INICIAR SESIÓNAt exactly ten o'clock, an old sedan stopped in front of Blackwood Mansion.Richard Hayes got out with slow movements—back slightly hunched, shoulders slumped, face looking ten years older than their last meeting a month ago.Alina stood behind the curtains of her room, looking at her father with a tight chest.The man who once stood upright with dignity despite losing everything—now looked defeated. Broken. And Alina knew who did this.The bedroom door opened. Mr. Harris stood there with an unreadable expression."Mrs. Blackwood, Mr. Hayes has arrived. Mr. Blackwood requests you come down to the living room."Alina quickly wiped her eyes—didn't want her father to see traces of tears."I understand."She followed Mr. Harris downstairs with heavy steps. Each step felt like walking toward an execution.In the living room, Richard stood near the window—looking at the garden with hands behind his back. A posture trying to maintain composure."Papa..."Richard turned. And when their eyes m
Ten minutes later, Alina's bedroom door opened without a knock.Daniel entered with posture still rigid from the confrontation with Emma. He closed the door, standing there for a moment—as if gathering thoughts.Alina was still sitting on the floor, not looking at him. Red eyes, face wet with tears."You heard that," Daniel said. Not a question. A statement.Alina didn't answer."Alina, I'm talking to you."Still silence.Daniel stepped closer, standing in front of Alina who sat on the floor—towering, intimidating."Emma shouldn't have come here. She shouldn't have interfered in our family matters."Alina finally looked up—eyes that once were full of love for Daniel now held only emptiness and disgust."You threatened her job," Alina said in a voice hoarse from crying. "You threatened to destroy her career just because she was worried about me.""I'm protecting our family from outside interference—""NO!" Alina suddenly stood—a movement so sudden it made Daniel step back. "You're prot
At nine in the morning, the false calm at Blackwood Mansion was disturbed by the sound of shouting from the front yard."LET ME IN! I WANT TO SEE ALINA!"Emma's voice was loud, angry, and desperate.Alina, who was sitting on the edge of the bed with swollen eyes from crying all night, immediately startled. She ran to the window, looking down.At the main gate, Emma stood facing two security guards. She was arguing, trying to push past them. Emma's hair was messy, makeup not perfect as usual, eyes red—signs she also hadn't slept."Miss, we already told you—Mrs. Blackwood can't receive visitors right now," one of the guards said in a firm but professional tone."BULLSHIT!" Emma shouted, not caring about neighbors who might hear. "Alina is my best friend! She would never refuse me. I know she's inside! Hurry and call her! ALINA! ALINA, CAN YOU HEAR ME?"Alina's heart pounded hard. She opened the window, wanting to shout back, but her voice caught in her throat.Alina knew that if she res
At ten at night, Daniel sat alone in his study.Dim lights. Whiskey in hand—third glass, but it didn't make anything easier.Laptop open in front of him, but screen blank. Documents spread on the desk, but unread.What filled Daniel's head were only two voices.Junior and Alina."Papa is mean! Junior hates Papa!""Five years I was there for Junior. You? You left."Daniel took a swig of whiskey, feeling the burn in his throat but it didn't help numb the pain in his chest.He knew—at a deep level he didn't want to acknowledge—that he was the cause of all this.Junior cried because Daniel separated the boy from Alina.Alina was slowly dying in her room because Daniel locked her up, threatened her, stripped all her rights.All of this because of Daniel.But...There was a part of Daniel—the stubborn part, the selfish part, controlled by pride—that refused to accept it fully.This shouldn't be like this.His plan was simple. Clear. Logical.Clarissa returns. Junior bonds with his biologica
At seven in the evening, Junior's crying still hadn't stopped.That sound echoed throughout the mansion—raw, broken, desperate. Not the usual crying of a small child having a tantrum. This was deeper. Darker. Like something inside Junior had truly broken.Mrs. Helen stood outside Junior's room with an untouched tray of food, her face wet with tears. The old woman had tried—repeatedly—to go in to calm the boy. But every time she approached, Junior screamed."GO AWAY! JUNIOR DOESN'T WANT TO! JUNIOR ONLY WANTS MAMA!"And Mrs. Helen had to retreat with a broken heart, hearing the child she had cared for like her own grandson reject her harshly.Clarissa stood in the corridor in an elegant evening dress, perfect makeup, but a frustrated expression. She had tried to enter three times. And three times Junior threw pillows, dolls, anything he could reach."GO AWAY! HATE MAMA RISSA! GO AWAY!"Margaret sat on the family room sofa with rigid posture, a cup of chamomile tea in her slightly trembl
Half an hour later, the bedroom door opened without a knock.Alina was still sitting on the floor, but had already wiped her tears. Her face was empty. Eyes red.Daniel stood in the doorway, looking at her with an unreadable expression. His gaze fell on the tray on the table—the lunch plate that was almost finished.Something in his face relaxed. Subtle relief."You ate," he said. Not a question, but a statement.Alina didn't answer. Didn't look at him. Just stared at the window with empty eyes.Daniel stepped inside, closing the door. "Clarissa is coming. She'll be staying overnight tonight. I came home early to accompany Junior playing."Alina was stunned hearing Daniel's complete report. It wasn't usual for the man to report in detail. But Alina quickly realized, Daniel said that only to hurt her. To make her more tortured by hearing Daniel's decision to allow his ex-wife to stay in the house.Something cracked in Alina's chest—small, but painful enough to make her breath catch for







