Thomas ran through the narrow Roman alley, his breaths fast and uneven. The clue Victoria found—a small sketch Estrella had drawn of a hidden garden near the Forum—echoed in his mind.
"If I disappear… it's the only place where I can breathe."
He remembered her whispering that weeks ago, thinking it was just poetry.
It wasn't.
And then he saw it.
A small silver bracelet tangled in the roots of an olive tree—the bracelet Estrella never removed.
"Estrella…" he whispered, his chest tightening. He grabbed it and kept running.
Behind him, sirens from the newly involved police units cut the night air.
Estrella Found
Thomas finally reached the old garden. Moonlight filtered through the ancient stone columns, casting long shadows.
He saw her—Estrella—sitting against the wall, hugging her knees, trembling and utterly lost.
"Estrella!"
She looked up, tears streaming down her face, breathing in broken gasps.
"Why… why didn't anyone tell me?" she cried. "About my birth… about mamá… about everything…"
Thomas dropped beside her, pulling her into his arms as she fell apart.
"You're not alone," he whispered. "I'm here. I found you. I'm not leaving."
She clung to him, shaking, her voice small.
"Take me home… please."
He didn't hesitate—just lifted her up and carried her back toward the street, toward the flashing lights, toward the world that had shattered her.
Aaliyah's Collapse
Back at the hospital, Aaliyah sat alone in the dim room after Ethan stormed out earlier, proclaiming he "couldn't handle watching her love someone else."
She didn't chase him.
She didn't have the strength.
Her body felt heavier than her thoughts—sharp pain twisting across her lower abdomen. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.
"Damiano…" she whispered, pressing her hand to her stomach as the pain grew stronger, deeper, unbearable.
Nurses rushed in when they heard the crash—Aaliyah's water bottle hitting the floor as she doubled over.
"Lie down, signora—now. Call the obstetrics team!"
The room spun. Aaliyah clutched the sheets, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
"Please… not the baby… please…"
Damiano
Damiano sprinted down the hospital hallway toward the search command center, torn between two impossible choices:
Find Estrella.
Or return to Aaliyah.
His chest burned. His eyes were wild.
"I need to help search—my daughter is out there—"
But before he could finish, a nurse grabbed his arm.
"Signor—your partner is in emergency care. She is losing a lot of blood."
Everything stopped.
"Aaliyah?" His voice cracked.
"Is the baby—?"
"We don't know yet."
Damiano froze, agony stripping him bare.
He turned between the two hallways—the one leading to the search teams… and the one leading back to Aaliyah.
He was breaking in two.
Thomas Returns With Estrella
Thomas ran into the main entrance carrying Estrella in his arms. Police and nurses surrounded them immediately.
Victoria gasped in relief the moment she saw them.
"Where's Aaliyah?" Thomas asked.
Victoria's expression fell.
"She's… she's not doing well. The baby—"
Estrella's breath faltered.
"No… no no no…"
"Take her upstairs," a nurse ordered, leading Thomas and Estrella toward the elevators.
Estrella held Thomas's hand so tightly it trembled.
"Please let mamá be okay… please…"
A Mother's Worst Moment
Aaliyah lay in the emergency room, pale, sweating, barely able to keep her eyes open. The monitors beeped erratically.
Damiano burst into the room as doctors worked around her.
"Aaliyah! I'm here, amore—stay with me—"
She tried to smile.
"Did you… find her?"
"She's safe. Thomas brought her back."
Aaliyah exhaled shakily, relief trembling through her.
But then the doctor stepped forward, expression heavy.
"Mr. David… I'm sorry. We did everything we could."
A silence so deep it crushed the walls.
Aaliyah closed her eyes.
Damiano broke.
The Loss
The room felt colder. Smaller. Too quiet.
Aaliyah reached for Damiano's hand, pulling him close.
"It's my fault…" she whispered.
"No," he said instantly, voice cracking. "It's not. Don't ever—don't you dare—say that."
"I couldn't protect our baby…"
Damiano rested his forehead against hers, shaking with grief, their tears mixing.
"We'll get through this," he whispered. "Together. No matter how hard it gets."
But Aaliyah didn't answer.
Her sobs were silent now—just the kind that break the soul, not the air.
Thomas & Estrella Outside the Door
Estrella pressed both hands to her mouth when she heard the doctor.
Thomas wrapped his arms around her as she collapsed against him, crying into his chest.
"It's not fair…" Estrella whispered. "She was so happy…"
"I know," he whispered, holding her tighter.
But even as he comforted her, his own tears fell.
Ethan's Shadow
Down the hall, Ethan watched from a distance—eyes red, jaw tense, guilt twisting through him.
He whispered to himself:
"I never meant for it to go this far…"
But it already had.
Closing the Chapter
Night fell over Rome, but the hospital didn't sleep.
Aaliyah was moved to a private recovery room. Damiano stayed beside her, refusing to leave—holding her hand, apologizing, breaking, healing, breaking again.
Estrella and Thomas sat in the waiting room, clinging to each other.
Victoria paced the hallway, suddenly the only stable one of the entire family.
The world was quiet.
Too quiet.
And nothing would ever be the same again.