I said yes.
Maybe it was the flashing cameras, the weight of the moment, or the desperation in Dior’s eyes that pushed me to do it. Or maybe, deep down, I knew this was the only way.
Two days later, his name was finally cleared. News headlines changed overnight, shifting from "Dr. Dior Veneracion: The Criminal in Hiding" to "A Love Story Against All Odds—Doctor and Heiress Reunited." The public ate it up, painting us as star-crossed lovers who had been misunderstood all along.
But I knew better. This was just the beginning.
Because if there was one person who wouldn't let this slide, it was Stephanie.
I could feel it in my bones—she wasn’t done. She was out there, plotting, searching for us. And it was only a matter of time before she found a way to strike.
I barely had time to adjust to my new role as Dior’s fiancée when trouble knocked—literally.
It was late, the house quiet except for the soft hum of the baby monitor. I was in the nursery, watching over Seung and Lizzy as they slept, when a sharp knock echoed through the house.
My stomach dropped.
Dior reached the door first, peering through the peephole before muttering a curse.
"Police," he said under his breath.
My heart pounded. "What? Why?"
Before he could answer, the knocking turned aggressive, followed by a firm voice.
"Dr. Dior Veneracion, open the door. We have a warrant for your arrest."
Panic flared through me. "This doesn’t make sense! Your name was cleared—"
Dior shot me a warning look. "Stay with the kids," he ordered.
Like hell, I would.
I followed him as he unlocked the door, revealing three officers, their expressions blank but firm.
"We're taking you in for theft and fraud," one of them announced.
"What?!" I stepped forward, my voice sharp. "On what grounds?"
"The investigation has been reopened," the officer replied. "New evidence has surfaced."
Bullshit.
I turned to Dior, my hands trembling. "This is a setup."
He sighed, as if he had been expecting this. "I know."
Before I could argue, he gently squeezed my hand. "You need to stay here. Lizzy and Seung need you."
"But—"
"I’ll be back." His eyes held a quiet promise. "I need you to trust me."
Everything in me wanted to fight, to stop them from taking him. But I couldn’t.
So, I nodded. And I let him go.
Lizzy didn’t understand at first.
She kept asking where her dad was, her big brown eyes filled with fear. I did my best to reassure her, even though my own heart was in shambles.
"Your dad’s strong," I told her, running my fingers through her soft curls. "Nothing bad will happen to him."
I don’t know if I was trying to convince her or myself.
Then, one night, as I tucked her into bed, she suddenly wrapped her little arms around me.
"I love you, Mommy."
My breath hitched.
Mommy.
The word settled deep inside me, warm and unexpected. She had never called me that before.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and hugged her tightly. "I love you too, Lizzy."
At that moment, I knew—I wasn’t just fighting for revenge anymore. I was fighting for this family we had built, no matter how unconventional it was.
And that meant I needed to act fast.
The next morning, I made my first move.
If Stephanie was involved in this, she wouldn’t stop at just Dior. She’d come for me next. And worse—for Lizzy and Seung.
I needed help.
Through an underground agency, I hired a nanny—someone I could trust to watch over the kids while I handled things. And as luck would have it, the woman I found wasn’t just any nanny.
She was a former police intel.
"You can relax," she assured me after I told her everything. "No one’s touching those kids under my watch."
With that settled, I went after Dior.
Finding him wasn’t hard.
He was being held at a precinct just outside the city, in a dimly lit room that smelled of sweat and damp cement.
And when I saw him, rage burned through me like wildfire.
His face was a mess—bruises blooming across his cheekbone, a split lip, fresh cuts on his knuckles.
I stormed toward him. "Who did this to you?"
He exhaled heavily, leaning back against the cold wall. "Inmates. Seems like I’m not very popular in here."
I clenched my fists. "Did the cops let it happen?"
His silence was enough of an answer.
I took a shaky breath, trying to steady my anger. "We need to get you out of here."
Dior’s jaw tightened. "No. You need to leave."
I frowned. "What?"
"It’s too dangerous, Sarah," he said, his voice low but urgent. "If they’re coming after me, they’ll come after you too. And if they can’t get to you…" His eyes darkened. "They’ll go after the kids."
My blood ran cold.
"Go back to them," he continued. "Protect them. That’s the only thing that matters now."
I shook my head. "No. We started this together—"
"And we’ll finish it," he cut in. "But not if you get yourself caught."
A lump formed in my throat.
I didn’t want to leave him.
But I knew he was right.
I had to make a choice.
Stay and fight alongside him…
Or run back to protect the family we had built.
My feet refused to move, my heart battling against my mind. But then, from the corner of my eye, I saw something—an officer watching us too closely, gripping his radio like he had just received an order. My chest tightened. It was now or never.
