Lahat ng Kabanata ng His uncle's sweetheart : Kabanata 131 - Kabanata 140

"Are you sure this isn't some sick joke?" Bernice's voice finally cracked and her knuckles had turned white, clutching onto the phone a little tighter as her heart hammered against her ribs, threatening to shatter them. She was frozen in the middle of the study room, Alexander at her side. A soft firm voice responded, "Ma'am, I know that this is overwhelming, but the child brought into Saint Anne's fits the description of your missing daughter, Mia. You need to come now."Bernice's legs buckled where she stood, as Alexander grasped her elbow to steady her. "We're on our way," he said into the receiver, his tone clipped. He hung up without waiting for a response and turned toward Bernice. "Let's go.""But.." Her voice faltered and tears welled in her eyes. "What if it's not her, Alexander? What if it's some other child, and Mia's still out there?”"Then we keep looking," he cut in-a clear, authoritative voice, but soothing. "But if there's even the slightest possibility this might be

"What do you mean, is she yours?" Bernice's voice sliced through the strained silence in the hospital room.Rafael bristled at her tone; his expression gave not an inch. He turned to Mia lying in the hospital bed and looked back at Bernice. "You heard me. How am I to know she's mine? You kept this from me for three years, Bernice. If they were really my children, why hide them?"Those words sent Bernice backward in a quivering step. This tide rose inside her. The heave of her chest, as she struggled for composure. "Do you hear yourself right now?" she spat. "What kind of man looks at his own flesh and blood and doubts them?"Don't you turn this on me," Rafael snapped, his voice rising. "You disappeared from the city without a word. You never told me you were pregnant. And considering what I caught you doing-"Bernice's head snapped up, her eyes ablaze. "Don't you dare finish that sentence!"I saw you!" Rafael shot back, anger bubbling. "You were in bed with another man, Bernice. I did

Thicker than the antiseptic smell of sterile things, it seemed to choke the air. Rafael had his fists clenched at his sides as he stood in the doctor's office. He had barely made out the words said by the doctor-a blur of possibilities and medical jargon just floating over his head. At no time did his gaze leave Bernice, who was frozen in front of him, her eyes flickering between fear, anger, and disbelief.Just then, the doctor was suggesting that the father of the child might be a match for the blood transfusion. The implication was as loud as clear.Father, the word stuck in Rafael's head like a splinter, deep, leaving an ache so painful. This was something he was not ready for. This was something he had never been ready for.All color siphoned from Bernice's complexion, while she flitted between the doctor and him. The weighted nature of this all clapped solidly onto her shoulders made its presence known in her ashen expression-a perfect mask of deflection, tainting reflections o

"Tell me we finally have something concrete," Liam growled; the strain in his voice was audible. Across the messy desk in Detective Marcus's office, dimmed light danced around the shadows of the wall, files and photos and maps everywhere, some reminding them of the time spent chasing shadows.Marcus pushed on his glasses, eyes sharp even with a face that seemed etched with exhaustion. "We do," he said, tugging a folder out and sliding it across the table. "Olivia has been in and out of several places around Rome, but this isn't some socialite thing; she isn't hitting dinners and charity events-these are low-profile, late-night trips, and Ethan has been spotted most times in the office and meeting business associates, they are rarely together.”Liam's eyes narrowed. "Ethan? Why am I not surprised? Always had an agenda of his own."Marcus nodded. "They are being cautious but not cautious enough. Our surveillance team followed Olivia to an industrial area on the outskirts, quiet, with

Rafael called up a friend in Florence, he needed someone to talk to. "You have to stop blaming yourself, " Lucas said as he poured him two glasses of whiskey. "You have done all you could.Rafael stood by the window of his penthouse in Florence; a glowing city skyline lay outside, but he was far away in his thoughts while clenching his jaw showed no sign of relaxation. Events in the hospital were running in an infinite loop in his mind; that Mia was his daughter, fiery defense by Bernice, and Alexander smug interference haunted him.Rafael turned to him then, his face dark. "I haven't done everything. Not yet." He took the glass but didn't drink. "I've lost too much already. My children are out there-one unconscious in a hospital bed, the other missing. And I had no idea either of them even existed until now."Lucas blew out a slow breath, setting his glass on the table. "What is your plan?Rafael's eyes flash down. "To win them back. All of them."Lucas raises one eyebrow. "Even Be