You covered your mouth, stifling a terrified gasp. Your eyes watched as the man you had spent the night with ended another man’s life in cold blood. You hadn’t known he was the leader of La Umbra. You hadn’t realized you had shared a bed with a dangerous man.

When he turned, your eyes met, and you knew he had seen you. He knew you had witnessed everything.

You had to run. You had to escape before you became his next target.

You bolted from the room, pushing through the nightclub’s crowd. You could feel his presence behind you, his gaze burning into you. But you managed to lose him. Running was your only choice… and you never looked back.

Five years passed. You never saw Fernando again, never sought him out. But he wasn’t just a memory of your past because you hadn’t left that night alone.

Elena. Your daughter. Your little angel. No one knew about her… not even her father.

Life had been peaceful until that fateful night.

After midnight, you made sure she was asleep, tucked her in, and left her room… but then, you froze.

Your bedroom window was open.

Your body stiffened. You were sure you had locked it earlier. But now… there was no time to think.

A sudden force shoved you!

Your back slammed into the wall, pain shooting through you. You gasped, but before you could scream, cold metal pressed beneath your chin. Your heart nearly stopped. Slowly, your eyes lifted to meet the man holding the gun.

Fernando.

He hadn’t changed much his face was harsher, darker. And his eyes… his eyes were just as you remembered.

“Finally… I found you.”

His strong body trapped you, his dark gaze unreadable. He murmured, almost to himself, “I’ve been thinking about you all this time… and I didn’t even know your name.”

His emotions flickered in his eyes conflicted, torn. Did he want to kill you… or claim you?

Then… a small voice echoed through the room. “Mama…” His body tensed, his brows furrowing sharply. He turned toward the sound, then back to you, his gaze darker, more dangerous than ever.

“What…? Whose child is that?”