For a new mom, the longing was relentless, gnawing at her every day, and she couldn''t talk to anyone about it. It was driving her insane.
"This spot is peaceful, and I''ve hired someone to keep an eye on it. Grandpa even said, if he... he wants his final resting ce to be here too, so Mateo wouldn''t be alone."
The man beside her spoke with a voice roughened by hidden pain that was hard to detect. He had carefully piled the small mound of earth behind the gravestone himself, one handful at a time. It was thest thing he could do for the child who never got to see the world. Selena nced sideways at him.
Under the dim, rainy light beneath the umbre, his handsome face seemed blurred with moisture, making his true emotions hard to read. To her, his face only showed hypocrisy.
Because he was the one responsible for all this!
If it weren''t for him, she wouldn''t have barely survived childbirth, wouldn''t have been separated from her child right after birth, and wouldn''t be stuck by his side, unable to see her child even now.
Anger zed inside her, and she wanted to call him out for having the nerve to act so sincere. Who did he think he was fooling?
Her hands, hanging by her sides, were clenched tight, nails digging into her palms. The pain brought her back to her senses. Patience is key, she reminded herself.
Everett, this sly man, could catch any slip-up she made, and that would ruin everything she and Dr. Campbell had nned. Selena closed her eyes, and after a moment, calmed herself down.
"If you had told me earlier you wereing to pay respects to the baby, I could''ve brought a gift."
She stepped forward and sat in front of the gravestone.
"Could you give us a moment? I want to talk to the baby alone."
Selena lifted her gaze, her wet, dark eyes meeting Everett''s. Her voice was still cool, but her eyes held a trace of pleading.
Her reluctance made him uneasy, but it had been so long since she''d looked at him with even a hint of softness. Eventually, Everett agreed.
He bent down, leaving the ck umbre with her, and reminded, "The rain might get heavier, don''t stay too long."
Selena gave a slight nod.
Everett turned and walked a few steps away, allowing them some mother-and-child space.
But his eyes never left her.
Selena gently touched the ultrasound photo of her child, tears of relief falling. In her heart, she whispered: Baby, mom wille for you soon, just wait for me!
Under the cover of the ck
umbre, she quickly lifted her shirt,
took out a sticky note hidden there,
crumpled it into a little ball, and
tucked it into the earth by the gravestone. en
"What''s wrong?"
Seeing her half-hidden under the umbre, Everett sensed something and came over quickly.
The umbre was lifted again, revealing Selena''s tear-streaked face.
He paused, then knelt down, his fingertips brushing her cold cheeks, wiping away her tears. "Don''t cry, Mateo wouldn''t want to see you sad."
Not wanting to raise his suspicions, Selena spoke hoarsely, "Did they catch the one responsible for Mateo''s death?"
"Still on the run," Everett said, his eyes darkening.
If they were back home, the culprit
would have nowhere to hide. But abroad, it was much harder to catch
them unless he took full control of the Bet family''s influence.
BUMS
Seeing his focus shift, Selena quietly exhaled and said, "Let''s head back."
She stood up, ready to leave.
But an arm wrapped around her waist, Everett holding the umbre with one hand and embracing her from behind with the other, his chin resting on her shoulder.
Maybe her sadness moved him, or maybe he didn''t want to continue their cold standoff. He held her close, whispering in her ear.
"Selena, I will find the person responsible, avenge Mateo, and get you the closure you need. Can you give me another chance? This time I won''t..."
Before he could finish saying "let you down," Selena interrupted him.
Her voice was softer than the drizzle around them as she asked. "What if the mastermind is Margot? WouldContent protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.
you deal with her too? Would you
make sure her life pays for adife?"