LOGINShe touched his chest right over his heart. “And now she’s trying to manipulate you by shutting you out. That’s what guilty people do. They run. They hide. They make you feel like the bad guy.”She looked deep into his eyes.“Don’t let her do that to you,” she whispered. “Don’t let her make you doubt what you already know in your heart. You deserve better than a liar and a poisoner.”Alejandro stared at her. His anger slowly turned into something colder..“You’re right,” he said quietly. “You’re absolutely right.”Gabriella let out a small, relieved breath and gently rubbed his arms. “Good. Now let me help you calm down before you hurt yourself.” She turned toward the hallway and called out, “Clara! Can you bring Alejandro his special tea, please? The calming one.”A few minutes later, Clara walked in carrying a tray with a steaming cup. She placed it on the counter without a word and quietly left the room.Gabriella picked up the cup and handed it to Alejandro. “Drink this. It alw
The governor looked at the ring, then back at Amelia. For the first time, her voice softened just a little.“You’re stronger than you think,” she said.Amelia gave a small, tired smile that didn’t reach her eyes.“I have to be,” she replied. “Because from now on, I only have myself.”She turned and walked out of the office without looking back.The door closed behind her with a quiet click.For the first time since she had been locked up, Amelia didn’t feel like crying.She felt something else.She felt free.FAVINO PENTHOUSE – KITCHEN – 7:15 AMThe morning sun poured through the tall windows of the penthouse kitchen. Everything was clean and white and expensive. Alejandro walked in wearing only black sweatpants, his hair messy from sleep. His feet were bare on the cold marble floor.Gabriella stood at the counter in one of his white shirts. The shirt was too big for her, hanging off one shoulder. She was making coffee, her hips swaying slightly to music only she could hear.Aleja
The governor didn’t blink. “Because your husband made it clear he wants no contact with you,” She said coldly. “He doesn’t want to see you. He sent a formal request to the prison stating that any visits from you would be unwanted. We are required to respect that.”Amelia’s bottom lip began to tremble. She pressed her hand against her belly. “He said that? He actually said he doesn’t want to see me?”“Word for word,” the governor said. “I have the paperwork.”Amelia felt the room spin. She gripped the edges of her chair. “But I have questions. I need to talk to him. I need to know why. He owes me that much. He owes me an explanation.”The governor opened a drawer and pulled out a white envelope. She placed it on the desk between them.“I tried to deliver this letter to you earlier today,” she said. “But you were unconscious in the medical unit. So here it is now.”She slid the envelope across the desk. It made a soft scraping sound against the wood.Amelia stared at it. Her heart
WENTWORTH CORRECTIONAL CENTER – MEDICAL UNIT – 3:45 PMAmelia opened her eyes. She was lying on a hard bed with a thin blanket over her legs. Her cheek still stung where Aurelia had slapped her. She couldn’t stop seeing the photos in her mind Alejandro and Gabriella together. The images felt burned into her brain.A middle-aged nurse sat beside her, wrapping a blood pressure cuff around her arm.“You gave us quite a scare,” the nurse said softly. “You fainted hard. How do you feel?”Amelia stared at the ceiling. Her eyes were red and puffy.“I want to see the photos again,” she whispered.The nurse frowned. “What photos?”“The ones those women showed me,” Amelia said. Her voice was rough and weak. “I need to look at them again. I need to know if they were real or fake.”The nurse shifted in her chair. “The guards said some visitors left the photos behind. But they took them when they left. I’m sorry.”Amelia turned her head away. More tears fell down her face.“He slept with her,”
PRIVATE HOSPITAL – ROME, ITALY – 2:00 AMThe room stayed dark except for the soft green glow of the machines. Tubes ran into Miguel Favino’s arms. His chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm, but that was the only sign of life. Scars covered the place where six bullets had torn through him one year ago.Lucas sat on one side of the bed, elbows on his knees, eyes bloodshot from another night with no sleep. Enzo sat on the other side, arms crossed over his big chest, tattoos shifting every time he moved.Lucas rubbed his face hard. “Twelve months today, Enzo. Twelve fucking months. The doctors said if he didn’t wake up by now, he probably never would.”Enzo kept staring at Miguel’s still face. “He’s the strongest bastard I’ve ever known. If anyone can fight his way back, it’s the boss.”Lucas let out a bitter laugh. “They shot him at the altar, man. Right in front of Amelia. Six bullets. He was dead when we got him here. They even pronounced him dead back home. How the hell di
Sophia shrugged like it didn't matter. "Once the story spreads, no judge will ever give you custody of Leo. Or this one." She pointed at Amelia's stomach like pointing at a bug. "You'll look like a monster. A mother who can't even stay out of prison while pregnant. How tragic. How disgusting."Amelia slammed her hand on the table so hard the glass rattled. The guard near the door looked over but didn't move."You're evil, Sophia. Pure evil. You think you can just take everything? My freedom? My son? My baby's future? Damien will never let you get away with this. He knows what you are."Sophia laughed louder this time. It bounced off the dirty walls. "Damien? He's already halfway on my side, you fool. He's tired of fighting for a woman who keeps ending up in handcuffs. Soon he'll see the truth—that I'm the better choice. The stable one. The one who can actually give Leo a real home. Not a cell."Amelia's eyes burned with tears, but she swallowed them down. "You're trying to break
EIGHT WEEKS LATER ~ NEW YORK The photograph was perfect grainy enough to look authentic, clear enough to see what mattered. Sofia held her phone at arm’s length, studying the ultrasound image they’d doctored that afternoon. A tiny blob, measurements along the side, and most importantly, a date s
“He didn’t believe me. He’s demanding a paternity test.”“We expected that.”“Yes, but he might tell Amelia.” Gabriella stood up, pacing. “That’s actually better. Much better. Let him tell her himself. Let her hear it from him that there might be another woman’s baby. The doubt alone will eat her a
Alejandro walked to the window and looked out at the city just starting to wake up. Somewhere out there, Amelia was probably awake too, dealing with this nightmare. And Leo. God, what was this doing to Leo?“I’ll come home,” he said finally. “I’ll talk to Abuela. But Mamá, I need you to understand
"It's advice." He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a persuasive murmur. "You know the truth. You have evidence. You could go to the authorities, the press, Alexander Blackwood. You could try to bring me down, bring Amelia down. But here's what you need to understand, Katherine: you're not inno







