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All Chapters of Healing The Devil I Once Loved: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

225 Chapters

CHAPTER 21

ZARIA And if nothing was hidden anymore…I cleared my throat. “Thomas, you are right. I am pregnant so yeah. The cat is finally out of the bag.” Mama Li’s hand moved fast, coming down on the table with a flat sound.“Enough,” she said harshly. “Zaria, don’t say another word. We talk later alone.”Thomas opened his mouth, already ready to argue, but Mama Li turned on him immediately.“This is not your business,” she snapped. “You poke nose everywhere like a chicken. Always scratching the ground for gossip.”“Not gossip,” Thomas protested. “I observe.”“You observe too much,” she shot back. “Zaria, we talk alone.” I lifted my head. “No,” Both of them looked at me.Mama Li frowned. “Zaria—”“If Thomas has no business,” I continued, “then why is he here for breakfast?”Thomas blinked.She paused.I kept going before she could stop me. “And I know what he means to you, I am not blind,” I added, looking directly at Mama Li now. “You don’t let just anyone sit at this table in the morning

CHAPTER 22

ZARIA Thomas stared at me like I had just told him I wanted to become a goat farmer on the moon. His mouth opened and closed twice before he finally leaned back in his chair and laughed, a loud belly laugh that shook the table and made the cups rattle slightly.“You?” he said between laughs. “University for this kind of work? It no good. Just all too much book and no food to eat. Aiya, you funny girl.”“I’m serious,” I said quickly, feeling my face heat up. “I was. Before everything happened. I read books, watched videos and I even practiced pressure points on myself.”What sort of Renzo's wife would I be if I didn't learn a few ways to defend myself? It was all useless in the end anyway. Mama Li’s eyes softened as she looked at me, like she was trying to see all the years she had missed layered over my face.“You see?” she said to Thomas, nodding slowly. “Life still pullher back to what she meant to do.”Thomas wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “Okay, okay,” he said, holdin

CHAPTER 23

ZARIA “Hey, Zaria!” Wang’s voice echoed cheerfully as if he was pleased to see me. Did his eyes just light up?Fucking hell.I forced a weak smile as the truck came to a stop, my heart pounding for reasons I didn’t want to unpack just yet.Thomas squinted at me, then at Wang, then back at me again like he was putting pieces together that didn’t quite fit. “Briefly?” he repeated. “Airport?”“Yes,” I said quickly. A little too quickly. “That.”He shrugged and parked the truck with a loud groan. The engine coughed one last time before dying. I stayed seated for half a second longer than necessary, adjusting my jacket, pretending to look for something in my bag that wasn’t there.I could already feel Wang’s eyes on me.“Come, come,” Thomas said, hopping out of the driver’s side. “We arrive.”I nodded and reached for the door handle, moving slowly. Suddenly, I was hyper-aware of every step I took. I put one foot down, then the other, careful not to rush or draw attention to my pregnancy.

CHAPTER 24

ZARIA I sighed. “I said, is there anything important on your phone that…”“Oh,” Wang interrupted, smirking. “I have cloud.”Uncle Thomas frowned, shaking his head. “You two speak riddles. Cloud? Cloud in sky!” I hid a smile.Wang brightened immediately. “Cloud is back up,” he explained. “Everything on my phone is saved online. Pictures, contacts, files. Even if the phone break”“Good,” I said. Then I dropped it. The phone hit the ground face-first with a sharp crack. I lifted my foot and crushed it. The screen shattered completely with the pieces scattering in the dirt.I stepped back and lifted my head to find Wang’s mouth hanging open. Uncle Thomas was staring at me as I’d just murdered someone in front of him. “Why?” Wang started. “Why did you do that?”I shrugged. “This is the countryside,” I said simply. “Who needs a phone anyway?”Uncle Thomas blinked. “You crazy.”“Maybe,” I said, turning to him. “Now show me around, Uncle. Or I tell Mama Li you are rude to me.”He swore und

CHAPTER 25

ZARIA The man convulsed violently beneath my hands, his eyes rolling back… and I realized there was no one else to help but me.“This is accordance,” Uncle Thomas said, glancing at me briefly. “Body speaks so we listen. Not everything needs hospital machine.”I swallowed, shame creeping up my spine. I’d complained about my life, my fear, my past, while this woman was watching her husband struggle to breathe because the system had failed them so completely.Uncle Thomas was already inserting the third needle. His hands were so perfectly aligned. No, I could never do that without puncturing an artery. It was a good thing I did a related study back in Brazil.Wang assisted, lighting the moxa and positioning it carefully. The smell intensified into earthy. The children watched silently now, eyes wide with fear and hope.I stood frozen in the corner, feeling utterly useless.The wife kept talking, words spilling out of her like she needed to empty herself just to survive the moment. How t

