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Dante stood still, watching her leave, his chest tightening. The way she addressed him—so formal, so cold—it clawed at his insides.
He rubbed his eyes, jaw clenched, breath uneven. He wanted to run after her, to pull her back and tell her the truth, but he couldn’t risk forcing her to stay.
Even though every part of him wanted nothing more than to hold on.
***
Anya stepped out of the hotel, her fingers trembling around the strap of her purse. She kept her head high, her face blank, but inside she was falling apart.
‘He’s going to marry someone else.’
She clenched her jaw, swallowing the ache in her throat. ‘I can’t stay near him anymore. If I do, I’ll only get in the way. His wife will get angry.’
The wordwifeechoed in her head, cruel and unforgiving.
A sharp pain stabbed through her chest. She pressed a hand over her heart, trying to calm herself, but the ache only grew.
‘I have to move out. I can’t live in that house anymore.’
Just the thought of it made it hard to breathe. Her decision hurt more than she expected—but staying would hurt worse.
***
At the Carter Corporation headquarters, Luca strode briskly down the hallway toward Charles Carter’s CEO office. Without wasting a second, he entered and headed straight to the desk.
“Uncle Charles, here’s the information,” he said, placing a file in front of him with a grin. “We found Anya. She left not too long ago, so tracking her wasn’t too hard. Lucky for us.”
Charles stood up instantly, a hopeful smile lighting up his usually stern face as he reached for the file.
“Where is she?”
“That family kicked her out,” Luca said, his voice laced with contempt. “They found out she wasn’t their real daughter and tossed her onto the streets.”
Charles’s face hardened, fury replacing joy.
“They threw her out without a second thought,” Luca continued, anger flashing in his eyes. “Didn’t even ask where she’d go. But luckily, James Fox arranged for her to stay at a friend’s house before everything fell apart.”
Charles clenched his fists. “And now?”
“She’s staying with the Kingsleys,” Luca replied. “Griffin Kingsley took her in after James sent her there through a friend.”
“The Kingsleys? As in the tech company owners?” Charles confirmed.
“The same.”
Charles let out a heavy breath, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “Good,” he murmured, eyes fluttering shut in relief. “She’s safe.”
Then Luca opened the file. “Here. This is her—Anya.”
Charles picked up the paper, staring down at the photo. His breath caught. Her smile. Her eyes.
“She looks so much like her mother,” he whispered, eyes misting. “I haven’t seen her since she was two.”
His hands trembled as he brushed his fingers over her photo, his heart aching with years of guilt, love, and longing.
“Don’t worry, Uncle,” Luca said, walking up to Charles and giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “We’ve been looking for her for years. Let’s bring her home as soon as possible.”
“Yeah…” Charles murmured, his voice hoarse with emotion.