Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 61 - Chapitre 70

Marimar Oquendo's Point of View I had no idea how long I’d been asleep. Exhaustion had pulled me under the moment Lebi was safely in my arms. We were still at the hospital, and I lay in the bed with my eyes closed, not quite ready to open them yet. I could sense movement around me, listening to the sounds of the room. I stirred as noise pulled me from sleep—apparently I’d dozed off again. I wanted to keep resting, but the voices were too curious to ignore. After a moment, I forced my eyes open. The overhead lights made me squint, and I stared up at the ceiling for a while, letting my vision adjust. My eyes felt heavy—as if I’d been out for days instead of hours. When everything finally came into focus, I turned my head to the right where the commotion was coming from. The bed was elevated enough that I could see clearly without sitting up. A smile spread across my face when I saw who was there. Of course it was Ca

Marimar Oquendo's Point of View The chill of December was already in the air as I stepped outside the house, wrapping my arms around myself against the cold breeze. The sun hadn’t risen yet—roosters hadn’t even started their morning calls—but here I was, wide awake as always. I did this every day now: wake before dawn to think, to watch the calm sea just steps from our home. I smiled as I looked back at our house—the one my brother had insisted on fixing up. He’d begged me for over a year to let him renovate it. I’d finally given in last year—but only allowed minor changes. We’d used sturdier materials, but kept half the walls wooden to preserve its character. The lower half was concrete for stability, the upper half wood for warmth. Even after a year since the repairs, there wasn’t a single crack or leak—even after several storms had passed through. I walked slowly toward the sh

Marimar Oquendo's Point Of View My eyes darted between my brother and the woman who’d just all but declared herself his girlfriend. Runaway boyfriend? The words echoed in my head, making my ears burn. Good God, Marimar! I’d thought I was the only one running and hiding—but apparently Owen had been doing the same. Was that why he’d stayed here for three years, with no plans to return to Russia? I let out a heavy sigh before speaking up. “C-Can we please talk inside?” I suggested, glancing nervously at our neighbors loitering nearby. The last thing we needed was for the gossip mill to pick this up—and for Lebi to overhear. He was still too young to understand things like this. But the woman just glared at me, her expression sharp with anger and pain. I flinched at the raw emotion in her eyes, then looked at Owen—his jaw was clenched tight, his lips pressed together as he stared back at me. “You… don’t you know he already has

Marimar Oquendo's Point Of View “Hey! Watch where you’re walking!” I shot Carla a sharp look at her loud shout. “Stop yelling! You’re going to give me a heart attack.” She scratched her head apologetically. “Sorry—you’re moving so fast! You’ll be late and get points deducted!” She waved her hands urgently, shooing me forward. I didn’t look back at Carla and Lebi—they were in Junior’s tricycle, which we’d turned into our own little taxi to get here to Kilometer 4, where the bar I was supposed to apply at stood. I was wearing the same dress Carla had worn earlier, plus heels that had me shifting uncomfortably as the cool night air brushed against my skin. I made my way toward the entrance, my heart thudding against my ribs. When I finally stepped through the massive gate, my breath caught in my throat. This place didn’t look like a bar at all—good Lord, it looked like a hotel. Three stories tall, sprawling wide with

MARIMAR OQUENDO'S POINT OF VIEW I was walking on air—floating, untethered—as I made my way home. It was one o’clock in the morning when Hapi and Eros dropped me off. Thank God they’d taken pity on a girl like me and offered me a ride. Darkness no longer scared me. All I wanted was to get inside, collapse into bed, and see my son. Carla and Lebi were home already. Carla’s mother must have agreed to let her stay over—since I had the next day off, after all. Yes, they gave me time off to “gather my thoughts and forget what happened tonight.” Funny thing—I wasn’t shaken by the man who’d almost assaulted me. It was the one who’d saved me that had my head spinning. I knew it was Levi. No way I could be wrong—girl’s instinct never lies, right? Just a few more steps and I’d be there. My eyes drifted to Owen’s old car, still parked where it had been for three years, a massive sack of part