Semua Bab No Apologies, No Regrets: Bab 51 - Bab 60

The house no longer echoed with Judah’s voice, but grief had made its own kind of noise. Soft, constant, deafening. Fedora moved through the rooms like a ghost of herself—tender with her babies, quiet with her tears, and nearly unrecognizable to the mirror.The twins—Eden and Eliana—had no idea what had been lost. They cooed and reached for her face, anchoring her in the present with their tiny fingers and midnight cries. And in the silence of feeding and changing and rocking them back to sleep, Fedora began to hear something else: life, whispering back.“You have to be strong,” Aika said one afternoon as she folded baby clothes beside Fedora on the bed. “Not just for you. For them. They need their mother. And one day, they’ll need to know their father—through your eyes.”Fedora didn’t speak. But she nodded.Her own mother cupped her face gently. “You can’t crumble forever, my daughter. Judah wouldn’t want that. He chose you for a reason. Remember who you are.”***Then came the twent

The screen buzzed to life. Jenny's face appeared, slightly grainy in the afternoon light of New York.“Jen,” Fedora breathed, pacing her living room. Her fingers trembled. “I saw him. I saw Judah.”Jenny blinked. “What?”“At the surprise proposal I planned for my client, Beauty - Sylvia's cousin from Dubai. He stepped out of the car… And Jenny, it was him. Same walk. Same voice. Same face...'“Fedora—wait...” Jenny interjected.“Jusy hold on, I’m sending you the video now.”She forwarded the clip. It was shaky, captured by one of her assistants—a casual behind-the-scenes moment of the groom-to-be stepping out of a sleek black car, smiling nervously, and wiping his palms on his jeans before walking toward the proposal setup. Then, Beauty Carpenter on one knee, tears in her eyes.Jenny watched it. Then again. She blinked, leaned closer, then sat back.“My God,” she whispered. “He does look like him. I mean… It’s uncanny.”“You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”“No,” Jenny sighed. “I think yo

“Mama, can we go see Daddy now?”The question came softly, from the one of the twins, Eliana. Her sister, Zariah, nodded eagerly, eyes wide with innocence. “We want to tell him something.”Fedora froze at the kitchen sink, dish towel in hand, her heart thudding like a war drum in her chest. She turned slowly, blinking back tears before kneeling to their level.“What do you want to tell him?” she asked gently.Eliana whispered, “It’s a secret… but we want him to hear it. Like always.”Since their first birthday, Fedora had taken them to Langley every year—to the CIA Memorial Wall. It was her way of making sure Judah lived on in their hearts, even if he was nothing but a face in framed photographs and stories etched in her soul. She told them how she met their father—leaving out the painful tale of her posing as a bride-for-hire, and how Judah had made her laugh, protected her, and whispered love like it was a secret only they shared.That memorial star, and the ring preserved beneath gl

The Dubai sun poured golden light over the sleek terminal as Fedora stepped through the arrival gates of DXB International Airport. Her eyes scanned the sea of travelers and chauffeurs holding signs, until a familiar voice called out.“Fedora!”Beauty Carpenter waved, radiant in oversized sunglasses and a flowing cream jumpsuit. Beside her stood him—Jay.Fedora’s breath caught, a stutter of something she couldn’t name pulsing beneath her ribs.Jay or... Jason, as he was now known—smiled gently. He was dressed in a simple navy polo and beige slacks. His beard was neatly trimmed, his eyes still the same deep, stormy grey she once knew… or thought she did.“Let me help with that,” he said, reaching effortlessly for her suitcase.Their hands brushed.Fedora flinched. Just a little.His touch wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t warm either. It was steady. Kind. Familiar. Too familiar.“Thank you,” she murmured, voice thinner than usual.Jay looked at her then—really looked, and tilted his head slig

Jason’s eyes skimmed the real estate documents projected on the conference room screen, but his mind was miles away. The meeting with his staff was moving along—talks of title discrepancies, land verification, updated Dubai municipality regulations—when his phone buzzed beside him.He glanced at the screen.Fedora: Event Planner.His heart leapt. A peculiar, almost unsteady jolt. It wasn’t just surprise—it was something deeper. Warmer. He blinked at the screen, pulse quickening.Why is my heart doing this? he thought.He had never left a meeting before. Not even when Beauty called. But something about this moment pulled at him. Tugged.“I’ll be back in five,” he told the team curtly, rising before anyone could question it.He stepped out of the conference room and into the hallway, then pressed the green button.“Hello, Fedora?” he said, voice lowering involuntarily.“Hi, Jason,” her voice came through—light, almost hesitant. “I’m sorry to interrupt you. I just... I was hoping you cou