Laura's POVWhat had he just said? Did I hear him correctly?"Pl... Please come again," I stuttered.He looked at me, concern etched on his face."Your father is not dead, Laura," he replied. I couldn't believe it."A joke can only go so far. This is not the kind of matter to joke about, Nicholas," I said sternly."I wish it were a joke too, Laura. But Mark didn't have any reason to lie to me. I saw honesty in his eyes," he calmly responded."How is Mark? Where is Mark?" Sonia, who had been silent, spoke up.Nicholas heaved a sigh. I knew whatever he was about to say wasn't going to be good. It must not have been easy extracting information from Mark, even though the information was as absurd as what I had just heard."Mark is at the hospital. He sustained some injuries, but he will be fine," Sonia heaved a sigh of relief. Hearing that Mark would be fine was all she needed to calm down. I'm pretty sure she also understood the consequences of what Mark did and how impossible it would b

We all exchanged glances, taken aback by his unexpected statement. "Please don't say that, babe," Sonia exclaimed in a panic. Mark shifted his gaze towards her. "I would willingly embrace the remaining two months I have and spend them with you rather than undergo a surgery that could potentially cost me my life," his words pierced my heart. He had carefully evaluated his options and chosen what he believed was best for him. I looked over at Nicholas and saw him sharing silent glances with Wilson. "No, I won't allow that," Sonia asserted. "You will undergo the surgery, and you will survive." "Fine, if you insist, then I will go through with it," Mark said, holding Sonia's hand and tenderly kissing it. She leaned down and kissed his forehead and lips. "You will be fine, babe. I feel it deep within me. You will be fine." He nodded in response. "Well then, the surgery will take place tomorrow," Dr. Wilson declared. "For now, our patient needs as much rest as possible." He approached Ma

Laura's POV:Sonia stared at me for a long time while I pretended not to notice."What was that about, Laura?" she finally asked."What was what about?" I feigned ignorance, knowing she was referring to the incident with Nicholas in the room before he stormed out in anger."Why did you talk to Nicholas like that?""Sonia, you know I couldn't let you visit Mark alone," I said, standing up from the bed and walking towards her. I crouched in front of the chair where she was seated and placed my hands on her lap."You and I are in this together. You're my best friend. What Nicholas suggested was preposterous.""I understand, Laura, but he was only looking out for you," she said, her voice filled with concern. I knew she was right. I had overreacted, but it wasn't entirely my fault. Maybe if Nicholas hadn't acted the way he did the previous night, I wouldn't have reacted so strongly. I was still hurt by the incident. It stirred up emotions in me. I had foolishly thought that acting indiffe

Doctor Wilson cast a fleeting glance at Sonia before turning his gaze towards me. The expression on his face was somber, indicating that something had gone terribly wrong during the operation. He seemed stunned, as though grappling with the heavy burden of delivering devastating news."Please, Doctor, tell me how Mark is doing!" Sonia's voice trembled with fear and desperation."I'm sorry, but despite all my efforts," he paused, taking a deep breath, "we couldn't save him."The words hung heavily in the air, filled with sorrow and disbelief. The news hit us like an overwhelming tidal wave, engulfing us in a sea of grief. Sonia's scream pierced through the heavy silence, echoing the pain that now enveloped our hearts.In that moment, time seemed to freeze. The room, once brimming with hope and anticipation, now felt suffocating, overshadowed by an overwhelming sense of loss. The suddenness of it all blindsided us, making it hard to grasp the magnitude of the tragedy that had befallen u

Laura's POV "Are you leaving now?" I observed as he stood up from the couch and checked the time on his wristwatch. "What did you mean by that?" I inquired. He sighed, "Your father is a mafia lord; there is no telling how many people out there have their eyes set on you because of him." He made sense, perfect sense. Lost in thought, I must have appeared worried, and he bent down, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Hey, you will be fine. I am just saying, it is even possible that no one but Juarez knows about your existence," he stood up again. "You are finally a free woman. Bask in your freedom; travel the world if you must. Whatever you decide to do is entirely up to you," he smiled at me. My hand gripped the edge of the sofa tightly as his words sank in. What was he trying to do? Was he attempting to get rid of me? Is that it? My mind raced with a thousand and one thoughts. "I will be going back to my base in Italy this weekend, concluding the business that brought me here toda