CHAPTER 22 – What Never WasThe sky was overcast, as if the entire universe had decided to cloud the day. The clouds swirled over the city, gray and heavy, heralding a storm. Adrian had arrived first. He was on the terrace of his old apartment, the one he had used during his bachelorhood, the same one where he had welcomed Valeria back from Switzerland after her medical evaluation. But now, that space had another meaning: it was a scene of closure. An end. He was sitting at the round wrought-iron table. His elbows were resting on it and his gaze was fixed on the gray horizon. He was wearing a white shirt, neatly buttoned, without a tie, and dark dress pants. On his left wrist, the watch Sofía had given him shone discreetly, as if it were a silent reminder of what really mattered. His hair, freshly combed back, gave him that formal and sober air he used to have when he didn't yet know true love. Now he knew. And that's why he was there. Determined. Without a doubt. Valeria Montesin

Chapter 24 – The Company and the VoidThe elevator doors hissed shut, isolating him from the world he’d just left behind. The icy wind from the terrace where he’d left Valeria still seemed to prick at the back of his neck—a whispered warning that refused to be silenced.Adrian rubbed his face as he walked toward his office. The Castell building was eerie in its silence, inhabited only by the distant hum of printers and the muffled footsteps of employees who didn't dare cross his path.He was still wearing the suit from his confrontation with Valeria: a white shirt with a collar rumpled by the day's tension, a dark blue jacket slung over his arm, and the silver watch Sofia had given him snug against his left wrist. That small, powerful detail kept him anchored to what mattered.He offered a curt nod to his secretary, saying nothing as he pushed open his office door. The loneliness of the room hit him like a physical weight."Come on," he muttered, a low growl to the empty room. "Back t

Chapter 26 – The Castell Man’s Mistake Adrian barely had time to react before his mother burst into the office with the firm stride of someone who refuses to tolerate charades. The silence became as thick as the tension settling between the three of them. Valeria sat at her desk, fiddling with a gold bracelet as if she didn't have a care in the world. "What is going on here?" Isabel repeated, not losing her composure for a second. Valeria looked up at her with a smile that couldn't quite hide the venom behind her carefully painted eyes. "Mrs. Castell... we were just talking about how much Adrian has done for me," she said in a soft, poisonous voice. "I know you don't like me, but..." "Don't flatter yourself," Isabel interrupted sharply. "It’s not that I don’t like you. It’s that I can smell your scent from a mile away. The scent of a victim draped in royalty. A poisonous spider wrapped in velvet. But you aren't standing in front of just any woman. You are standing in front of the

Chapter 28 – The Silence That EmbracesSofía offered a faint smile, grateful for the raw honesty that only Liliana ever dared to give her.“I’m not okay,” she admitted. “But I’m focused. And that saves me a little more each day.”On the table, the breakfast tray remained almost untouched. Warm bread, fruit cut with surgical precision, fresh juice, and the inevitable white flower placed in the center.Every morning at eight sharp, it arrived.And every morning, there was a card.Good morning, Sofía.I hope you slept well.If you need anything—anything at all—you know I’m here.—A.Lili watched her while she gathered the empty dishes from the night before.“Was there a card today too?”“Yes,” Sofía replied, without lifting her gaze as she wrapped her fingers around the cup. “There always is.”Lili didn’t speak again, but her look said everything. She had learned to keep her opinions to herself. Sofía’s heart was a war zone, and a single misplaced word could detonate like a grenade.Sofí

Chapter 30 – The Limit The call came at quarter past eleven in the morning. "Adrián Castell?" Lili asked bluntly. He recognized her voice instantly, but he wasn't expecting the tone. Tired. Sharp. Furious. "It's me. Did something happen?" "Yes. And if you don't do something soon, it's going to get worse," she said, without saying hello. "Your ex-girlfriend, that woman, showed up again today. She bothered Sofia at the hospital. Before you think I'm lying... it's all recorded. There's no room for doubt, Adrian. Not this time." Sofia saw her, and she already knows she's pregnant. She showed her the baby's test results she had in her possession. Yes, the test results, Adrian! Do you realize how invasive that is? She mocked the baby's problem and said you won't want it. She even showed her screenshots of her talking to you. The silence on the other end of the line became unbearable. But Lili didn't stop. "Look, sweetie... if you're with that crazy woman, get her out of the country