Chapter 27
For a moment, he just stared, his hands trembling slightly as if trying to process the words, as if trying to convince himself that he had misheard me.
“Adopted?” he repeated slowly, his voice raw with something I couldn’t quite place.
“Yes,” I confirmed, holding his gaze steadily. “And before you even think about it–no, she’s not yours.”
A flicker of emotion crossed his face, something complicated and unreadable, something that looked almost like relief but was laced with something far darker.
“You replaced Amara…
I flinched, the accusation slicing through me even though I had prepared for it.
“No,” I said firmly, “No one could ever replace her
Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating, neither of us willing to be the first to look away.
Then, after what felt like an eternity. Lorenzo lowered his head, his shoulders shaking slightly as he exhaled a shaky breath.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, the words so soft that I almost didn’t hear them.”
nd his head snapped up, disbelief flashing across his
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I forgive you, Lorenzo.” I said finally, and features.
“You… do?” he asked, almost breathless.
I nodded slowly. “But that doesn’t change anything.”
His face crumpled, and for the first time since I had walked into that room, I saw something close to desperation in his eyes. & “Move on,” I told him, my voice firm and unwavering. “Forget me. Forget everything.”
Tears welled in his eyes, but I didn’t stay to watch them fall
I turned, taking Amara’s hand in mine. “Let’s go, baby”
As we stepped into the hallway, a sudden shift in the air made my entire body go cold, an instinctive warning crawling up my spine before I even turned to see who was standing there,
And then–I saw him.
Rafael De Luca.!!
Lorenzo’s brother
His sharp, piercing gaze bore in to me like a predator assessing his prey, his presence suffocating, his entire demeanor exuding the kind of quiet danger that made my stomach twist in unease.!!
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to meet his stare without hesitation, without letting him see how deeply his presence unsettled me. “Long time no see, Rafael,” I said smoothly, my voice betraying none of the tension coursing through my veins.
His lips curled into something that was neither a smirk nor a smile, something that sent a chill through my blood.
“Valeria,” his voice dripping with something dark, something almost amused.
“You should’ve stayed dead.”}
I stiffened, every muscle in my body coiling with tension.
But I didn’t look away.
“And you should’ve stayed in France,” I shot back.
His smirk widened ever so slightly.
“Where’s the fun in that?”
My stomach twisted, the realization settling in
Rafael wasn’t just here for a visit.!
He was here for me.!!
And I had just walked straight into his trop.
It had been a week since I left Darius–since I made the decision to step away, to put distance between us, to heal on my own terms. For the first time in a long time, there was peace.!!
Amara had grown more attached to me with each passing day, clinging supposed she had become mine.
to me as if I were th
the center of her universe, and in some ways, I
Danus still lingered at the edges of my life, never crossing the boundaries I had set, never forcing his way in–but always there. Watching. Protecting Guarding from a distance. Even when I told him to leave me alone. Even when I told him I needed space.
And despite my insistence, despite my stubborn refusal to let him in, there was a small, nagging part of me that felt quilty for pushing him away.
But today wasn’t about him.
Today was about Amara
About us
The rhythmic crash of waves against the shore filled the air with a steady, calming presence, the salty breeze wrapping around us like an
The mytmie crash of waves against the shore filled the air with a steady, calming presence, the salty breeze wrapping around us like an invisible embrace. Amara sat on the warm sand, completely engrossed in her tiny sandcastle, her delicate hands carefully shaping each Tower.
She looked so happy. So free.
And for a fleeting moment, I allowed myself to believe that this peace–this fragile, beautiful moment–could last.
But then, just as quickly as the thought entered my mind, the illusion shattered.
A presence.X
It was subtle at first, nothing more than the faintest shift in the atmosphere, a whisper of something unfamiliar creeping along my spine.!! My body tensed instinctively before my eyes even found her, every muscle tightening as if my very soul had recognized the danger before my mind could process it.”
And then I saw her.”
A woman stood just a few feet away, her gaze locked onto mine with an intensity that sent a chill down my spine.
No. Not just any woman.
My stomach dropped, a sinking, suffocating weight pressing against my chest as recognition slammed into me like a tidal wave. I knew that face
I could never forget that face.
It was impossible.
“Isabella,” I whispered, the name barely escaping my lips as my heart pounded violently in my chest!
But no. That couldn’t be right. Isabella was dead. I had seen her die.
I had confirmed it.S
And yet, standing before me was a woman who was her r exact mirror image, an almost perfect replica–except for one crucial detail. The eyes.
Isabella’s eyes had always carried warmth, even at her cruelest, a flicker of something human beneath the surface. This woman’s eyes? There was nothing there.
Only mockery.”
I forced myself to stand, my fists clenching tightly at my sides as I took a slow, measured breath. “Who the hell are you?”
She smiled–a slow, taunting curve of her lips that sent another wave of unease crawling down my spine.
“Now, that’s not the kind of greeting I was expecting, Valeria.“X
My blood ran ice–cold.
1.2
