Her face was gaunt, but her eyes were unmistakable.
“I knew you’d come,” she murmured.
Two men burst from the building.
“You shouldn’t be here,” one growled, pulling a knife.
Adrian stepped forward, removing his jacket. “If you touch her, you won’t walk away.”
Sirens echoed through the valley. Police lights illuminated the crumbling walls. The men tried to flee but were quickly surrounded.
Adrian lifted his mother carefully into his arms.
“We’re going home,” he said.
Back in the city, police raided the penthouse. Vanessa was arrested while trying to empty the safe. The family doctor was detained at the airport.
The truth unfolded: Helena had been drugged, declared dead under falsified documentation, and secretly moved. Vanessa had wanted control of Adrian’s inheritance.
But Adrian no longer cared about headlines.
He brought Helena to the old family estate outside the city. Doctors treated her, but love restored her spirit. Ethan stayed close, protective and gentle.
One afternoon, Adrian walked into the living room to find the grand piano restored. Helena sat at the bench, still frail but stronger.
“Would you like to try?” she asked Ethan.
“My hands are dirty,” he whispered.