CHAPTER 880. MY LITTLE BELOVED. Wounded HeartsHer heart ached, her body hurt, even her thoughts were painful; but she could do nothing more than take one step after another and be strong.Gigi stepped off the last bus in a small town near Lake Geneva. Her feet felt heavy, and her thoughts were a mess, but the sight of the lake calmed her for a moment. The sun was beginning to set behind the mountains, reflecting off the tranquil water, as if the world were a more peaceful and orderly place than the one she had left behind. After two days of switching buses, moving without a clear destination, she had finally arrived somewhere no one knew her—a place where she could disappear.Lake Geneva was enormous, surrounded by both large cities and small villages seemingly forgotten by God. She walked through the cobbled streets of one of those villages until she found a small inn. Its facade was simple but welcoming, and Gigi pushed open the wooden door, making a small bell chime to announce he
CHAPTER 881. MY LITTLE BELOVED. HelpGigi sat at the small table in her kitchen, staring at the pregnancy tests she had left there, as if they were bombs about to explode. Her breathing was unsteady, her pulse raced, and her hands trembled. All night, she had avoided the inevitable moment when she would have to face what she feared the most. So, as the sun began to rise over the lake, she remained frozen in place. She didn’t know what to do. If the tests came out positive, her entire life would change in an instant. But damn it, her life was already a disaster!“This can’t be…” she murmured for the umpteenth time, trying to convince herself that she was overreacting, that it was just her body playing tricks on her.Finally, when the anxiety became too much to bear, she got up from the chair, grabbed one of the tests, and walked to the bathroom with unsteady steps. She shut the door behind her and sat on the edge of the bathtub, staring at the small device with a mixture of terror and
CHAPTER 882. MY LITTLE BELOVED. Until the Last Trace.Niko sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window as his uncle John drove. The narrow roads wound through small villages, surrounded by green fields and the towering backdrop of the Alps. The sun was beginning to rise, casting a soft golden glow over the road, but the day didn’t feel bright to him.They had spent days going from town to town, stopping at every bus station, asking at every restaurant, every grocery store, but it was all in vain. Gigi seemed to have vanished like a shadow. Niko tried to stay calm, but the frustration was eating him alive. He couldn’t stop imagining her alone, scared, unsure of whom to trust. Was she eating well? Was she safe?"This place seems quiet too," John said, breaking the silence as he glanced at the small map on the dashboard screen. "We could ask at the bus station and then check the surrounding areas. Maybe someone has seen her.""Maybe," Niko sighed.They got out of the car and walked
CHAPTER 883. MY LITTLE BELOVED. HelpGigi was sitting at the small kitchen table, staring at the pregnancy tests she had left there as if they were bombs about to explode. Her breathing was shallow, her pulse was racing, and her hands were trembling. All night long, she had avoided the inevitable moment when she would have to face what she feared. So now, as the sun was rising over the lake, she remained frozen. She didn’t know what to do. If the tests were positive, her entire life would change in an instant. But damn it, her life was already a disaster!"This can't be..." she murmured for the umpteenth time, trying to convince herself that she was overreacting, that this was just her body playing tricks on her.Finally, when the anxiety became too much to bear, she got up from the chair, grabbed one of the tests, and walked to the bathroom with hesitant steps. She closed the door behind her and sat on the edge of the bathtub, staring at the small device with a mix of terror and desp
CHAPTER 884. MY LITTLE BELOVED. At the Gates of DisasterThe phone was still warm in Gigi’s hands. She had spoken with Anja just ten minutes ago when a loud knock echoed at the door. Galia started howling like crazy, so intensely that Gigi assumed Ingrid was rushing over with some kind of emergency. Because, of course, there was no one else she knew well enough to be knocking at this hour."Calm down, Galia!" she whispered as she walked to the door, her heart pounding.She opened it without thinking too much, but what she saw was nowhere near what she expected.Niko.He was there.He was standing right in front of her.Why…?Why was he…?The world seemed to freeze for a second, and before her mind could process what was happening, the ground disappeared beneath her feet. Everything went black for Gigi, and Niko barely had time to react—but his reflexes were quicker than his surprise. He took a step forward and caught her before she collapsed, just as John rushed toward them."Gigi!" N
CHAPTER 885. MY LITTLE BELOVED. Painful TruthsNiko was at a loss for words, as if the world had suddenly become a fragile bubble bursting before him.The pregnancy test in his hands felt as heavy as a ton of bricks, and from the flood of emotions crashing through him, none was as strong as sheer shock. He looked at Gigi, standing in front of him with tear-stained, red-rimmed eyes, and all he wanted to do was hold her, kiss her… though he knew that doing so would only make things worse."I'm so sorry…!" He heard her sob. "I didn’t mean to… I swear it wasn’t on purpose! This… this happened the night we celebrated the cooking competition. I… I should’ve taken the morning-after pill, but…""Gigi…" Niko wasn’t even asking for an explanation, but she averted her gaze, biting her lip nervously."I swear I bought it. You reminded me that morning, and I bought it!... but then Renard showed up," she continued, speaking slowly, as if reliving every painful detail. "He forced me to go to my moth
CHAPTER 1. More than one way to break a heart**JANUARY SEATTLE**"How could you do this?!" Zack Keller's furious roar stopped his girlfriend right at the door as soon as he saw her arrive.Giselle saw a piece of paper in his hand and had no idea what he was talking about, but she had never seen him so upset as he was at that moment."I don't know what you're talking about...""Of course you do! You aborted my child! You lost it on purpose!" he accused her angrily. "Did you at least have the damn intention of telling me anything?!"The woman in front of him turned pale."How... how do you know...?"Zack threw the paper in her direction and looked at her with disappointment."Do you forget you're on my company's health insurance?" he spat, approaching her. "As soon as your last name appeared in the payment records, they notified me. Imagine my joy when I found out the insurance had paid for a pregnancy test and then for an ultrasound!"Giselle stepped away from him, her face red with e
CHAPTER 2. Something is Very Wrong...**NOVEMBER. VANCOUVER**"Andrea! To my office! Now!"The shout from her boss, a middle manager at SportUnike, made her jump in her seat, anxious because she knew he was in a very bad mood that day."Is this a damn joke?" he growled, throwing a folder of documents at her face. "I clearly told you I needed the budget reports for the water sports division from last month!"Andrea's eyes widened."But... Mr. Trembley... I'm sure you said you wanted this month's reports...""Don't argue with me, you useless idiot!" her boss snapped. At fifty years old, Peter Trembley was as unpleasant as his bulging belly, but Andrea had to endure him because she had barely managed to get a job as his assistant, and she and her daughter depended on it to survive. "Don't you realize what's happening? SportUnike is gone! A Swiss bastard bought it, and now we'll just be a part of his company! Do you know what that means?"Andrea knew. The arrival of a new owner had create