Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

I woke up alone.Adrian’s side of the bed was empty, the sheets already cold. I checked my phone, hoping he’d at least left a message.Nothing.I rubbed my tired eyes and sat up. Maybe he’d come home late. Maybe he’d been too busy to call.I was running out of excuses, even for myself.Downstairs, I found Sophie at the breakfast table while Isabella braided her hair. They were laughing about something, their heads close together.I stopped in the doorway.I used to braid Sophie’s hair before school. I used to be the person she called for whenever she had a nightmare.“Good morning, sweetheart.”“Morning, Mommy,” she replied, barely glancing at me.Then she turned back to Isabella. “Can you take me shopping today? Daddy promised we’d go somewhere nice.”“Of course,” Isabella said. “You can pick something special.”I pulled out a chair. “Could I come with you? We haven’t had much time together lately.”Sophie’s smile faded. “Why? Aunt Isabella already said she’d take me.”“I know. I jus

I didn’t cry that morning.For the first time in eight years, I woke up beside Adrian without waiting for him to turn toward me. He slept with his back to me, breathing evenly, as if nothing in our lives had changed.I watched him for a few seconds.Once, I would have reached for his hand. That morning, I simply got out of bed.My suitcase was already open on the floor. I packed a few dresses, my identification documents, and what little cash I had saved. My canvas tote went in last, along with my brown notebook and gold pen.I left the jewelry Adrian had bought me. I left our wedding photograph, too.I didn’t want anything that might tempt me to come back.While checking beneath the bed, I found one of Sophie’s old shoes. It was tiny, with a faded pink bow on top.I sat down, holding it in my palm.I remembered Sophie as a baby, her warm cheek against my chest, her little fingers wrapped around mine. Back then, I’d thought loving her would be the easiest thing in the world.My eyes s

Clara’s POV"Please wake up. I've finally found you. Don't make me lose you again."A man's trembling voice pulled me from the darkness.My body ached, and the hospital lights stung my eyes. When I opened them, I saw a stranger holding my hand, tears running down his face."Where am I?" I whispered.He stared at me in disbelief."Clara?""Who are you?""I'm Gabriel," he said, his voice breaking. "Your brother."I frowned. "I don't have a brother."He lowered his head, pressing my hand against his forehead."You do. We've been searching for you for years."My fingers brushed the silver pendant around my neck. It was the only thing I had left from my childhood.Gabriel noticed it."Mother gave you that before you disappeared.""Disappeared?"Before he could answer, a woman hurried into the room with an older man and two other men. She stopped when she saw me, covering her mouth as tears filled her eyes."My baby."She approached slowly and touched my cheek."Clara, sweetheart. It's real

I opened my eyes to a ceiling I didn't recognize.The Montecillos had transferred me from the hospital to their estate while I recovered. The room was spacious, with pale curtains, fresh flowers, and sunlight spilling across the floor. Everything looked peaceful.I didn't feel peaceful.A woman sat beside my bed, holding my hand. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and the man standing beside her wore the same worried expression I'd seen in the hospital.Elena and Rafael Montecillo.My biological parents."Clara," my mother whispered. "You're awake, darling."I looked down at her hand wrapped around mine. For years, I'd wished someone would hold me without making me feel as though I had to earn their affection.Now that someone finally did, I didn't know what to say.My father pulled a chair closer to the bed."There's something you need to know."The seriousness in his voice made my stomach tighten."We found irregularities in the records surrounding your disappearance. Some documents

Clara's POVThe photograph lay on my desk beside a stack of old publishing records.I'd barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the scratched-out face of the woman standing beside the little girl. Then I remembered the red words on the back.DO NOT RETURN HER.Someone had wanted me kept away from my family. The question was why.I was still studying the photograph when Papa knocked and entered my room."Have you eaten anything this morning?"I glanced at the untouched breakfast beside my notebook."Not yet.""You won't find answers by exhausting yourself," he said gently."I won't find them by sitting here, either."He pulled a chair beside mine and examined the photograph."Our team has identified the symbol," he said. "It was used on documents connected to an old publishing partnership between the Montecillo Group and Ashford Holdings."My stomach tightened at the name."The Ashfords?""Yes. But the symbol alone doesn't tell us who was involved or what happened. We need evi