with my daughter. The woman earlier was my ex-wife.”“I see
Serenity was frustrated. She had hoped things would go differently, but realistically, she knew her mother wouldn’t take her decision well. If anything, Serenity doubted that even explaining her true reasons for leaving would get Valerie’s approval. She packed a small suitcase with a few changes of
Serenity’s voice softened, her emotions spilling into her words. “I grew up believing Peter was my father. When I met him, I let everything out—I talked to him, and then I let him go. It wasn’t fair to me, to him, or to Dad. And let’s not even get started on Maximus, who didn’t even know I existed u
Maximus and Laura returned home after their quick stop at the dessert shop. As Maximus unloaded their purchases in the kitchen for the cook to store, he froze at the sight of Serenity sitting in the living room, her suitcase beside her. His heart skipped a beat. Laura’s words earlier about Serenity
Valerie remained in the study long after Serenity had left. She felt a hollow ache in her chest, a deep guilt that weighed heavily on her. Her little girl was gone, and though she didn’t want to admit it, her daughter’s words rang true. She hadn’t handled Peter’s reappearance well. He had come into
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
She was still holding her bridal bouquet—hadn't even had the chance to toss it. And even if she had, there would've been no one to catch it, since the whole wedding had been so secret and closed-off.Mary walked behind him, trying to catch up. She didn't understand why he was so upset."Mary, there'