Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 121 - Chapitre 130

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Two: A New Life. The apartment was small and white and empty, the kind of empty that felt louder than noise. Church bells rang in the distance, soft and constant, like the town itself was breathing. Ian stood in the middle of the living room with his suitcase at his feet and didn't move. Elijah set a bag by the door and looked around. "This is it. Three bedrooms, good light, balcony overlooking the square. Paid in full, just like he wanted." Ian stared at the white walls. They were so blank. So waiting…like they expected him to fill them with something he didn't have anymore. "He really thought of everything." His voice came out quiet, hollow. "He wanted you safe." Elijah walked over and grabbed his shoulders, squeezing lightly. "Wanted you somewhere no one would find you. Somewhere you could start over." Ian let out a bitter laugh that didn't sound like laughing at all. "Start over. Right." "I know it doesn't feel like it now. But you're aliv

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Four: The Rain. It was night, the living room is dim, lit only by a single lamp. Ian sits on the couch, the small grey plushie in his hands. The word Angel stares up at him from the fabric. He turns it over and over, like it might reveal its secrets if he looks long enough. "What are you? Who sent you?", Ian muttered to himself. He grabs a small pair of scissors from the kitchen drawer. But he Hesitates. Lily loves this thing now, even though he told her to throw it away. She'd hidden it under her pillow and he found it when tucking her in. ‘She'll be mad if I ruin it.’ But he has to know. He slides the scissors into the seam and cuts carefully. The stitching gives way, fabric coming parts. Nothing inside but stuffing. Regular, ordinary stuffing. Ian exhales. Relief? Disappointment? He doesn't know. He spends the next hour stitching it back together, his movements clumsy but careful. By the time he's done, it looks almost normal. He holds

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Six: The Other Side Of Seven Years Zhedya shoved the last of the incriminating evidence into the safe. He left it just slightly open. Obvious enough for someone looking. Obvious enough for Ian. "There." His voice was quiet in the empty study. "He'll see it and take it." He walked to his desk and continued signing papers. Property transfers…Liquidation documents. Everything was part of the plan. Everything had been part of the plan for months. His mind drifted to the day before. Following Ian to that chemical store. Watching him walk out with a small bag, looking over his shoulder like he was afraid of being seen. Waiting a few minutes, then going in himself. Flashback. Zhedya placed cash on the counter. The salesman's eyes went wide. "The man who was just here." Zhedya's voice was calm. "What did he buy?" The salesman hesitated. Looked at the money…then at Zhedya. Something in his eyes said he knew exactly what kind of man he was dea

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Eight: Felt Like Home. "Señor Parker, thank you for coming. This is Señora Nora, Mateo's mother." The principal's voice was quiet, careful, the kind of voice people used when they were trying not to make things worse. Ian walked into the office and immediately felt like he needed a shower. Fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting everything in that sickly greenish glow. The furniture was ugly and uncomfortable, the kind designed to make you not want to stay. Coffee sat cold in a corner, smelling burnt and old. Anxiety hung in the air like smoke. Ian sat in a too-small chair facing the desk, his knees almost touching it. Across from him, a woman with sharp eyes and sharper cheekbones glared like she wanted to set him on fire. Her son sat beside her, nose bandaged, looking miserable in the way only children who've been caught can look. "Do you know what your daughter did to my son?" The woman's voice was ice. "His nose might be permanently

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty: A Love Never Had. Balloons everywhere. Streamers hanging from every possible surface. A table absolutely destroyed by kid-friendly food…sticky fingerprints on everything, spilled juice forming small lakes, cake crumbs scattered like confetti. About a dozen children ran around with that chaotic energy only kids can generate, screaming and laughing and generally causing beautiful mayhem. A handful of parents hovered near the edges, clutching coffee cups like lifelines and making small talk about nothing important. Ian's apartment had been completely transformed for a seven-year-old's birthday. It looked like a party store had exploded. Ding! Ding! The doorbell rang. Ian opened it to find Elena standing there, holding a wrapped present twice the size of Lily. "Happy birthday to Lily." She kissed his cheek, the gesture familiar and strange all at once. "Is she losing her mind yet?" Ian laughed lightly, the sound surprising him. "She's been up si