Chapter 25 - ASHES OF THE PAST
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Three weeks passed like a slow, painful fever.
Elena sat inside a modest, sunlit diner three miles away from the Vance estate, wearing a simple gray cardigan and pouring coffee for early morning commuters. Her jaw had mostly healed, leaving only a faint shadow near her cheekbone, but the memory of that terrifying night remained etched into her soul.
She preferred the hard work here. The clinking of coffee mugs and the smell of toasted bread felt honest. It didn't carry the suffocating weight of silk gowns, fake smiles, and hidden evil.
The diner’s front bell chimed softly.
Elena didn't look up immediately as she wiped down the wooden counter. “Take any open booth, I’ll be right with—”
She stopped.
Standing in the doorway was Marcus Vance.
He looked entirely stripped of his billionaire aura. His tailored suit was slightly wrinkled, the top buttons of his shirt unfastened, and deep, dark circles bruised the skin beneath his eyes. He looked like a man who hadn't slept a full hour since the night at the pool.
In his arms, wrapped in a soft blue cardigan, was baby Leo.
When the infant saw Elena, his tiny mouth opened into a wide, toothless grin, and he let out a happy, gurgling babble, waving his small fists in the air.
Elena’s heart slammed against her ribs. She set her towel down, her professional coldness instantly melting at the sight of the child she had dragged from the depths of the pool.
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“You shouldn't be here, Marcus,” Elena whispered, looking around the quiet diner.
“He hasn't stopped crying at night, Elena,” Marcus said softly, taking a hesitant step closer to the counter. “Not until he hears a voice that sounds like yours. I didn't come here to force you back. I came because… I need you to know the whole truth.”
