Se connecterChapter 275ElowenI should have known something was up when Matteo told me to pack a bag without asking any questions."Trust me," he'd said that morning, kissing my forehead as he handed me a small suitcase. "We're taking you somewhere for the day. Just you, me, Kian, and Giuliana.""Where?" I'd asked, suspicious."It's a surprise," Kian had answered, already packing his own things with the kind of efficiency that suggested this had been planned for a while.I hadn't argued. Mostly because I was exhausted. The past few weeks had been relentless... the case against James Ashton consuming every waking moment, my pregnancy advancing, the weight of everything I'd learned about my origins pressing down on me constantly.So I'd packed a bag, and I'd asked no more questions... Actually they both helped packed the bag, I only said what was needed.Now, three hours later, we were pulling up to a private villa on the Amalfi Coast, perched on a cliff overlooking water so blue it didn't seem re
Chapter 274Elowen Declan didn't say a word as he placed four photographs on the table.Four men. They were all older now, with graying hair and expensive suits that screamed wealth. They looked like people who had spent their entire lives believing they were untouchable."Their names," Declan began, "are Marcus Bellamy, Christopher Harding, Richard Stratton, and James Ashton."I looked at the photos. These were the men who had destroyed Anna’s life years ago."Bellamy and Harding left the UK right after it happened," Reina explained. "One went to Switzerland, the other to Monaco. They’ve stayed away from the Ashtons since then. As far as we can tell, they haven't been in trouble since. They built legitimate lives.""And Stratton?" Kian asked."Richard Stratton stayed," Declan said. "He’s been the Ashton family’s fixer for decades. He’s the one who made sure the police never looked too closely at anything James did. He’s just as guilty as the rest of them."Then he pointed to the las
Chapter 273ElowenThe investigation moved faster than I expected.Reina and Declan were now hunting the men who'd destroyed Anna's life, and we'd returned home the day after Anna agreed to move forward with the case.A week passed.I noticed Kian and Matteo had been disappearing into Matteo's office more frequently, their voices low and serious when I passed by. At first, I told myself it was just work, that they had business to handle and I shouldn't be paranoid.But then I caught them whispering in the hallway outside our bedroom, and something in my chest tightened.I walked up to them, arms crossed over my rounded belly. "What's going on?"They both looked up, startled."Nothing," Matteo said quickly."We're just discussing some logistics," Kian added.I narrowed my eyes. "Logistics about what?"They exchanged a glance, one of those silent conversations that usually didn't bother me but right now made my blood boil."Tell me," I said, my voice sharper than I intended. "Right now.
Chapter 272ElowenWe spent the next two days making plans to return home. Caroline and Damien had already left the day before, promising to visit us in Italy soon. Our flight was booked for the following morning.I was packing the last of my things when my phone rang.Unknown number.My heart jumped into my throat as I answered. "Hello?""Elowen." Anna's voice. Shaky but determined. "It's me."I sank onto the edge of the bed. "Anna. I... I wasn't sure you'd call.""I almost didn't." A pause. "I've spent the last week trying to talk myself out of it. Telling myself it's too late, that they're too powerful, that nothing good can come from dredging up the past.""But?""But I can't stop thinking about what you said. About how someone should have fought for me years ago. About how you're going to make sure they pay." Her voice cracked. "I want that. I want them to pay. I'm ready to fight."Relief and something fiercer flooded through me. "Okay. Good. That's... that's good.""But I have
Chapter 271ElowenThey all stared at me in confusion."What?" Caroline asked gently. "El, are you sure you're okay?""I'm serious," I said, my voice gaining strength. "I want to open a foundation that assists women who were raped and can't fight for themselves. Women like Anna who don't have the resources or the support or the belief that justice is possible." I looked at each of them. "And if possible, I want to include support for children whose parents didn't want them. Kids who grew up like I did, wondering where they came from and why they were left behind."Caroline reached for my hand. "El, that's... that's beautiful. But maybe you should sit down first. Think about this when you're not so emotionally overwhelmed. You've just been through...""No," I interrupted, shaking my head firmly. "I don't need to think about it. This is what I want. I'm not going to change my mind."I looked at Matteo and Kian. "This is what I want to do with my life. This is what I want to build. Not
Chapter 270Elowen But I squeezed both their hands as a silent message of, 'I've got this'.They understood immediately and settled back, though I could feel the anger radiating off them.I looked at Anna, at the woman who'd given birth to me but had never been my mother. Who'd carried her trauma for years and let it define everything she was."I am sorry," I said clearly, "for what happened to you. I am genuinely, deeply sorry that you were raped. That those men violated you. That they took your choice and your innocence and your safety. What they did was evil and unforgivable." Her expression softened slightly."But," I continued, my voice hardening, "my child has nothing to do with what happened to you. Do not bring my baby into this. Do not project your trauma onto my family.""Your family?" she scoffed. "Is that what you call this? Two men and a woman playing house?""Yes," I said firmly. "That's exactly what I call it. Because these two men chose me. They love me. They want thi
Chapter 116MatteoThe drive to Adrian's house felt longer than it should have, every mile stretching out as I gripped the steering wheel and tried to prepare myself for whatever conversation was waiting, but no amount of preparation could have readied me for what I found when I walked through that
Chapter 122Elowen I lifted my chin and made sure he could see that I meant every word."But you've already broken everything you can break," I said. "You've destroyed my trust and my hope and my belief that people can be good, you've taken almost everything from me."I pressed my hand to my chest
Chapter 121"Why?" I finally managed. "Why would you do that? Why would you agree to help him keep me trapped?""It's not personal," he said, and the words were so absurd I almost laughed. "It's professional, Adrian is my friend and client, and I have obligations...""Not personal?" I interrupted,
Chapter 117Matteo "Matteo..." Adrian started, but I wasn't finished."You had someone who loved you," I continued, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. "Someone who was devoted to you despite everything, someone who tried so hard to be what you needed, and what did you do? You didn't let a







