Chapter 27
Gwen took one hesitant step forward. Her wide, glassy eyes searched the tall figure standing in the middle of the estate’s grand hall. The silence was heavy, almost suffocating, until her trembling lips parted.”
“Daddy… is it really you?”
Leandro’s heart stuttered. The sound of her voice–his daughter’s voice–was both a balm and a blade. “Gwen,” he whispered, his arms opening instinctively.”
But before he could take another step, Gwen ran to him and stopped just short, her tiny fists clenched at her sides. “I hate you!” she shouted, her voice cracking. “You’re bad! You hurt Mommy–for Nadine! You made her cry, all the time! You left us!“% The words pierced through Leandro like arrows. He reached out, desperate to touch her, but she recoiled, tears streaking her face. “No, sweetheart, listen to me,” he begged. “It wasn’t like that. I… I made mistakes, yes, but I never stopped loving you. I never stopped-”
“Then why?” Gwen sobbed, her voice shrill. “Why didn’t you save us? Why didn’t you protect Mommy from her? Why didn’t you come for me?“”
Leandro dropped to his knees, his voice hoarse. “I tried, Gwen. I swear, I tried. But I was blind… I thought I was protecting you by keeping the world together, and instead I let everything fall apart.”
Her little chest heaved, her voice small but sharp. “You don’t deserve to be my daddy.”
The words hit harder than any blade. Leandro’s hand fell to his side, trembling, his eyes filling. “Then why…” His gaze flickered toward Martin, who had stepped into the doorway, drawn by Gwen’s cries. “Why do you call him Daddy? What about me? What about the years I held you, loved you, dreamed of you?“!
Gwen shook her head, clutching Martin’s hand as he approached. “Because he doesn’t make Mommy cry. Because he stayed. Because he loves us.“?
Leandro’s chest caved, his breath ragged. “No… no…” His voice cracked, raw with anguish.
Martin bent down, scooping Gwen into his arms. She buried her face against his chest, still hiccupping with sobs. He stroked her back gently, murmuring, “It’s okay, sweetheart. You’re safe.“>
Leandro watched helplessly as his daughter clung to another man. His daughter. His Gwen.
When Martin carried her away toward her room, leaving only silence in their wake, Leandro turned back to Emerald, his grief twisting into anger. “You did this,” he spat, his eyes blazing. “You turned her against me. You poisoned her!”
Emerald stood firm, her gaze steady even as tears rimmed her lashes. “No, Leandro. You did this to yourself. Years of broken promises, years of letting Nadine control you, years of making me invisible–you did this.“>
“She’s mine!” Leandro roared, his voice echoing through the hall.
“She’s not,” Emerald said coldly. “She’s adopted by Martin now. She’s his legally. If you want to see her, you’ll wait until she calls for you. Until she forgives you. You don’t get to demand it anymore.“[
His face crumbled further, desperation clawing at him. “And us? What about love, Emerald? Do you really feel nothing left for me?”
Emerald’s lips trembled, but she steeled herself. “Nothing, Leandro. Whatever love I had for you died the day you chose pride
over us.”
Her words left him shattered, and there was nothing more he could say. With his heart bleeding in silence, Leandro turned and walked out of the estate.
The night air hit him like a storm, bitter and unrelenting. Rage burned in his chest, but grief weighed heavier. He barely noticed the vibration of his phone until the butler’s voice cracked through.
“Sir-” The voice trembled. “It’s the baby. Miss Nadine… she–she lost the child. The doctors said the stress…. it was too much.“”
Leandro froze, the world tilting. For a long moment, he said nothing. Finally, his voice came low, hollow. “Then this is karma indeed.“%
He ended the call and drove without thinking, his car carrying him to Nadine’s villa.
Inside, he found her pale and broken, sitting on the edge of the bed with her arms wrapped around herself. Her once–vibrant eyes were dull, her lips trembling. “Leandro…” she whispered when she saw him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… I didn’t…” Her voice cracked, dissolving into sobs.
He stood over her, silent for a long moment, before finally speaking. “There’s nothing left between us, Nadine. Nothing to bind us now.“%
Her tears fell harder. She reached for him, clutching his sleeve. “Don’t leave me. Please. I lost the baby, Leandro… I lost everything. Don’t take you away too.“%
His jaw clenched, his voice sharp. “I can’t give you what you want. I can’t give you love. Because my heart…” His voice broke.
“My heart was always hers “X
12:17 PM P P
@
“My heart was always hers.“\
Nadine’s grip weakened, her hand slipping away. A bitter laugh escaped her lips, twisted with sorrow. “Her. Always her.” She leaned back, staring at the ceiling, her face crumpling. “And I thought… I thought if I fought hard enough, if I screamed loud enough, I could win. But I was wrong.”
For the first time, her defiance melted into exhaustion. Her sobs quieted, her body sinking into the pillows. “Maybe this is what karma feels like,” she whispered. “To lose what I clung to so tightly. To feel the emptiness she must have felt when she thought Gwen was gone.””
Leandro turned to leave, but her voice called faintly after him. “Leandro… tell her I’m sorry. Tell Emerald… I know what it feels like now. And I don’t want to fight anymore. I just… want peace.“}
He paused at the doorway, the weight of her words settling on him. But he said nothing, stepping into the night, carrying his grief like a shadow that would never leave.
