Chapter 1383
The second Adah read those words, her playful smile faded. She didn’t pause, didn’t hesitate—just launched herself toward the lounge.
Lance tore after her, shouting, “Adah! Where the hell are you going?”
“Stop following me!” Adah hurled the words over her shoulder without breaking stride.
Lance jerked to a stop, too uncertain to keep chasing.
Meanwhile, Allan had been lurking nearby, watching Adah like she might vanish any second. Seeing her run off abruptly, his instincts screamed that something was wrong. He shot after her without thinking.
Back at the lounge, Elliana burst through the door with Cole practically glued to her side.
Elliana flew over to Rita and dropped down beside her, voice shaking with raw excitement. “Mom! Is it real? Do you honestly remember everything?”
“Everything,” Rita murmured, reaching up to stroke Elliana’s cheek. Her voice carried equal parts self-reproach and relief. “I’m so sorry I lost all that time—sorry I even forgot my own daughter’s face. But thank God all my memories are back now. It’s not too late. I can finally wish my beautiful girl a happy married life ahead with my whole heart intact.”
“Thank you, Mom!” Elliana threw herself into Rita’s arms, practically vibrating with joy. But she pulled back just as fast, eyes suddenly blazing with urgency. “Mom—do you remember Sally now?”
The moment Sally’s name hit the air, Rita’s expression locked up tight.
The memories Sophie had unlocked had come roaring back in a chaotic flood. Rita hadn’t had time to sift through them yet, hadn’t zeroed in on Sally specifically. But now, jolted by Elliana’s question, those scattered pieces snapped together, and everything connected to Sally surged to the front of her mind.
“I remember,” Rita said slowly, her brow creasing. “Sally, she…”
At that moment, the lounge door exploded open and Adah flew inside, gasping for air.
Elliana immediately yanked Adah toward Sophie. “Mom, this is Sally’s daughter Adah!”
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Rita and Sophie had both heard plenty about Adah, of course. But the past few weeks, Rita had been overseas with Arthur chasing down her lost past, and Sophie had been holed up recovering from surgery. Neither of them had ever actually laid eyes on the girl.
As Elliana spoke, Rita and Sophie rose in perfect sync, each reaching out to take one of Adah’s trembling hands.
“So you’re Adah?” Sophie studied Adah’s face, her eyes going soft with something like sympathy. “Oh, sweetheart—look how much you’ve grown.”
Rita gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind Adah’s ear, her voice cracking with emotion. “Adah, if Sally could see how stunning you’ve become, she’d be so damn proud.”
To Adah, Sophie was a stranger—she’d never seen this woman before in her life. But Rita… Rita had always wrapped her up in motherly warmth, treated her like she mattered.
“Hello,” Adah greeted Sophie politely. Then, she turned to Rita, and her voice dropped to barely a whisper. “Where is my mom?”
“Ten years back, Sally and I bounced from city to city before we finally settled in Cadena,” Rita said, her voice carrying the weight of those wandering years. “We found this little villa tucked away in the suburbs—nothing fancy, just quiet. We kept our heads down, stayed to ourselves. For a while, everything felt… safe.” Her expression darkened. “Then, I had to run an errand one afternoon. Never made it to where I was going. Miguel’s men grabbed me off the street, and that was it. After that, I never laid eyes on Sally again.”
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