Chapter 142 —The New RealityNarrator:The car was waiting for her outside the terminal, just where Roman had told her. Black, immaculate, unostentatious but clearly his. When Aylin walked through the exit doors with her suitcase in one hand and her scarf still wrapped around her neck, the driver was already getting out to open the back door for her.“Mrs. Adler,” he greeted her respectfully.She nodded slightly. She didn't correct his surname.The trip was long but quiet. She didn't need conversation. She looked out the window, slowly recognizing the landscape that had seen her grow up. Everything felt the same and different at the same time. And in her chest... a constant pressure. It wasn't fear. It was the certainty that she was returning to a place she knew, but no longer as the Aylin who had left.When the car entered the village, she felt it. The streets had been improved. The facades were well maintained. There were some new businesses. Others had new signs and different lights

Chapter 144 —The HandcuffsNarrator:The sound of the metal gate rattled the morning. Sasha, who was in the second-floor living room looking through a book, leaned over the railing. She saw Dominic rushing in without even saying hello. That was strange.Roman, downstairs, had just put a folder on the desk when he saw him come in.“Damn it...! We have a problem.”Roman looked up.“What kind of problem, Dominic?”Before his friend could answer, heavy footsteps were heard crossing the hall. Three men in plain clothes, with badges hanging around their necks, entered the office.“Mr. Roman Adler?” asked the one in front.“That's me.”“By order of the federal criminal court, you are under arrest for the crime of bigamy. You have the right to contact your attorney.”Sasha ran down the stairs two at a time, startled.“What's going on?”Dominic intercepted her halfway down the stairs, his arm outstretched.“Calm down. Everything will be fine.”“Are they taking my dad away?”“Sasha,” Roman said

Chapter 146 —You make me burnNarrator:The rain beat insistently against the dining room windows as Aylin checked her cell phone screen for the umpteenth time. Five days, five days without a message, without a video call, without even a damn “good night.” Roman never disappeared like this, never. Not even when he was angry, not even in his worst moments. Suddenly, her phone vibrated. The name on the screen was not the one she expected. It was Dominic.“Hello,” Aylin said when she answered, unable to hide her tense tone.“Hello, Aylin. Are you okay?”“You tell me. Because Roman hasn't answered in days. No messages, no calls. And neither have you.”On the other end, Dominic was silent. Then he took a deep breath.“I know you're worried. And you're right to be. I just... I don't want you to be more alarmed than you need to be.”“Dominic,” she interrupted, with restrained coldness, “I'm not a child. If you're calling me, it's because something happened. Where is Roman?”“He's fine. Nothin

Chapter 148 —The Red LineNarrator:Eros sat stiffly, his back straight and his hands on his legs. He cleared his throat before speaking.“It's an honor, Mr. Adler... that you called me.”Roman let out a brief, dry, but genuine laugh. He looked at him with his head tilted, as if he didn't know whether to laugh more... or take pity on him.“Come on, Eros,” he said, "seriously, ‘Mr. Adler’? We were talking about music and nonsense when I was at your house. And now you come up with this formality?Eros blinked, somewhere between embarrassed and relieved. He smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck.“Sorry, it's just... this isn't the same.”“No, it's not,” Roman replied, without changing his tone. “But you're still you. And that's what I need.”Eros nodded, more relaxed. He rested his forearms on the table and waited.Roman took a second. He watched him, as if measuring every reaction. Then he asked, with apparent lightness:“What do you think of my daughter?”Eros was speechle

Chapter 150 —Music and LoveNarrator:Sasha stared at her backpack. She wasn't entirely sure about what she had packed, but she didn't really care either. She had chosen comfortable items, others that Aylin had once complimented her on, and a cap that she didn't plan on wearing but wanted to take with her.She sat silently on the edge of the bed for a while. She looked at her reflection in the closet mirror with an expression she couldn't name. It wasn't sadness, and it wasn't nervousness. It was that emptiness that remains when something important is about to happen and you still don't know if you're ready.She heard footsteps in the hallway. She recognized the rhythm right away... Eros.He knocked once on the door and poked his head in without waiting for an answer.“All set?”Sasha nodded.“More or less. I never know what to pack for a trip like this.”“Like what?”“Where I don't know if I want to go... or stay.”Eros came in, his hands in his pockets.“Well, if you forget something