Semua Bab ALMS TO LOVE: Bab 101 - Bab 110

The crisp air in the morning held a hint of autumn's chill as Fiona wrapped her shawl more closely around her shoulders and led Liza into the clinic. Outside, the world was ordinary—cars moving down the street, voices from a nearby café across the street, sunlight filtering through tall glass windows—but for Fiona, the white walls of the hospital always felt like entering a war zone. Every visit was another battle round, another foe to battle, another silent prayer whispered into the air.Liza's small hand tightened around hers, delicate but persistent. "Mommy," she whispered, her tone muted as if the corridors required reverence, "do you think… maybe today's the day?Fiona bent down slightly, brushing a strand of soft hair away from her daughter’s face. That hair, finally growing back soft and uneven after months of chemo, felt like the most precious thing in the world. “I hope so, baby. You’ve been so strong. No matter what the doctor says, I’m proud of you. Always.”Liza's eyes glo

The dawn opened in a haze of silver clouds, as if the sky itself had joined in on their conspiracy to keep their secret hidden. Fiona stood in front of the mirror in Madam Jamaica's private suite, her fingers shaking as she buttoned the final one of her plain ivory dress. It wasn't the dress of society columns or flashing headlines. It was subdued. Humble. And yet, when she caught her own reflection, she barely recognized the woman looking back.Liza bounced into the room, curls flying, pale cheeks radiating the health she had struggled so desperately to win back. She clapped her hands. "Mommy, you look like a princess!"Fiona swung around, tears stinging her eyes. "Oh, sweetheart… no, I look like someone who doesn't quite believe this is real."From beside the window in the armchair, Madam Jamaica raised her teacup and spoke with her characteristic authoritative serenity. "It exists, Fiona. And it will continue to exist, if you recall one thing: today is not about show. It is about d

Marie strode across the marble floors of her manor, her high heels clicking on the gleaming stone with each slow step. Her thoughts were a maelstrom of ideas plans she had worked out over the past weeks, her rage at Charles's temerity in marrying Fiona secretly, and her increasing fixation on taking back what she perceived as her rightful position in the Billion dynasty.The news of the wedding had hit her like a chest blow, quick and cruel. But she hadn't stood still for this betrayal. Marie had schemed, plotted, and brooded through every waking moment, waiting for the perfect moment to hit back.She had felt the walls of the Billion Estate closing in on her, and now she had only one thing on her mind: to make them regret ever considering they could bar her.Her hands were poised over the phone on her desk, the high-tech, black device glinting in the pale light. She had already invited herself to a private party one that was intended to ensure Charles and Fiona's quiet, clandestine w

The silence of the Billion estate late in the morning always held a sort of false tranquility. The drapes moved softly in the autumn sun, the fragrance of roses from the eastern garden seeping in with the half-opened windows. But within Fiona's breast, only the ever-present hum of nervousness existed.Her existence had been disrupted, reordered, and sewn back together in tenuous hope. A hasty wedding. A fragile child now miraculously in remission. And Marie's shadows forever closing in.She'd just put away Liza's cardigan, folded neatly, when she saw the click of heels outside in the hallway. Sharp, deliberate, unmistakable. Madam Jamaica did not walk through her home; she took it over."Fiona," the voice of the elder woman came, rich and low as it filled the threshold.Fiona stood, her hand halted in mid-fold. "Madam Jamaica," she breathed, placing the sweater on the bed.The older woman entered the room at once, her presence as weighty as heavy velvet drapes. Her hand was closed aro

Fiona slammed down the phone with a sigh, the gravity of Valeria's words still lingering in her chest. Her friend's blessing even if it was peppered with her characteristic sting had relieved some of the anxiety she had been bearing. For the first time in weeks, Fiona felt as though she was doing something right. Perhaps this wild flight to Paris was the correct decision. Maybe it wasn’t just an escape it was the first step toward freedom. The future was uncertain, yes, but it had to be better than the suffocating fear of staying here, surrounded by all the dangers lurking in the shadows.Liza was already asleep, tucked in beneath the blankets in the guest room. Fiona went around to her daughter's bedside and smoothed her hair gently. The burden of the world still weighed on her own shoulders, but she could not help but smile at the picture she presented, so serene, so free of the shadows that threatened to consume their lives.They would depart tomorrow.Fiona couldn't help but deny