CHAPTER 101. Screams Under the ShowerThe water ran over their clothes and bodies as they tried to take them off with clumsy, urgent movements. The heat, the need to feel each other's skin, the desperation to be together was consuming them. Andrea lifted her eyes to meet Zack's, who looked at her with a mix of desire, love, and guilt."What’s wrong?" she murmured, caressing his chest, and Zack ran his fingers over the bruises on her arms."I'm sorry...""Hey, it wasn’t your fault," Andrea interrupted."But if I hadn’t left..."Andrea took a deep breath and turned her back to him, lifting her face so the shower water fell on it."You have to let that go. Guilt won’t help us now," she whispered. "If you don't focus on what’s coming, nothing will get solved."Zack rested his forehead on her head, moved her hair aside, and kissed the nape of her neck gently, sending a shiver of pleasure through her body. Andrea closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of his lips on her skin. Zack kissed d

CHAPTER 102. Screams Under the ShowerZack moved his fingers inside her, sliding so smoothly that he could only imagine the exact second he replaced them with his member."Spread your legs," he growled, leaning her over and making her grip the shower's safety bar. "And hold on tight."Andrea trembled because she knew what was coming. The moment Zack’s left hand tangled in her hair, she closed her eyes, and an instant later, she was screaming through clenched teeth, feeling the quick, deep penetration that opened her completely."If it hurts, you can scream," he warned, moving slowly to reach deeper. "If you like it, you can scream too..."But the truth was, there was no other option because, in moments like that, they both went a little crazy. Zack’s hands moved to her hips, and he thrust frantically inside her.His thrusts vibrated the glass wall, shaking the entire room and making everything spin. Andrea moaned and screamed when she couldn’t take it anymore, but still arched her bac

CHAPTER 103. Pretty please?As they drove, Andrea looked out the window and watched the landscape change from one side of the city to the other until they finally arrived at the building where her apartment was located."You need to close your eyes," he said with a playful tone. "Milo and Loan worked really hard on this. I know they would love to be here to see your reaction, but they'll settle for me telling them about it. So close your eyes."Andrea obeyed and let herself be guided to the front door.As soon as they crossed the threshold and he told her she could look, Andrea felt amazed and delighted. The floors were freshly polished, the walls cleaned and painted, and the furniture arranged in a way that made the apartment seem spacious and bright. They had put a lot of effort into making the place look new and welcoming, and it was clear that it had paid off.Andrea couldn’t believe her eyes."Oh my God! This is a thousand times better than I imagined," she murmured, walking arou

CHAPTER 104. I'll Make It Real Later!“We must not forget that Mrs. Brand has no stability!” he declared, glaring at her with malicious eyes. “To begin with, she is her boss’s mistress! The same boss who went to jail two nights ago for breaking into my client’s house, smashing doors as if...!”“Objection!” Gazca stood up. “My client acted in response to an emergency situation involving his partner, Mrs. Brand. And if we’re going to discuss that incident, it should be noted that the same night my client was jailed for entering Mr. Lee’s house, Mr. Lee was also jailed on an attempted rape charge.” The courtroom immediately filled with murmurs.“That was just a setup by Mrs. Brand and her lover to discredit my client and take his daughter from him!”“There are four witnesses, two of them police officers who responded to the scene, who testified to the attempted assault!” Gazca retorted.“Paid off!” Mason’s lawyer shouted. “Colluding with Mrs. Brand and her lov...”“Oh please!” Gazca grow

CHAPTER 105. Excess suspicion?Andrea clenched her fists, and silent tears began to fall down her cheeks.“Is this what you were expecting?” she asked Zack, who was looking at his phone with an expression that alternated between anger and helplessness after listening to that message.“Honestly, no,” he replied. “I was expecting a threat, some boasting about his money or something... But I didn’t expect this.”“Well, I guess he gave you more than you expected,” she replied, heading into the bathroom with the urge to break everything in sight.Zack knew what they had just heard was very tough, and he also knew he needed to let Andrea calm down, so he left to talk to Mr. Gazca and bring him up to speed on the situation.However, they didn’t have much time to wallow in their frustration because, in a few hours, they had to take another very important step.Andrea was scared. It was useless to say otherwise. But that afternoon, when the social worker arrived at the apartment to inspect it,

