"Since Marcus came into my life—despite how different we were—he's always demanded more of me than I thought I could give. He’s always believed in my abilities, never limited me, always taught me something new, and constantly pushed me to be better."When we saw each other again, Marcus accepted Ser
This day had started as a glorious one for Frank Levett. He was finally becoming the owner of Palmer Group—a feat comparable to buying one of the biggest designer clothing chains or something like that, without spending a single cent.What Frank hadn’t counted on, however, was that by taking the bus
After a long journey—hours that felt like days and days that seemed eternal—Alden boarded a flight with the children to the UAE. They were already expected there by Serenity and the others.This was where Alden, or Theodore, stayed whenever they visited the country. The security measures in place we
After Frank Levett had finished speaking with the “friend” who owed him a favor, all he had to do was sit back and watch the misfortune rain down on the Palmer family. It was inevitable that Maximus Palmer would get caught in the fallout.The next morning, Marcus Bartz stood in the warehouse where t
The Rosaria hospital was a massive complex, a collection of three U-shaped buildings. Dr. Hill had been extremely cautious, but no matter how much she tried to avoid it, if fate had its way, Valerie and Peter were bound to run into each other eventually.Peter did his best to stay in his room, espec
“You’re right, Mary. We were young and immature. Well, I wasn’t that young, but immature? Definitely. Irrational? Completely. You became my obsession. I was always looking for a way to bring you closer to me. Maximus worked hard to give me that chance, but what I didn’t account for was how you felt.
"On the other hand—and this is what hurts me the most—I hurt Marcus with my attitude, my actions, my thoughts. With all those things piling up, I didn’t even need to cheat on him with you for him to feel hurt. You know, he and I aren’t in a good place right now."Our life in Hesperia was wonderful.
Marcus was already quite upset upon learning that Peter was in the same hospital as Valerie. His mind wasn’t thinking clearly; jealousy had taken over again. He was genuinely angry, and all that filled his mind was one idea: this must be Peter's doing.Weeks ago, Peter was supposed to have left the
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'