Chapter 182 — The News That Shook the CastellsThe clock in the dining room read 5:45 p.m. when the sound of a notification broke the quiet that had settled in after lunch.Sofía, who was clearing the glasses, heard Mía mutter something into her phone, her face pale.“Mom…” she said in a barely audible voice. “Look at this…”Adrián looked up.The air was knocked out of his lungs.On the phone screen, the headline was impossible to ignore:Accident on the Rambla: Businessman Ayden Castell Crashes into Dumpster at 100 km/hBeneath the headline, images of the wrecked car were already scrolling. The surname “Castell” was in red. The word “excess” flashed like an accusation.Sofía felt a blow to her chest. A glass slipped from her hands and fell to the floor.“Oh my God!” she whispered. “No… it can’t be.”Adrián jumped to his feet, as if an electric shock had run through him.“Where did it happen?” he asked, his voice trembling.“On the Rambla…” Mía replied, holding back her tears. “It say

Chapter 184 — What Pride Put OutAt Funes & Associates Law Firm, Milagros Saavedra was reviewing a case file while her colleague spoke to her, but her mind was somewhere else.She could still smell the scent of Ayden’s car, still feel the tremor of his breathing when she helped him out of the vehicle, still hear that broken voice begging her, through tears, not to let the dog die.“It wasn’t the dog, Ayden…” she whispered to herself. “You were the one who needed saving.”That afternoon, when she saw the accident, she hadn’t hesitated for a second.When she recognized him, her heart leaped in her chest.The boy with the curls, the one who used to fight with her and tease her when they were children, was right there in front of her: injured, crying over an animal he hadn’t even hit.And that was what threw her off.Seeing him vulnerable.Seeing him human.He had looked at her without recognizing her. Maybe it was the blow, or maybe time had made him blind to everything that had once mat

Chapter 186 — Before the ContractMilagros arrived home past midnight. She closed the door slowly, without turning on the light, as if silence were the only possible way to understand what she had just lived through. She lived in her parents’ house in Montevideo, the one they used whenever they came to the branch, since their main home was still in Maldonado. During the week, they were almost never there, and that huge house sometimes felt too big for a single breath. More than once, she had thought about moving into an apartment. More than once, she had decided to stay.She took off her shoes and walked straight toward the large window. The Río de la Plata was dark, immense, restless.Just like her.She poured herself a glass of red wine.One deep sip.Then another, slower one.She ran a hand over her face and let out a sigh that seemed to hold ten whole years inside it.“My God… what kind of mess am I getting myself into?”She dropped onto the couch, rested her head against the back

Chapter 188 — The Night of WineMilagros had spent the entire day reviewing documents.It wasn’t her habit to drink while working, but in a tired impulse, she opened one of her father’s bottles of red wine, poured herself a glass, and set it beside the computer like silent permission to loosen the tension.The first glass was slow, gentle.The second came without asking.The third pushed her past her limit.Between the slight dizziness and the warmth settling in her cheeks, the words of the contract began to move with a strange, almost liquid slowness, as if every period and every clause were staring at her too closely. She tried to keep going, but exhaustion finally won. Without realizing it, she curled up on her side on the couch, and the screen kept lighting her face until sleep caught her with treacherous softness.The dream didn’t come in fragments.It came whole.Bringing back things she didn’t want to remember.She was back in high school, fifteen years old, walking down the lo

Chapter 190 — Milagros: The Hospital Visit Milagros walked down the hospital hallway with steady steps, but the knot in her stomach tightened her breathing the closer she got to that door. Because the only thing worse than seeing Ayden again was realizing there were still things left unsaid that still carried weight. She wasn’t there to rescue him, or comfort him, or repeat the past. She was there to set things straight. And if he couldn’t handle that, she was there to leave. As she turned toward his room, she saw Adrián Castell walking out at that exact moment. He looked up, recognized her instantly, and smiled with that mix of affection and nostalgia only adults have when they’ve watched someone grow up. “My girl…” he murmured, opening his arms. Milagros didn’t hesitate. She stepped forward and hugged him tightly, with a warmth that pride—or self-defense—had never managed to take from her. “Sweetheart… look how beautiful you are,” Adrián said, pulling back just enough to look at