MasukHis voice was quieter now, stripped of the arrogance he had carried throughout the conversation. âIâm sorry, Amelia,â he continued. âI really am.âShe said nothing.âI loved you,â Damien whispered. âI have always loved you.âAmeliaâs eyes widened, but she remained silent.âI was obsessed with you. I couldnât accept that you were moving on. I couldnât stand the thought of you marrying Miguel.â His breathing grew heavier. âWhen I watched you walk down that aisle toward him, something inside me broke. I was angry, jealous, and completely out of control.âAmeliaâs fingers tightened around the phone âDamienâŠââI know thereâs no excuse for what happened,â he said, his voice trembling. âI know saying I loved you doesnât change anything. But watching you choose another man destroyed me in ways I didnât understand at the time.ââYou killed him,â Amelia whispered.âI know.ââYou took the only person who loved me without hurting me.ââI know.ââAnd now you want me to believe this was all because
Sierraâs smile became colder. âBecause unfortunately, Iâm a bridesmaid. If I had my way, Iâd be standing at Ameliaâs wedding right now, fixing her veil while you were somewhere far away from Alejandro.âGabriella stared at her in disbelief.Sierra continued before she could respond. âBut life is strange. Somehow, the woman who broke up a marriage gets the wedding, the designer dress, and the groom. Itâs almost inspiring.ââAre you finished?â Gabriella asked through clenched teeth.âNot even close.âMarisa gave Sierra a warning look. âSierra.âSierra sighed dramatically. âFine. Iâll behave.âGabriella raised an eyebrow. âYou said that last time.ââI lied last time.âGabriella shook her head and turned back toward the mirror, choosing to ignore her. She adjusted the top of her dress, but Sierraâs eyes suddenly dropped to her stomach.Sierraâs eyebrows lifted. âWait a minute.âGabriella immediately looked down. âWhat?âSierra pointed toward her stomach. âIs your baby bump already showing
SAINT VICTORIA HOSPITAL â VIP SUITE â EVENINGAmeliaâs hand trembled as she held the phone to her ear. Her heart was pounding, but she forced herself to stay calm. She had spent too long waiting to hear her sonâs voice.The call connected. âHello?âDamienâs familiar voice came through, and Ameliaâs fingers tightened around the phone.âDamien, itâs me.âThere was a brief silence. âAmelia?â Damien sounded genuinely surprised. âI thought you were in prison. How the hell are you calling me from a private number?âAmelia took a shaky breath. âApparently, Iâve been released.ââReleased?â Damien repeated, clearly stunned. âFor how long?ââOne week,â she replied. âI was granted a temporary release because of my condition.âDamien scoffed. âAnd the first thing you do after getting out is call me?ââThe first thing I did was try to reach my son,â Amelia said, her voice tightening. âSince nobody at your residence bothered to answer my calls, I had to call you directly.ââWhat do you want?ââYou
The wedding hall was already buzzing with excitement. Flowers covered the walls, soft music played in the background, and the bridesmaids moved around the room, fixing dresses, touching up makeup, and making sure everything was ready.In the middle of all the chaos, Gabriella stood in front of the mirror.She stared at her reflection and sighed. Her custom-made designer wedding dress looked beautiful on her. The dress hugged her body perfectly, and every little detail had been made exactly the way she wanted.But there was one thing Gabriella couldnât stop looking at her stomach. Her baby bump was already beginning to show, and she couldnât help frowning as she stared at herself in the mirror. She placed a hand over the small curve and sighed.âWhy does it have to show now?â she muttered, running her fingers gently over her stomach.Marisa, who was sitting nearby in her wheelchair, immediately looked up. âBecause youâre pregnant,â she said cheerfully, as if the answer should have be
SAINT VICTORIA HOSPITAL â VIP SUITE â EVENINGThe sound of the slap echoed through the luxury suite.Ameliaâs head turned with the force of the impact. For a few seconds, she simply stood there, too shocked to react. Slowly, she raised a hand to her cheek and stared at Ariana in disbelief, as if she could not believe her best friend had actually slapped her.Ariana was trembling. Tears streamed down her face, and the hand she had used to slap Amelia was still raised, shaking badly.âDonât you ever talk to me like that again,â Ariana said, her voice breaking. âYou have no idea what Iâve been dealing with. You have no idea how hard this has been for me.âNeither woman spoke for a moment. The room fell completely silent except for Arianaâs uneven breathing and the faint hum of the city outside the hospital windows.Amelia slowly turned her face back toward her. The shock in her eyes disappeared, replaced by cold anger.âDid you just slap me?âAriana swallowed hard, but she did not look a
DAMIANâS MANSION â FOYER â 8:00 AMLeo walked down the grand staircase wearing his new school uniform. He hated everything about it. The stiff collar. The expensive fabric. Even the way everyone in the mansion kept looking at him as if putting him in a fancy uniform had suddenly changed his life.Damien was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. The moment he saw Leo, his face brightened. âWow,â Damien said, looking him over. âYou look great. Like a real Blackwood.âLeo stopped halfway down the stairs and gave him a cold look. âIâm not a Blackwood.âDamienâs smile faded slightly. âLeoâââIâm a Favino,â Leo said firmly. âStop trying to change that.âDamien took a breath and nodded. âOkay. Iâm sorry. I didnât mean to upset you. You look great, thatâs all I meant.ââThen just say that next time.âLeo continued down the stairs and walked straight past him.Damien quickly followed. âYour headmaster, Mr. Harrington, is expecting you. Heâll give you a tour of the school, introduce you to your
ALEJANDRO MASTER BEDROOM ~ NEW YORK The phone had been buzzing nonstop.Alejandro walked into the master bedroom, holding it up. âMi reina, your phone has been ringing non-stop.âAmelia pushed herself up against the pillows, exhausted. âMy phone? Are you serious? I thought I had it with me all alo
ALEXANDER MANSION~ NEW YORKAlexander Blackwood stormed through the marble halls of his mansion, his anger practically vibrating through his steps. The maids and staff froze as he passed, their whispers trailing behind him. He reached the Master bedroom, flinging the door open.âVivian!â he shoute
BLACKWOOD INDUSTRIES ~ NEW YORK Katherina slipped Nicholas Haleâs card into her folder and closed it.Control. That was the word. And that was what she needed to hold on to.She straightened her blazer, smoothed her face, and returned to her desk as if nothing had happened. As if the air in the ro
Marisa jabbed a finger at Amelia. âYes. You.âThe room went quiet.Alejandro tensed. âMother, donât.ââNo,â Marisa said, her voice cold. âYou donât get to shield her. Let me speak.âShe stepped closer to Amelia. âYou show up here⊠and suddenly the Guerras strike. You have ties to the Blackwoods. To







