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Todos los capítulos de He Faked Ruin, He Lost Me Forever: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

38 Capítulos

Chapter 1

Matteo barely glanced at Leah and Finn before gesturing toward the performance area.“Get on your knees. Let Nico have some fun.”He hadn’t looked past the clown makeup. He hadn’t recognized the boy with the red nose hiding behind his mother.His own son.Leah couldn’t move.Five years ago, Matteo had sat in this ballroom the same way. One touch of his glass against the table, and every conversation stopped.He’d never lost any of it.She caught the coordinator’s sleeve.“I thought the Vitale family had thrown him out.”The woman turned sharply.“Who told you that? He took over when his father died. The Bellandis are here tonight. Watch what you say.”Leah let go.At the head table, Bianca adjusted Matteo’s cuff. Her silver gown caught the light.The Bellandi daughter. Leah remembered her. She remembered how much Matteo had loved her, too.“You really want Nico to inherit all this?” Bianca asked. “He isn’t your biological son.”Matteo glanced at the boy leaning against her leg.“I’ll t

Chapter 2

Matteo had traded his expensive suit for the faded jacket Leah knew.As though the ballroom had never happened.“Why aren’t you asleep?”She placed the documents on the table.“I need your signature in a few places.”He frowned and opened the first page.His phone rang.“Nico won’t sleep until you get here,” Bianca said. “You promised to watch the meteor shower with him.”Matteo’s voice softened.“I’m on my way.”He picked up the pen.For years, Leah had handled the rent, utilities, and bills. He was used to signing wherever she pointed.Tonight, he didn’t read closely, either.He slid the papers back and grabbed his keys.“Get some sleep if that’s everything.”After the door closed, Leah answered.“That’s everything, Matteo.”“Except the divorce.”“Can we leave now?” Finn asked, pointing at his father’s signature.She put the papers away and crouched to button his pajamas.“There’s more paperwork. Once the lawyer confirms everything, we’ll move.”“Far away?”“Far enough that you won’t

Chapter 3

Here, Matteo wasn’t the husband who occasionally came home.One word from him put everyone against her.“Move!” Leah pushed at the guard. “I want my child!”The surgical doors opened.A doctor hurried toward them, his expression tight.“The donor has developed a bleeding complication. We’re treating it, but we need blood immediately.”Leah could barely hear through the ringing in her ears.“Finn? How is he?”Before he answered, a nurse arrived from the other corridor.Nico’s condition had changed, too. He urgently needed blood support.Bianca burst into tears.Matteo caught her first.Then he looked at Leah.“Your previous tests showed your blood type is compatible with Nico’s.”She stared at him.“My son’s still in there. You want me to help yours?”“Finn has doctors.”“I want to see him!”Matteo pulled her aside, his voice low.“The people here follow my instructions. Cooperate, and I’ll have the best team brought in for Finn.”Her hands went cold.She understood what he hadn’t said.

Chapter 4

Leah turned.Bianca held Matteo’s arm. Nico stood between them, with two guards behind.The attendant’s smile faltered.Matteo stared at Finn.“Aren’t you going to say hello?”Finn hid behind Leah.She took their two tickets.“He doesn’t want to.”Bianca touched Matteo’s arm.“Leave it. He’s still upset.”She bought Nico a ticket, looking every inch the reasonable one.The two-seat cars moved slowly along an enclosed track.Beside Leah, Finn finally relaxed enough to smile.At the turn ahead, Nico’s car stopped.He looked back at them, his smile changing.“Mom says you’re the reason Uncle Matteo can’t be my dad.”Leah’s foot moved toward the brake.“If you died, he could be my dad!”Nico shouted across the track.“Go die!”He steered his car across the narrow exit.Leah braked, but the car behind them couldn’t stop in time.The impact threw her forward.She reached for Finn.His forehead still struck the side of the car. Blood ran over his eyebrow.He screamed.Staff shut down the ride

Chapter 5

“Five million dollars,” the man said. “That’s what it costs for you two to go home alive.”Leah’s lips had gone pale.“He won’t come.”The man laughed.“Then let him tell me himself.”The first call was rejected.The second went unanswered.Leah watched the screen until it went dark. For five years, she’d waited for that number to light up her phone. Now she was praying someone would answer it.The man lost patience.He grabbed Finn and dragged him away from her.The boy struggled, scraped his hand, and cried for his mother.Leah lunged after him.Someone forced her back onto the floor.“Don’t touch him! I’ll call again!”She kept calling.When Matteo finally answered, she could barely get the words out.“Matteo, someone took me and Finn. They want a ransom. Please listen—”“Haven’t you had enough?”Nothing in his voice but irritation.Leah went still.“This isn’t a game. Finn’s hurt. They said—”“First you leave the house. Then the amusement park. Now you’ve hired people to stage a ki

