They embraced him tightly. Adam could no longer hold back. He wrapped his arms around them, pulling them close."Dad... Mom... Vicky..." His voice broke on their names, raw with months of suppressed grief, with the terror of nearly losing them, with the overwhelming relief of having them safe in his arms.Nova was tall, still carrying himself with a quiet dignity that no amount of hardship could erode. His hair had grayed at the temples, and there were lines around his eyes that hadn't been there before, but he stood straight, his arms strong around his son. Clara, however, had visibly aged. Her shoulders were stooped, her hands weathered, her face etched with the kind of lines that came from years of worry, of fear, of watching her son suffer from afar. She was barely sixty, but she looked a decade older. The years of hiding, of scraping by, of carrying the weight of a stolen legacy had taken their toll.And Vicky had a burn scar running down the left side of her face, marring wh

Zara eagerly echoed her daughter, her face alight with desperate hope. She turned to Nova and Clara, seeking support, her voice dripping with false sincerity."Mr. and Mrs. Cole, surely you understand! Young couples quarrel, it's natural! Tracy has made mistakes, yes, but she's carrying human! Think of the baby! Think of your family's future!"Clara's frown deepened. She had shown restraint, had even felt a flicker of pity for the unborn child. But Zara's shamelessness, her relentless grasping, her utter refusal to accept responsibility, it pushed Clara too far.She looked at Zara with cold, quiet dignity."I respect my son's decision," she said evenly. "And you would do well to do the same."Adam's eyes never left Tracy. His voice was flat, final."The divorce is final. There is no going back."Tracy's tears flowed freely now, her voice cracking. "But Adam….after everything…is there really no chance? No hope?"Adam stepped closer, his presence enveloping her. He spoke loud enough f

Tracy looked at Adam, at the man she had tried to destroy, who now stood before her with his family, his power, his future, and something in her finally, truly broke."Tomorrow," she said, her voice hollow, empty. "We go to court. Finalize the divorce."Adam nodded once. "Tomorrow."Tracy turned away, but her mind was already racing, already recalculating, already mourning what could have been.If only I hadn't pushed so far. If only I had waited. Adam had been so obedient once. So devoted. So eager to please. If she had played her cards differently, not just the hospital but everything he owned would have been willingly handed over to the Black family. He would have given her anything she asked for. Anything.But now that was no longer possible.The man she had once despised as a useless nobody had, in the blink of an eye, become immensely wealthy. Treasure Hospital, the villa, the compensation from the Max family. Connections to the Alessandros. Power that dwarfed anything the B

"What's the problem?" Clara stepped forward, her eyes searching Adam's face.Adam looked at his mother, at the desperate hope warring with terror in her eyes. He chose his words carefully."The ingredient I need….it hasn't been used in over a decade. I don't even know if it still exists. Finding it..." He trailed off, shaking his head.What he didn't tell her was the other requirement. Advanced medical skills beyond what he possessed. Skills that would take years to master, years they didn't have. But Clara already looked like she was drowning. He couldn't add that to the list of her problems. Not yet.Clara's wailing filled the small room. Her body folded, her hands covering her face, her sobs raw and broken. Nova caught her, pulling her against his chest, his own face finally cracking."Shh," he murmured, stroking her hair. "Shh. We'll find it. We'll find a way."Adam turned back to Vicky. She lay on the bed, her small body trembling, her scar pulsing an angry red. Her eyes found

Tracy spent the night staring at the water-stained ceiling. Sleep wouldn't come.She shared the bed with Zara, but Zara had claimed two-thirds of the mattress, her body sprawled, her snoring rattling the thin walls. Tracy lay on the edge, her back pressed against the wall, her knees tucked to her chest. Morning came gray through the grimy window.Tracy's eyes were swollen, her head pounding. She sat up and Zara was already awake, picking at her nails, acting as though nothing had happened.Tracy's voice came out sharp. "You took the whole bed."Zara didn't look up. "You should have pushed back.""I couldn't move. You were on top of me.""You survived." Zara shrugged. "You always do."Tracy opened her mouth, but Jaxson cut in from the other bed. "I can't go to court today."Zara snorted. "I'm not going either."Tracy's jaw tightened. She bit back the words burning in her throat. It wouldn't help. Nothing would.She stood up, dragging her feet to towards the bathroom."There's no wat