Chapter 22 Lara crouched immediately, her heart tightening at the change in the child’s voice. “Sweetie,” she called softly. Shay looked up, and at once, her face lit up—like clouds parting for the sun. “Sweetie,” Lara repeated, brushing a thumb over her small knuckles. “It’s okay. Go on. Play with

Chapter 21 Shay rushed in and clasped Lara’s hands. “Daddy said I can go back to school today. Hurry, Mommy.” She pulled her toward the door. “Let’s eat breakfast and go to school. I already miss my classmates p> Breakfast, in Lara’s mind, had always been more than a meal—it

Chapter 20 At the break of dawn, the city of Lanura lay suspended between night and morning, cloaked in a haze of smoke and low-hanging fog that curled through the streets like a living thing. The eastern sky bruised into a deep indigo, making the orange glow of streetlights and

Chapter 19 Beatrice Torres froze where she stood, the chill of Ares Zuvel’s command still ringing in her ears. He had never liked her—that much she had always known—but never before had he been so openly dismissive, so mercilessly direct. To be expelled from his mansion like an unwelcome intruder,

Chapter 18 Lara swept into the room, her breath hitching as she moved to stand beside Ares. He was a pillar of controlled granite, though his hands betrayed him, trembling slightly as he lowered Shay’s limp form onto the vast expanse of the bed. Against the white linens, the little

Chapter 17 “Dad,” Shay said again—louder this time. Her small fingers twisted into the wool of Ares’s coat, knuckles white. “Mommy is missing p> The word missing detonated in the air. Doctor Yannis Fenn froze mid-step just outside the room. For a fraction of a second, his mind rejected the

Chapter 16 “I signed the contract with him p> Lara lifted her chin and pointed at Ares with a small, defiant pout, lips pursed like she was daring someone to challenge her. Liam and Logan stared at her—then at Ares—clearly struggling to connect the dots. “She only woke up yesterday,”

Chapter 15 “Yes. I choose —” Lara reached for the side table and handed him the document she had signed. “I choose to be Shay’s governess. Her name on the contract was already corrected to Larissa Reyes. He accepted it and glanced over her signature. The handwriting was neat, deliberate,

Chapter 14 A small group of nurses entered, followed by another resident doctor. New faces. Same routine. The questions came again, as predictable as the beeping machines. When was the last time you urinated? How much? Any pain? Any pressure? Dizziness? Nausea? Lara answered at first. Then, gradually, her patience

Chapter 13 Lara stood with her arms folded tight across her chest. “Let me think about it p> The resident doctor cleared his throat. Whatever patience he’d been pretending to have finally thinned. “Miss Reyes,” he said, his voice snapping into the clipped cadence of institutional power, “Doctor Fenn is

Chapter 12 The first patient Yannis saw the following morning was Lara. A small procession followed him down the corridor—his attendant, two nurses and a resident doctor hovering close behind, careful not to crowd him, careful not to waste his time. Everyone in the hospital knew his hours were measured

Chapter 11 Artemio Fuegerro stood before the floor-to-ceiling glass, the city stretched out beneath him like a living organism—arteries of light pulsing through steel and concrete, restless and alive. From this height, the world looked obedient. Predictable. The soft chime of his phone broke the illusion. He turned back to

Chapter 10 The sound of an ambulance echoed louder than it should have. She sat perfectly still, staring at the place where Leonard Norse and his children had stood earlier, as if she focused hard enough, he might reappear to comfort her, like her father always did, when they were

Chapter 9 Logan lingered in the doorway, eyes locking with Lara’s for a brief second. There was an apology there. And something else—curiosity, even concern. “Sorry,” he said quietly. “She’s spoiled. Acts like a brat p> Lara offered a faint, knowing smile. Liam followed Logan out without looking back. He

Chapter 8 Logan cast his brother a sideways glance before turning back to her, his charm slipping into place like a well-worn jacket—effortless, practiced. “He’s like this with everyone,” he said lightly. “Protective reflex. Comes with the uniform p> But his gaze lingered on Lara a heartbeat too long. Long

Chapter 7 Lara barely had time to lift the lid of the small velvet box when the door to her hospital room swung open. Her attending physician walked in like he owned the place. He wasn’t alone. A middle-aged man followed, broad-shouldered, calm in a way that screamed money and

Chapter 6 Two hours after Lara awoke, a nurse with tight curls escaping her cap and oversized eyeglasses perched precariously on her nose slipped into the dim stairwell. The hospital lights buzzed overhead. She glanced once over her shoulder before dialing a number she clearly did not call lightly. “What

Chapter 5 “Shay likes you very much,” he said at last, breaking the silence. His voice was measured, but there was something careful beneath it, as though he were weighing each word before letting it fall. “If you don’t already have plans… would you consider becoming her governess p> He

Chapter 4 Ares dragged his attention back to the investigation report Xander had sent. A year-old car accident and a female victim. Nothing about it should have mattered—until he opened the photos. The first image hit like a punch. A black sedan lay upside down a few meters away from

Chapter 3 Ares nearly stumbled when he heard that name. How dare she! Shay felt the sudden tension coil through her father’s body. Even at five, she recognized the anger simmering beneath his calm façade, threatening to erupt. Her lip trembled. She deployed her ultimate weapon—big, glistening eyes, tears spilling