CHAPTER 106. I told youIt was too obvious which way the scales were tipping, and there was no longer any reason to consider Andrea unfit to care for her daughter, so Basil Gagnon decided to play his next card.“We want to call Mrs. Brand to the stand.”Andrea took a deep breath, but she knew she had to get up on that stand. She swore on the Bible and waited for the attack.“Mrs. Brand, isn’t it true that you have an informal relationship with your boss and could be fired at any moment?”“No,” she responded immediately.“Are you sure? Because as far as we know, he’s the one paying for your lawyer, and if you were to break up then...” Gagnon persisted.“I appreciate your concern, counselor, but I think you’re misinformed. My lawyer is paid by my job, and it’s covered by my company’s insurance. Zack is my formal partner, not just my lover,” Andrea replied firmly.Andrea saw Mason clench his fists, but his lawyer didn’t seem to care.“So you are aware of the level of job vulnerability yo

CHAPTER 107. The sentenceMason’s face was a mask of fury as the audio played.“Objection!” Basil stood up. “We were not informed this evidence would be presented! It can’t be admitted!”“The order just came in,” Gazca smiled, showing the judge a document where experts confirmed the authenticity of the voice message, signed only ten minutes earlier.The judge took the document and read it thoroughly. Then he turned to Gazca.“Counselor, please play the audio again.”Gazca didn’t need to be told twice, and a second later, everyone was listening to it again.“You fucking whore! Are you fucking him? Are you fucking that bastard right now, Andrea? Did you forget what happens when you provoke me, bitch? You want me to send the brat to the hospital again? Huh? Is that what you want? Last time I just gave her bad milk, but who knows what I’ll come up with now! I told you, you can’t escape me! You’ll never escape me, because if you try, your brat will be the one to suffer the consequences! Di

CHAPTER 108. We're LeavingThe two of them looked at each other in silence for a moment, unable to express their feelings but sharing that happiness as Zack brought his face closer to Andrea’s until their lips met in a kiss.“I love you,” she whispered as they hugged.“I love you too,” Zack replied. “We have our baby back now, and I won’t let anything or anyone separate us again.”Zack hugged her tighter, whispering in her ear how much he loved them, sharing all the relief they felt at that moment.“Oh my God, I can’t believe it!” Andrea murmured when Milo brought Adriana over. “I can’t believe no one will ever take her away from us again!”Zack kissed the little girl, and their siblings hugged them, congratulating them.“Fifteen days. That’s all we need for the sentence to settle legally, and then you’ll get all the new documents for Adriana,” Gazca told them. “I’ll make sure everything is ready as soon as possible.”Zack shook his hand with a gesture of gratitude, and everyone left

CHAPTER 109. You were born for thisZack and Andrea had never been together in their own world... ever. Until that moment, they had been two people under the scrutiny of others, and now that it was finally over and they no longer felt judged, life seemed simply wonderful.They had already decided to go to Switzerland for a while.“Well... where are we going to live in the meantime?”“How about we stay at my apartment? I love your new house, but it's not very close to work,” he said, and Andrea nodded.“Sure, plus it’s only for fifteen days, one last chance to enjoy ourselves before facing the harsh reality.”“What harsh reality?” Zack was startled.“That we can’t scream while... you know... at your parents’ house.”Zack burst into laughter, knowing that wouldn’t last long either because they’d find their own home in Switzerland immediately. But they finally packed up what they needed and moved it to Zack’s apartment.Loan and Milo didn’t leave immediately. With the danger a bit furthe

CHAPTER 110. A Proud Man—$200,000... $200,000 a year...? You got a $200,000 annual sponsorship for the kid? —Zack exclaimed, unable to believe it.—Is that too little?—No, it’s a lot for someone who’s still two years away from the professional league! —Zack exclaimed. —The first sponsorship I ever got was for $60,000.Andrea’s eyes widened.—Really? You swear? —she exclaimed, jumping on her tiptoes like a child.—I swear, love, I swear! —Zack said, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her. —You’re amazing! You’re spectacular!After the game, Zack and Andrea headed to the parking lot to go home. As they walked, Andrea couldn’t help but think about how nice the outing had been and felt she had much to be thankful for despite everything.—What would I do if you hadn’t come into my life? —she asked quietly.—You would have found a way to move forward because that’s just who you are, —Zack replied without hesitation. —I, on the other hand, would have spent the rest of my life being