All Chapters of Healing The Devil I Once Loved: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

ZARIA Mama Li was already in the kitchen when I walked in, standing over the stove with her sleeves rolled up and her hair wrapped in a loose scarf. The smell of ginger and garlic filled the room, making it warm. My shoulders dropped before I realised they were tense. A pot of stew simmered gently in front of her, bubbling quietly while she busied herself with other things. I paused at the doorway for a moment, just watching her. There was comfort in the routine of it, in the way she moved, chopping vegetables without looking down, stirring without splashing. This kitchen had become my hiding place, whether I admitted it or not.I went to the sink and washed my hands, scrubbing longer than necessary, letting the water run hot against my skin. Mama Li glanced at me briefly and nodded toward the cutting board.“You help,” she said. “Onion there.”I picked up the knife and joined her, and for a while, we worked in silence. The sound of chopping filled the space between us… a bit th

ZARIA I will never forget Rosita Dominico.Even if I lived a hundred lifetimes, even if I scrubbed Renzo’s name out of my mouth and memory until it tasted like nothing, Rosita would remain. She had a way of existing in the background that made her more oppressive than any presence. Rosita wasn't one to hover, shout, or threaten… no. She was only a watcher.From the very beginning, she had made it clear that I was an acquisition, not a person. Something was added to the family ledger with her approval and even greater expectations. When I first arrived under Renzo’s roof, nervous and still trying to believe I belonged there, Rosita was already on a plane somewhere. Milan. Zurich. Singapore. Always somewhere impressive, always busy, always unavailable in a way that felt intentional.People spoke of her with reverence. Renzo’s mother. A titan in the corporate world. A woman who balanced boardrooms and violence with the same hand…Richard Dominico handled the warehouses, the dirty w

ZARIA Glass shattered somewhere behind the house and everything moved at once after that.Mama Li began shouting orders that no one seemed to fully hear, while Uncle Thomas charged toward the back hallway with the metal rod raised.I sighed.Only to turn. What the fuck?He had simply stepped back with calm returning to his face as if the noise had nothing to do with him… as if this had already played out in his head and he had reached the part where he left.He really wasn't afraid, was he? That was the strangest part.“Enough,” he said, raising one hand.No one listened.Mama Li lunged forward with the same knife, but he moved sideways with smooth ease, keeping distance without even looking rattled.“This ends here,” he said, his eyes flicking briefly to me. “For now.”Then he turned and walked out through the front door.Just like that.I blinked at everyone.Seriously?The door slammed shut behind him and the house fell into a stunned silence. And while I stood there with my tho

RENZO Every bump sent pain shooting through my chest and my breathing started coming out shallow and uneven.We screeched into the hospital lot twenty minutes later.My men were already there.They rushed toward me, hands outstretched. “Boss—”“Fuck off,” I growled, batting them away as I forced myself out of the car. My legs shook, but I moved anyway, shoving past them toward the entrance.Asher was right behind me, swearing under his breath.The lights inside were too bright. The floor tilted again. I made it three steps in before everything went black.I never felt myself hit the ground.__________________My eyes fluttered open.Light stabbed into my skull first. Fucking hell.It was white… and the steady beep-beep-beep of a monitor drilled straight into my head like a metronome designed by a sadist. My throat was dry. My chest felt heavy, like someone had parked a truck on it and forgotten to move it.I blinked once.Then again.The room slowly came into focus. Yeah, it was th

RENZO His jaw dropped. “What the—”I laughed, even as the nurse—Sabrina plunged a needle into my arm. The medicine burned, but my smile didn’t fade.“Do it,” I said softly.Asher didn’t argue again, not after the look I gave him. He stepped away from the bed while Sabrina finished taping the IV line in place, her hands trembling slightly even though she tried to hide it. I gave her a soft smile. Her cheeks flushed red.Meanwhile, Asher turned his back to everyone else and pressed the phone to his ear. It rang twice before the call connected.“Yes, ma’am,” he said immediately, his posture straightening without him meaning to. “He’s conscious, but it’s not good.”I watched his face carefully as he listened, noting the slight tightening of his jaw. I could only picture my mother having her brunch this instant.“Yes,” Asher continued. “Main hospital. Private wing.”There was a brief pause, and then he nodded even though she couldn’t see him.“She’s on her way,” he said when the call en