Diego sat cross-legged in his guest suite, his eyes closed, sweat beading on his forehead from the intense concentration required for his new training routine.Since absorbing both the Hand of the Devil and remnants of the Hand of the Saint's divine energy, his internal energy system had become a battlefield. Two opposing forces—holy light and cursed darkness—existed within him simultaneously, constantly warring for dominance.Gael had warned him that without proper control, the conflict would eventually tear him apart from the inside.So Diego trained. Hours every day, learning to balance the positive and negative energies, to create harmony from chaos, to make peace with the darkness without letting it consume him.It was exhausting work. Like trying to hold two magnets together at their repelling poles—constant pressure, constant strain, requiring absolute focus.Diego felt the energies circulating through his system. The divine light in his core, trying to purge corruption. The cu

Diego sat in Gael's back office, his mind still churning with doubts despite his friend's reassurances. But underneath the emotional turmoil, another concern had been growing—one more immediate and potentially devastating."There's something else," Diego said, pulling his focus away from the photos. "Something I need your help with.""What?""My healing ability." Diego held up his right hand—the one not cursed. "Ever since I absorbed the Devil's Hand and balanced it with the Saint's energy, I don't know if my healing touch still works properly. What if the curse corrupted it? What if I try to heal someone and accidentally hurt them instead?"Gael considered this. "Have you tested it at all?""No. I've been too afraid of what might happen. But I can't avoid it forever." Diego's voice was urgent. "I need to know if I can still heal. If I've lost that ability—if all I can do now is harm with my left hand—then I need to know.""You want me to find you a patient? Someone you can practice o

Esperanza stood in the hallway outside Diego's suite, her mind racing with confusion and hurt. The way he'd spoken to her—the coldness, the accusation, the suggestion that she wanted "fun" without him—it was so unlike the man she'd married."Diego, please." She knocked again, softer this time. "Explain what you meant. About leaving. About me having fun. I don't understand what's happening."Silence from the other side of the door."Diego!"More silence. Not even the sound of movement inside the room.He was shutting her out completely. Putting up walls she didn't know how to breach.Esperanza's mind went to the only unusual event of the day—her meeting with Luca. But there was no way Diego could know about that. She'd been careful. And it had been completely innocent anyway, just Luca's manipulation that led nowhere.Should she tell him? Explain what happened?But something stopped her. Diego was clearly in a dark place emotionally. Adding more stress, more information about Luca tryi

Gael had explained the case during their phone call the previous night, his voice carrying both opportunity and warning."There's a family in the Royal District. Old money. Real old—we're talking centuries of wealth and influence," Gael had said. "Sir Alex Vincent III. British nobility that settled here three generations ago. His only daughter has been sick for years. Progressive condition that nobody can diagnose properly, much less cure.""And he's reached out for help?" Diego had asked."Reached out? He's practically begged. Posted notices through every underground network, every alternative medicine circle, every mystical practitioner he could find." Gael's tone was serious. "He's offering a fortune to anyone who can help her. And he's desperate enough to consider someone like you."The case had intrigued Diego immediately. Complex. Challenging. And most importantly—a perfect test of whether his healing abilities still worked or if the curse had corrupted them beyond use.Now, sta

Both men celebrated their supposed victory, completely unaware that Diego's departure had nothing to do with their manipulation and everything to do with his own mission to test his healing abilities.Their plan was working—but not for the reasons they thought.Back at the Vincent manor, the silence following Diego's entrance stretched uncomfortably.Finally, one of the attending nurses spoke up, her voice sharp with disdain. "Excuse me, but what the hell is a cripple doing here?"Diego didn't respond to her, his attention focused entirely on Sir Alex. He walked—slowly, deliberately, his crutches clicking across the marble floor—directly up to the nobleman."Sir Alex Vincent III," Diego said, his voice carrying quiet authority despite his compromised physical state. "I'm Diego Herrera. I came to help your daughter."Sir Alex studied him—taking in the crutches, the plain clothes, the exhaustion evident in his face. Most noblemen would have dismissed him immediately.But Sir Alex was de