Chapter 6

Matteo had left even less behind.One old jacket. Two shirts. A razor he’d never charged.Leah put them in a trash bag.For years, those few things had made the apartment feel like a place he might return to. She had washed the shirts and kept the jacket where he could find it.Now they were just things he hadn’t taken.Behind her, the door opened.“What is it this time?”Matteo stood in the doorway, looking at the suitcase.His gaze passed over the bandages on Finn’s hand.It stopped there for a moment.He still didn’t go to him.“When you’re done with your little act, clean this place up.”Leah closed the suitcase.The zipper caught on a sleeve. She freed it carefully and pulled it the rest of the way.Matteo came closer and grabbed her wrist.“I’m talking to you.”Finn jumped off the bed.“Don’t touch my mom!”Matteo stared at him.The boy stood behind the suitcase, his uninjured hand clenched. He wasn’t asking when his father would come home.He was asking him to stop.Leah pulled

Chapter 7

They found their seats on the plane and settled in. Finn sat quietly beside Leah with his small backpack held against his chest.“Mom, where are we actually going?”He looked up at her, confusion written across his face.Leah held his hand tighter.“Finn, I’m taking you back to Grandma’s house.”“Grandma?”He lowered his head.“Will Grandma still want us? What if she’s like Dad and doesn’t want us anymore?”At the word *Dad*, guilt rose in Leah’s chest.She pulled him into her arms, and her tears fell.“Grandma isn’t like your dad, Finn. Trust me. I’m going to give you a better life.”After several hours in the air, they finally reached their destination—her hometown, St. Louis.There were no iron gates here like the ones outside the Vitale estate. No black-clad guards standing on street corners, watching every stranger on the family’s behalf.Carrying the sleeping Finn, Leah got into a taxi.Familiar streets slipped past the window, calling up memories from her childhood.*Home… is it

Chapter 8

The taxi stopped.Leah stepped out with Finn in her arms and looked up at the familiar neighborhood in the sunlight.*Mom. Dad. I’m back.*Neighbors were tending their gardens. Several people who knew her parents saw Leah with Finn and came over warmly.“Leah! Bringing your little boy back to see his grandparents?”Jennifer smiled and looked admiringly at the sleeping child.“What a lovely boy. He looks like you.”“Jennifer, I’ve moved back,” Leah said, lowering her head slightly. “I’m not leaving again.”“Not leaving?”Jennifer looked surprised. Leah expected more questions, but the woman only smiled and clapped her hands.“Well, good! You have no idea how much your parents talk about you!”Another neighbor watering flowers chimed in.“They do! Your dad talks every day about you and his precious grandson. And your mother may have a sharp tongue, but she misses you terribly!”A long-forgotten warmth rose in Leah’s chest.There were still people who thought about her and Finn.On Vitale

Chapter 9

Finn waved happily.“Mom, come in!”Leah gave a small smile, picked up Finn’s backpack, and stepped inside.She set the luggage down by the door.Her old coat from college still hung on the hall rack.In the small basket beside it sat the soft slippers she had always worn before leaving home.In all these years, her mother had never put them away.“Mom…”Leah’s eyes grew wet again.“Mom! What’s wrong?”Seeing her cry, Finn slipped down from his grandmother’s arms and ran over to wipe her tears.“Finn, I’m just… so happy.”At the sight of the two of them, her mother’s stern expression softened. She let out a sigh.“Leah, now that you’re back, you and Finn will stay here. Your dad went to the supermarket. If he knew you were home, he’d hurry to buy extra salmon.”“Fish! Mom loves fish best! Grandma’s the best!”Finn danced with excitement, his whole face bright with smiles.“Oh, sweetheart!”Her mother picked Finn up again and kissed him several times.“Your room is right next to Grandma

Chapter 10

“Come on, Finn. Grandpa will take you to the supermarket for fish! And steak!” Her father beamed. “Tell Grandpa everything you like to eat, and I’ll make all of it for you!”“Grandpa’s the best!”Finn threw his arms around his neck, and the two of them went out happily together.Leah watched their backs with a smile, her heart full of warmth.“Leah, it’s good that you’re back,” her mother said, turning around. “I told you long ago that family wasn’t where you belonged. But you’re home now. Stay here with your dad and me.”Leah hugged her mother from behind.Her mother finally broke down and cried.“My daughter… you’ve suffered so much…”Mother and daughter wept in each other’s arms while her mother kept patting her back.“It’s good that you’re home… It’s good that you’re home…”Before long, her father returned carrying several large bags. Finn skipped behind him, both hands full of snacks.He held up a lollipop to show Leah.“Mom! Grandpa bought it for me!”Seeing the smile Finn had no

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