LOGINChapter 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 269ElowenAnna's hands trembled as she folded them on the table, her knuckles white with tension."I was nineteen," she began, her voice flat, like she'd rehearsed this a thousand times in her head but never spoke it aloud. ""I worked as a housemaid for the Ashton family. It was a wealthy estate in the Cotswolds, just outside of London. Beautiful house but ugly people." She paused, reaching for the water glass in front of her with shaking hands.I wanted to ask how she then gave birth to me in US, how I was found outside the orphanage there?This was the reason it took a while to find her, she actually didn't want to be found.I sat, preparing myself for whatever was to come next."The family had a son, his name was James. He was twenty-two years old, spoilt and entitled brat. He was the kind of boy who'd never been told no in his entire life." Her jaw clenched. "One day, his parents went to Paris for the weekend in December. I was left alone to maintain the house. I though
Chapter 268ElowenMy breathing hitched and my vision almost started blurring but I didn't let it show on my face.I kept reminding myself I had two men and a child that loves me.Anna's eyes were cold, distant, like she'd already retreated somewhere I couldn't reach."Not here," she said abruptly, her voice dropping. "I won't be responsible for a scene. If you truly want to know what happened, if you want the full truth..." Her eyes dropped to my rounded belly. "Then come back with whoever's responsible for that."My hands instinctively moved to protect my stomach."I will" I nodded and agreed quietly. She raised a brow before replying."Good." She pulled out her phone, typed something, then looked back at me. "There's a restaurant. Trattoria del Corso. Two streets from here. Meet me there in three days. Six o'clock.""Why three days?""Because I need time to prepare myself for this conversation. And so do you." She turned toward the door, then stopped. "If you don't show up, I'll co
Chapter 267ElowenDr. Ferraro cleared me for travel with strict conditions.No stress. Frequent breaks. Someone with me at all times. First-class flights with extra legroom. Compression socks. Hydration. The list went on.Caroline flew to Rome first, arriving two days before we did. She texted me updates, she'd found a hotel near the university where Anna worked. She'd seen the woman from a distance. She'd cried for an hour because the resemblance was undeniable.El, she's you. She's literally you thirty years from now. Whatever happens, you need to prepare yourself.Matteo, Kian, and I flew out on a Thursday.Giuliana stayed with Alessandro and Margaret, who'd grown into the kind of family friend who didn't need an explanation, just a "we'll be back in a few days" and a hug.The flight was long. I slept fitfully, my head on Matteo's shoulder while Kian held my hand across the armrest.When we landed in Rome, Caroline was waiting.She hugged me so tight I could barely breathe."Are
Chapter 110Elowen The rest of the morning passed in a whirlwind of contracts and orientation, and by lunchtime I had my own office—small but with a window and a door that closed—and a company laptop and business cards with my name and title.Head of Interior Design.I stared at the cards for a lo
Chapter 107Elowen "Nonsense," she said again, adding a bright red blouse to the collection. "You need variety, you need options, you need to rebuild your wardrobe from scratch."She steered me toward the fitting rooms and I realized with a start that none of the clothes she'd picked were things I
Chapter 111Elowen And I was grateful for it, honestly, because I didn't want to see him or talk to him or face any of them ever again if I could help it.Not Adrian with his cold manipulations, not Kian with his cruel dismissals, not Matteo with his fever dreams of someone else.So help me God, I
Chapter 109Elowen I smiled and got ready with more care than I'd taken in months, doing my makeup properly, styling my hair, looking at myself in the mirror and seeing someone I almost didn't recognize.Someone who looked confident and professional and capable.Someone who looked like she deserve







