로그인Chapter 209ElowenLater that evening, after Giuliana had finally fallen asleep surrounded by the clothes and books we'd carefully packed for the hospital, I found myself standing outside Matteo's office.My hand was raised to knock, but I hesitated.This was stupid.This was a conversation that could wait.But I couldn't stop thinking about the look on Giuliana's face when she'd mentioned Marco. The way her voice had gone soft. The way she'd blushed.The way she'd looked heartbroken when she said she'd pushed him away.I knocked before I could talk myself out of it."Come in," Matteo's voice called.I pushed the door open and found him sitting at his desk, papers spread out in front of him, his reading glasses perched on his nose.He looked up and immediately straightened when he saw me."Elowen," he said, standing. "Is everything okay? Is Giuliana...""She's fine," I said quickly. "She's sleeping. I just..." I paused. "Can I talk to you about something?""Of course." He gestured to
Chapter 208ElowenThe question hit me like a lightning strike.I felt my mouth fall open, felt my entire body go rigid with shock. Flabbergasted. That's what I was. Completely and utterly flabbergasted."I...what?" I managed to get out.Giuliana was looking at me with those knowing eyes, waiting patiently for an answer like she'd just asked me what I wanted for dinner instead of... that."Sweetheart," I said carefully, trying to gather my scattered thoughts. "I'm already married. To Uncle Kian. Remember?"Giuliana smiled.It wasn't a confused smile or an embarrassed smile.It was a knowing smile.The kind of smile that said she knew something I didn't think she knew."I know you're not really married to him," she said simply.My heart stopped."How..." I swallowed hard. "How did you know that?"She held up her hand and wiggled her bare fingers. "No rings," she said. "Neither of you wear rings. And you don't act married.""We don't act married?" I repeated weakly."No," she said matt
Chapter 207ElowenI couldn't hold it in anymore.I pulled Giuliana into my arms and held her against my chest like I could shield her from the whole world, like I could pour every ounce of strength I had into her small body and make her invincible."You're so brave," I whispered into her hair. My voice was barely there. "You're the bravest person I've ever known.""I'm scared though," she said against my shoulder, so quietly I almost didn't hear it.My heart cracked wide open."I know, baby," I said. "I know. Being brave doesn't mean you're not scared. It means you're scared and you do it anyway."Her thin arms wrapped around my neck and held on tight.Behind me, I heard Matteo make a sound that might have been a sob or might have been something else entirely.Then I felt movement, and suddenly his arms were around both of us, his large frame curving around his daughter and me, holding us together like he could keep us safe through sheer force of will.And then Kian was there too.He
Chapter 206Elowen "What face?" I asked."The one where you're trying not to look scared."None of us answered that.She tilted her head and studied us the way she always did, like she was reading something written underneath our skin."I just woke up," she said, and her voice was so light, so ordinary, like this was any other afternoon. "I heard the door open. I thought maybe it was for the hot chocolate.""We'll get you the hot chocolate," I said immediately. "I promise. Right after we...""You have something to tell me," she said.Matteo stiffened beside me."Yes," he said. "We do."Giuliana looked at him for a moment.Then she said quietly, "I know."Matteo went very still. "You know what?"She looked down at her hands. Her small, thin hands. And when she looked back up, her eyes were calm in a way that made my chest ache."I can feel it," she said softly. "That I don't have much time. That I might leave soon." She said it like it was simply a fact of the world, something that ju
Chapter 205 ElowenThe word hung in the air between us like something fragile, something that could shatter if any of us breathed too hard."A medication," I repeated slowly. "What kind of medication?"Matteo turned away. He walked to the window and stood there with his back to us, one hand pressed flat against the glass, staring out at the garden like he couldn't bring himself to look at me.Kian was the one who answered."It's experimental," he said carefully. "Still in trials. Her doctor called this morning. There's a new drug being tested on children with her condition. The results so far..." He paused. "They're not guaranteed. Nothing is guaranteed. But they're showing promise."I stood very still.My brain was trying to process what he was saying, trying to find the catch, because there was always a catch."What kind of promise?" I asked."Slowing the progression," Kian said. "In some cases, reversing it. In others..." He stopped again."In others, nothing," Matteo said from
Chapter 204ElowenNo.That couldn't be possible.That didn't make sense.You couldn't have feelings for two people at once. That wasn't how it worked.But my traitorous heart didn't seem to care about logic.It kept racing, kept pounding, kept responding to both of them in ways I didn't understand and couldn't control.I looked down at the plate in my hands, suddenly unable to meet either of their eyes."Thank you," I mumbled. "This is... thank you."The silence in the room was thick, heavy with things unsaid.Then Giuliana stirred.All three of us immediately focused on her, watching as her eyes fluttered open and she blinked sleepily at us."Mama?" she said, her voice still rough with sleep. "Papa? Uncle Kian?""We're all here, principessa," Matteo said softly, squeezing her hand.She smiled, that bright beautiful smile that made everything else fade away."All my favorite people in one room," she said. "This is the best way to wake up."And just like that, the tension broke.Matte
Chapter 131Elowen The judge considered this, then nodded."Mr. Thorne, you may speak," she said.Adrian wheeled himself forward slightly, his expression perfectly crafted into concern and pain."Your Honor," he began, his voice carrying just the right amount of emotion. "I love my wife, I've love
Chapter 130ElowenI barely slept that night, tossing and turning while my mind replayed every moment, every touch, every catastrophic mistake.By the time morning came I looked as wrecked as I felt, dark circles under my eyes that makeup couldn't quite hide, my hands still trembling slightly as I
Chapter 129Elowen"He mentioned he's representing your husband," Sophia clarified, leaning against the counter. "Said it's a complicated case, that you and his client had a misunderstanding."The casual way she said it, like my entire life falling apart was just dinner conversation, made anger fla
Chapter 128Elowen A massive, career-destroying, divorce-complicating scandal.How had I let this happen? How had I let him provoke me into following him, into getting close enough that he could pull me in here?I looked up at Kian, ready to demand he let me leave, and found him already looking do







