Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 91 - Chapitre 97

AVAMaria Hayes had sold the sapphire necklace by eleven.By noon, she had parted with a diamond bracelet, two pairs of earrings, and a set of antique rings she had once refused to lend to her closest friend.The jewellery dealer had been less generous than she expected. The pieces were valuable, but haste had weakened her bargaining position, and she was too desperate to walk away from the transaction.She took the money and immediately transferred a substantial portion to the publication's representative.The receipt arrived within minutes.For the first time that morning, she smiled.She had paid enough to secure the prominent placement of her story.The photographs were already in the editor's possession. She had supplied dates, locations, names, and a carefully constructed account of how her daughter had supposedly betrayed her.She expected the first article to appear before lunchtime.At twelve fifteen, she checked the website.Nothing.At twelve thirty, she called the editor.

AVAHis smile vanished.“No.”He took my hand.“I would never ask you to trust me with your freedom lightly.”The seriousness in his voice disarmed me.I nodded.“Then where are we going?”He kissed my forehead.“Pack nothing. Everything you need is waiting.”I stared at him.“That's not an answer.”“It's the only one you're getting.”By late afternoon, we were aboard his private jet.I had protested when he refused to tell me our destination, but my resistance had crumbled somewhere between the courthouse and the airport, largely because Alexander had looked so unbearably pleased with himself that I wanted to discover what he was planning simply to stop him from enjoying the mystery.The cabin was luxurious without being ostentatious, with cream leather seats, polished wood, and wide windows through which the clouds stretched like pale silk.I sat across from him, watching as he poured me a glass of water.“Are you going to tell me now?”“No.”I sighed.“Do you realise how irritating

AVAWould you prefer to interrogate me first?”“Yes.”He smiled.“Tomorrow, then.”I groaned.He took my hand and led me toward the balcony.The city stretched beneath us, sparkling in the evening light. Somewhere below, traffic moved along the avenues, and the first stars had appeared above the rooftops.He stood behind me, his arms encircling my waist.“Are you happy with the preparations?”“Yes.”“Not overwhelmed?”“Only slightly.”He kissed my temple.“You can change anything you want.”“I know.”“Even the venue.”“I know.”“Even the flowers.”I turned in his arms.“Alexander, if you offer me one more opportunity to change the flowers, I will personally arrange them around your neck.”He laughed.Then his expression softened.“I want the day to feel like yours.”I touched his face.“It will.”“Are you certain?”“Yes.”I rose onto my toes and kissed him.“Because I'm choosing it.”He held me a little tighter.For several moments, neither of us spoke.Then Bella shouted from inside,

AVATen Years LaterSpring sunshine spilled across the dashboard as Alexander drove toward the correctional facility. Beside him, I watched the trees lining the road burst into fresh green, while our nine-year-old daughter, Amara, and seven-year-old son, Nathaniel, argued cheerfully in the back seat.Today, my mother was coming home.“Will Grandma live with us?” Nathaniel asked.“No, sweetheart,” I replied. “She has her own house.”“Does she have a garden?”“A very lovely one.”“Can I plant strawberries?”Alexander glanced at me. “I see we have already planned her entire retirement.”I laughed. “Someone has to.”Amara leaned forward between the seats. “Are you nervous about seeing Grandma?”I considered the question.“A little.”I had visited Maria regularly throughout her ten-year sentence. Our conversations had begun awkwardly, with old grievances hovering between us. Over time, however, she had stopped blaming everyone else for her misfortunes. She began asking about my life, my wo