Valerie and Alden kept chatting while the café prepared a salad for Serenity. Valerie was surprised at how well Alden already knew her daughter’s tastes.As she watched her future son-in-law, she realized her daughter had made a good choice. Guilt crept in when she thought about her initial reaction
"What is it? Peter, I don’t understand… I’ve never asked you for anything. Well, except earlier, when I made you promise not to leave me alone with our kids. That alone would make me happy.""I know! But this time, I want to do things right… I mean, I’m a man, a proper man—I can’t keep doing things
Celeste went back into the room, and Peter looked at her, his eyes softening."Come here… I want to hold you."Something in his gaze unsettled her, but without hesitation, she stepped closer."Do you know that since the moment I met you, you became my whole world? I still can’t believe you’re going
"Just curious…""Hmm… Are you sure?""Yeah…"Peter had been wondering about this ever since he came across an old photo of himself standing next to Mary, who had pink hair at the time. Fate worked in strange ways. Celeste had always been there—she was the little girl in the corner of that very pictu
Diana and Maximus stepped out of the room, both looking exhausted and worried. It was already 10:00 a.m., and there was still no news about Peter. Celeste had finally fallen into a deep sleep after drinking the tea they had brought her.Marcus and Valerie had left the hospital a few hours earlier to
After thinking it all through, I knew I couldn’t leave her alone. If something happened to me, all my wealth would go to her. My children would never be left unprotected, and she would never have to worry about money again. But that wasn’t enough. I didn’t want to leave her alone to raise our childr
"Monday?""No, I mean… what’s the date?""August 15th.""What year?"She laughed softly, as if I were playing some kind of joke on her."2003… Peter, what kind of prank are you trying to pull? Come on, get out of the bathroom. I need to pee, and you’re taking forever. And don’t forget—we have the ap
Maximus and Celeste sat in tense silence, waiting for someone to come out of the operating room. Every passing minute felt like torture—Celeste could feel her heart tightening painfully in her chest.Maximus could sense her distress. He wrapped an arm around her and said softly,"Peter is stubborn,
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
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