Santiago stood frozen at the altar, Isabella's screamed accusations to Alejandro echoing in his mind. "You assured me Diego was dead! You said you had a plan! You and Lucia!"The words confirmed everything. Every warning Diego had given him. Every concern Esperanza had raised. Isabella had been working with Alejandro and Lucia all along. Conspiring against his family. Using him as a pawn in their scheme to destroy the Vegas.He'd been played. Completely, thoroughly, humiliatingly played.The realization hit Santiago like a physical blow. All those nights together. All those promises of love. The pregnancy announcement. Every tender moment, every passionate confession—all of it calculated manipulation designed to get him to this altar.Rage flooded through him, hot and consuming."Security!" Santiago's voice cracked like a whip across the ballroom. "Get her out! I want Isabella Rodriguez thrown out of this venue immediately! And I mean thrown—I don't care if you have to carry her kicki

Isabella lay crumpled on the cold pavement, her white wedding dress now soaked crimson with blood. The pain in her abdomen was unbearable, radiating through her entire body in waves that made breathing difficult. She looked up at Alejandro with desperate, pleading eyes."Please," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Help me. I need a hospital. The baby—"Alejandro's smirk was cold and devoid of any compassion. "You were useful once, Isabella. But useful things become trash when they break."He turned away, Lucia's arm wrapped possessively around his, and they walked toward his car without looking back."Alejandro!" Isabella's scream tore from her throat, raw and agonized. "Don't leave me here! PLEASE!"But the only response was the sound of a car engine starting, then fading into the distance.Isabella collapsed fully onto the pavement, her cheek pressed against the cold concrete, tears mixing with blood as consciousness began to slip away.What neither Alejandro nor Lucia knew w

Santiago stood among the dispersing crowd, having witnessed the entire scene from start to finish. Diego kneeling in the blood-soaked parking lot, his hands moving with precision and skill that seemed almost supernatural. Isabella's life literally draining away, then stabilizing under Diego's care. The whole thing had been remarkable. Impressive.Humbling, even.Santiago approached Diego as the ambulance pulled away, a sheepish smile on his face. "That was incredible, man. Really. The way you just... knew exactly what to do. If I had your healing abilities, after everything Isabella did to our family, I wouldn't have lifted a finger to help her. Would've let her bleed out right there."He put his arm across Diego's shoulders in a gesture of camaraderie, the smile widening. "But you did help her anyway. That takes real character. Real strength. And I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for saving me from the enemy's net. For showing up when you did. For stopping me from making the

Santiago sat alone in his penthouse apartment, staring at the city lights through floor-to-ceiling windows. The space around him was filled with expensive furniture, designer decorations, bottles of premium alcohol—all the trappings of wealth and success.And it all felt completely meaningless.He'd spent years building this life. The lavish lifestyle. The reputation as a playboy. The arrogance that came from being Ricardo Vega's heir. The constant pursuit of pleasure and validation.And where had it gotten him? Abandoned at his own wedding. Publicly humiliated. Cut off from the only family he had left.Diego and Esperanza had saved him. Again. Despite everything he'd done to them, every warning he'd ignored, every insult he'd thrown—they'd still shown up to stop him from making the biggest mistake of his life.They'd protected him even when he didn't deserve protection.And he'd repaid them by being too stubborn, too proud, too foolish to listen until it was almost too late.Santiago

Esperanza was still fuming when she arrived at Santiago's penthouse the next morning. The audacity of Isabella showing up at their home, threatening Diego after he'd saved her life—it was beyond comprehension. And the fact that Isabella felt emboldened enough to make such threats meant she believed she still had leverage somehow.Which meant Santiago was still in contact with her. Still giving her reason to think she could manipulate the situation.Esperanza pounded on the door with enough force to rattle the frame.Santiago opened it looking disheveled, clearly having just woken up despite it being nearly noon. "Esperanza? What are you—""We need to talk," Esperanza said, wheeling past him into the apartment without waiting for an invitation. "Now."Santiago closed the door and followed her into the living room, concern creeping into his expression. "What's wrong? Did something happen?""Your crazy ex-fiancée showed up at our house yesterday," Esperanza said, her voice sharp with fur