All Chapters of THE BOSS'S FORBIDDEN TWINS : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

ELENA"Mommy, why is Abuela Rosa breathing funny?"Luna's question freezes me mid-stir. I turn from the stove where I'm making lunch to see my daughter standing in the doorway of Grandmother's room, face pale.I'm down the hall in seconds.Grandmother Rosa is sitting in her chair by the window, one hand pressed to her chest, breathing in short, shallow gasps. Her lips have a faint blue tinge."Abuela!" I drop to my knees beside her. "How long has this been happening?""Just... a few minutes." Each word is an effort. "Didn't want... to worry you.""Luna, get my phone. Call Dr. Andre. Tell him it's Abuela's heart. Now!"She runs.I help Grandmother Rosa lie back, elevate her feet, check her pulse. Racing. Irregular.This is bad. This is very bad.Lucas appears, takes one look, and disappears. Returns thirty seconds later with Grandmother's heart medication and a glass of water."The pills from the bathroom cabinet," he says, voice steady despite the fear in his eyes. "She takes them whe

ELENAThe waiting room chair is not designed for sleeping, but I manage three hours before my neck screams in protest.Luna is draped across my lap, drooling slightly on my shirt. Lucas has migrated to the couch, curled into a ball with his science encyclopedia as a pillow.The wall clock reads 4:17 AM.Grandmother Rosa has been in pre-op since midnight. Surgery starts at six.I extract myself from Luna carefully, cover her with my jacket, and move to the window. The city spreads below—millions of lights, millions of lives, one of which belongs to the man I've spent five years avoiding.He's out there somewhere. Maybe sleeping in his penthouse. Maybe working through the night like he used to. Maybe with someone new, someone who didn't "trap" him with an inconvenient pregnancy.The thought shouldn't hurt after five years.It does anyway."Mommy?"Luna stands behind me, rubbing her eyes. "Is it time for Abuela's surgery?""Soon, baby. Another hour or so.""I'm scared.""Me too."She cli

ElenaDr. James Blackwood is in his sixties, silver-haired, with the same sharp blue eyes that haunt my dreams. The family resemblance to Damien is unmistakable—same bone structure, same commanding presence, same way of looking at you like he's reading your entire history."Ms. Martinez." He extends his hand. Professional. Warm. Nothing like his nephew. "Your grandmother came through surgery beautifully. The repair was more extensive than we anticipated, but she's strong. Resilient.""Can I see her?""She's in recovery now. Still sedated. Give her another hour, then you can sit with her briefly." He pulls up scans on a tablet, shows me her heart—before and after. "We replaced the damaged valve, repaired the arterial blockage. She'll need at least two weeks here for monitoring, then another month of restricted activity."Two weeks. A month. Six weeks total in the city.Six weeks of avoiding Damien in a building with his name on it."Whatever she needs," I say."Good. She'll be in the c

ElenaAndre arrives at exactly noon on Saturday, as promised.I notice the time first. Twelve on the dot. That’s how Andre is. Precise. Reliable. The kind of man who shows up when he says he will, no matter the distance or the inconvenience.I’m in the hospital cafeteria with the twins, trying to convince them that human beings cannot survive on French fries alone, when I look up and see him walking toward us.He’s carrying an enormous bouquet of wildflowers. The kind that grow in the open meadows around San Esperanza. Yellow, purple, white. A little wild. A little imperfect. Beautiful in a way that feels intentional.My chest tightens.Luna sees him before I do.“Uncle Andre!”Both twins jump off their chairs and run straight into him. He laughs as they wrap themselves around his legs, barely managing to keep the flowers from tumbling to the floor.“Careful,” he says, amused. “You’ll crush these before I can give them to your mother.”“Flowers for Mommy?” Luna gasps. Her eyes widen d

ELENABy Monday morning, Grandmother Rosa is sitting up in bed, ordering nurses around and complaining that hospital food is "an insult to cuisine."She's definitely getting better."Abuela, you need to eat something," I coax, holding up a spoonful of oatmeal."That is not food. That is wallpaper paste with delusions of grandeur."Luna giggles from her perch on the windowsill. "Abuela is funny when she's grumpy.""Abuela is grumpy because I've been in this bed for three days and no one will let me walk around.""Because you just had major heart surgery," I remind her."Minor inconvenience.""The surgeon literally replaced a valve in your heart.""Still. I've survived worse. Like your cooking when you were twelve.""I was trying to help!""You almost burned down the kitchen making toast."The twins dissolve into laughter. Even I smile, despite my exhaustion.I haven't slept properly since Andre's kiss. Keep replaying it. Analyzing it. Feeling guilty about it.He hasn't called or texted