Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 61 - Chapitre 70

Fin was at the Airbnb late in the afternoon. A shorter, stout man who’d generally be classified as harmless. He could blend in anywhere. Derrick was not happy to see him, dissatisfied with his service. He rolled up a joint - something he quit a long time ago. He was barely managing his anger and needed a medium to relax. This was the third-best option compared to what he did last night.His mind replayed Valery’s betrayal in raw, looping flashes. The softness of her voice when she lied. The easy way she let another man step into spaces that belonged to him. His chest burned - not just from jealousy, but from the insult of it. He had built his life on control, and she had slipped right through his fingers.“You swore she was never in the company of anyone suspicious.”“Yes, Derrick. Your woman was either at work or home. If she was ever around men, it’d be her colleagues or patients. Besides, you did instruct the men not to watch her at home at all times?”“Are you saying it’s my fault?

Hecate’s face lit up the moment the words left the team leader’s lips. Ryan could finally go home - not for good, but for a couple of weeks before the next surgery. It wasn’t a cure, but it was a breath of air after months of tight rules.Christar stood beside the team leader, clipboard hugged to her chest, smiling like she had been personally responsible for the progress. The room softened for a moment.The team leader explained the next steps - mild treatments, scheduled check-ups, the precise medications. Ryan listened, nodding, his hands resting on the blanket in a way that almost hid how tightly he was gripping it.“We could go abroad,” Hecate proposed brightly, stepping closer to his bed. “Meet family you haven’t seen in years. A change of scenery will do you good.”Ryan smiled faintly but shook his head. “There’s still a lot to do here.”It was Christar who caught the opening and slid right in. “What about starting the foundation we talked about? For needy children who need urg

Valery threw herself into work with the single-mindedness of someone running from their own reflection. Every shift, she volunteered for extra patients. If a colleague wanted to switch shifts, she took it without blinking. If her schedule threatened to give her more than five minutes of breathing space, she quietly asked for it to be filled.It was easier this way. No time to dwell, no time to pity herself.When she learned Ryan had been discharged days ago, she let out a sigh of relief. ‘Good. I don’t have to see him.’No, she wasn’t going back to Derrick either.After that breakdown in the car, she’d gone colder on the outside. She blocked both men’s numbers. She swore she’d keep her distance for as long as it took to scrape herself back together.Margret had been a steady voice of reason, but Anita… Anita was another story.The oddball started spending more time around her- forcing lunch breaks into Valery’s schedule, dragging her into impromptu shopping sprees, popping into her un

Years Back... High SchoolValery could not sleep. Her heart was as light as cotton and warm as fresh bread, her arms wrapped tight around the pillow as though it were made of living breath and heartbeat. As though it were him. The boy who kissed her at the playground.She giggled for the fifth - no, maybe the seventh time that night, replaying how bashful Riley became afterwards. She couldn’t deny she was just as flustered. If she had been fair-skinned, her face would have matched a beetroot.After Riley took her home that day, Valery watched her phone like a tiny owl in the dark, hoping for a text. It was better than expected- he called.“I just wanted to let you know I got home,” Riley said. “Church was great. I’d love to do this again sometime.”“Do what?” Valery asked, but the smile on her face was already too wide to hide.There was a short pause, then a grin she could almost hear.“It’s not fair, you know - stealing my first kiss like that.”She turned onto her belly, muffling t

The next day, Riley didn’t take her home. Instead, they ended up in a private garden, sitting picnic-style on a blanket he’d brought. The air smelled faintly of wild jasmines and other plants, the afternoon sun softly dropping.“I got you something,” he said, pulling a small box from his pocketValery blinked. “Riley…”“Don’t look so alarmed, it’s not a ring,” he teased, grinning. It was a thin bracelet with tiny silver charms. “Didn’t want you thinking I was about to propose and run you off. I’d like to keep my dignity for at least two more years.”Valery laughed, though it came out softer than she meant. “You’re ridiculous.”“I’m serious,” Riley said, gently taking her wrist. “This is me officially asking… will you be my girl? For real this time.”The way he said it - almost careful, like her answer actually mattered more than anything else in the moment, made her insides flutter. She bit her lip, trying not to smile too widely, but it was no use.“You really had to bribe me with je