CHAPTER 26

RENZO Someone was talking.No. Someone was breathing too close to my face.“Baby,” a voice said softly. “Wake up.”My head hurt. Everything hurt. But that voice… I knew it. I tried to open my eyes and failed the first time. My lashes felt heavy like they had 300lb weights attached. I tried again.Her face came into view..She was leaning over me, hair falling forward, eyes warm and familiar. Her breath brushed my cheek when she spoke again, and it smelled like mint—the one she always used in the morning. Scented toothpaste…“Baby,” she said again, tapping softly. “Wake up.”“You fell asleep again,” she added. “Today is my birthday. Have you forgotten?”Birthday.Right.Fuck.I smiled. Or tried to. My face felt stiff, but the feeling was there. The memory snapped into place like it had been waiting for this exact second.I bought an emerald necklace. Yeah, the real deal, not the bullshit replicas. I’d bought it weeks ago, had it wrapped properly, hidden in her dressing room behind th

CHAPTER 27

Renzo “You need to rest.”I turned my head slightly. “Father, when I find her,” I said hoarsely, “she’ll wish I stayed in that coma.”The room eventually cleared.The doctors left first, then the nurses, then the unnecessary bodies who thought they had a reason to stay near me. Around me, the machines kept humming in a soft but irritating manner. I was still placed on a 48-hour bed rest since my body was trying to catch up with my mind.My father stayed by the door, silent now, watching me in absolute disappointment.I loathed that look.I shifted, gripping the handles of the crutches resting beside the bed, and forced myself upright. Richard moved instantly.“Renzo,” he growled warningly. "Don't push it yet.”I ignored him.The floor felt too far away, but I planted my feet anyway and stood. My arms shook pathetically. Jesus, Renzo. Pain shot through my arms… shit.“Father, I know you are disappointed. But I need some time alone.” Richard stared at me for what felt like an eterni

CHAPTER 28

RENZO A week changed everything.And it was not because time healed or any of that bullshit, but because my body finally stopped lagging behind my head. On the second day of my recovery, the shaking eased and the weakness stopped embarrassing me. I could walk without the crutches by the fifth day. My father's VIP Doctors grinned at the progress, and my father stopped hovering. At last, the house went back to the way it always had.It didn't last anyway. The news broke on the seventh morning. It wasn’t meant for me, but nothing ever stayed out of my reach for long.“Emilio Vescari and Richard Dominico to attend the upcoming White House gala alongside their children,” the anchor said brightly. “The exclusive event will host key international figures, philanthropists, and business leaders. Sources say the Vescari family has been instrumental in recent diplomatic negotiations.”I watched the screen without reacting.Why wouldn't it be Emilio Vescari? That greedy old fool was always see

CHAPTER 29

RENZO“Red and black,” I said finally.Her shoulders relaxed instantly. “Yes.”“I go,” I added. “On my terms.”“Of course,” she said quickly.“And if I find out you’re using this to parade me,” I continued, “I won’t be kind about it.”She met my gaze. “I wouldn’t expect you to be.”Grace cleared her throat softly. “Shall I arrange fittings?”Elix smiled again. “Please.” She turned to me once more. “Thank you, Renzo.”I nodded once. “Don’t thank me yet.”That night, after everyone cleared out, Richard called.“You’re attending the gala,” he said, not a question.“Yes.”There was a long pause. “Good.”“It sends many messages,” I replied. “Some of them you won’t like.”He sighed. “Just don’t lose focus. We need the guns.”My phone buzzed again. It read an incoming call from an unknown number. I stared at it for a long moment before answering.“Speak,” I said.“Boss. It’s Hawk.”I straightened. “Report.”“There’s movement,” he said. “But a woman matching her description was seen near a pr

CHAPTER 30

RENZOShe turned her head slightly toward me and smiled for the cameras. “Everything will be fine,” she said softly.The security pushed a path open as we entered the hall.Inside, the noise was softer. Classical music played somewhere overhead. Crystal glasses clinked. All around, the conversations paused and then restarted as people noticed me.Claps filled the air.“Renzo Dominico!” A voice called.I looked up to see Emilio Vescari standing near the center of the room, clapping loudly with a wide grin on his face.“Ladies and gentlemen,” he announced, raising his voice without effort, “here is the man who defied death itself.”The applause grew. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.“A man who refused to stay down,” Emilio went on, “a man who woke from the brink and walked back into our world on his own two feet.”He gestured toward me. “The man!”The clapping increased along with cheers from some corners.“And,” Emilio added, turning slightly, “all accolades to Richard Dominico, wh

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