Semua Bab FALLING FOR THE FORBIDDEN STAR : Bab 41 - Bab 50

Chapter 41 The sea had smelled different that night. Saltier, sharper as though the breeze that swept through the terrace carried not just brine but a warning. Andreas leaned over the iron railing of the hotel’s top-floor suite in Greece, his phone slack in his hand, the message thread with Mia still open and unanswered. She hadn’t responded. Not to the photos he’d sent of the view or the dinner table he’d set for two. Not even the last message: "Wish you were here." Left on read. The blinking cursor mocked him like silence in a crowded room. Behind him, the suite was golden-lit and quiet, the kind of luxury meant for laughter and sex and the kind of intimacy he’d only ever wanted with her. But now the room felt hollow like a stage abandoned mid-play. He sighed and rubbed his jaw, dragging in a breath that didn’t fill his lungs. Maybe she wasn’t coming. Maybe she’d changed her mind. Then a knock came. It was sharp, urgent, almost impatient. His heart stuttered. For a second,

Chapter 43Andreas’s Point of ViewI stood frozen in the worn-out living room of the bungalow that once smelled like burnt toast and cheap teenage perfume. Tania clutched a wide-eyed boy to her chest, her eyes flickering with guilt and something else. Hesitation? Fear? Maybe both. But her words were still crashing in my head."Brian is your son."I scoffed. It was the only sound my body was capable of. “You’re kidding.” My voice was low, hoarse. I ran a hand through my hair and took a step back. “You have to be joking.”Tania said nothing, just adjusted the boy on her hip. Her lips trembled, but she didn’t deny it.My heart pounded against my ribs as my mind yanked me backward, four years into the past, to a time when things were simpler. When I was just a boy in love, not a man betrayed.….It had been our semester in high school. The afternoon sun had streaked gold across the sidewalk as we walked hand in hand, our fingers loosely laced together. We were barefoot, having ditched our

Chapter 45The city blurred past the windows like smudged charcoal under rain-slicked glass, but Andreas wasn’t looking. His elbow leaned heavily against the door of the sleek SUV, his chin resting on his fist. The silence inside the vehicle was thick, save for the low hum of tires against the road.Martin, his ever-loyal bodyguard, tapped the earpiece in his ear, voice calm but urgent. And Andreas suspected something was wrong. “Sir, we can’t take you back home. It’s not safe.”Andreas turned, his eyes hollow and bruised with exhaustion. “Not safe?”“They're Reporters, fans, stalkers, some with cameras, some just yelling your name. A few even climbed the fence. It’s complete chaos. And your safety is our priority.”Andreas exhaled a long, tired breath and dragged a hand down his face. “Shit,” he muttered. “Just take me to The Hollow.”Martin hesitated for a moment, then gave a nod and turned the wheel, the SUV peeling off into another direction. The Hollow is an obscure little bar hi

Chapter 47The world held its breath as Andreas Leonardo stepped up to the podium, the late morning sun casting a fierce glare against the flash of cameras. His jaw was clenched, posture straight, and gaze fixed ahead. There was no PR mask, no smug smirk, only sincerity, raw and defiant, radiating from the man who had once been nothing more than football’s golden boy. But now, he was something else entirely. He was a man at war, defending the woman he loved.He cleared his throat, gripping the edges of the podium. “This… is on me,” he began, voice firm but laced with remorse. “Everything that’s happened, this scandal, the fallout, the ugly headlines; it’s all my fault.”A rush of murmurs echoed from the reporters, cameras clicking faster.“I was careless with our privacy,” he continued. “I underestimated how cruel the world can be to something it doesn’t understand. But I won’t let her bear the weight of this alone. Mia Martinez has done nothing wrong. The only thing she’s guilty of

Chapter 49 The door clicked shut behind him with a sound louder than it should have been. Andreas stood still for a beat, the silence of his house echoing around him like a taunt. It was too quiet. The kind of quiet that lets all your thoughts catch up to you—unfiltered, raw, and cruel. He had just stood in front of the world and confessed his love for a woman who might never forgive him. Never take him seriously. The press conference had been a firestorm. But it had felt right to speak the truth and to protect her. Now, the calm after the storm didn’t feel like peace. It felt like exile. He tossed his jacket over the couch, ignoring the unread messages blinking on his phone. His feet dragged as he walked through the dimly lit living room of his house, shoulders tense, eyes heavy. The adrenaline was gone, replaced with uncertainty. Regret. Restlessness. Martin had offered to stay back, but Andreas waved him off. What he needed now, no one could give. The next days came h