Chapter 1717: A mother

What this investigation wouldn’t reveal were Naylani’s true feelings toward Enzo. Sure, with everything going on in her life, it was easy to assume she had used him for her own gain.

But in truth, Enzo had become a calm she never realized she needed.

After years of fighting and putting her life on the line—watching her people die, taking in their final breaths, and enduring betrayal after betrayal—even someone like Naylani could grow tired.

At some point, she began to ask herself if any of it was still worth it.

Deep down, she knew this war... was never hers to win. There had already been too much devastation, too much loss. Even if she killed Nathalie in the end, it wouldn’t be a victory.

It would just be survival.

And with Enzo?

She found peace in his presence.

For the first time in what felt like forever, someone made her feel that breathing wasn’t so bad. That it was okay to laugh at simple, silly things.

Enzo... grounded her.

He made her feel human. A woman.

Not just a soldier burdened with the lives of an entire battalion—lives that would be lost if she failed. With him, she could be delicate, be cared for. He was her home, her peace. Her first—and perhaps only—love.

But also... he was her delusion.

Naylani had always known that her time with Enzo, these peaceful days, were nothing more than an illusion. Temporary. The two of them were meant to meet and fall in love—but not meant to stay together.

She knew that.

And yet, she kept telling herself: Just one more day.

One more day before she leaves. One more day before she says goodbye.

One more day... but that day stretched into weeks. Then months. And just as she finally found the strength to return to the war—the war that haunted her even in her sleep—she got pregnant.

Naylani could’ve sworn she was taking contraceptives in secret. She didn’t want a child. She couldn’t bear to bring a child into a world where she knew Nathalie would kill it without hesitation.

She wasn’t supposed to have it. In truth, she planned to terminate the pregnancy.

But then Enzo brought a doctor home.

And they heard the baby’s heartbeat.

Everything she had planned, every resolve she’d clung to, dissolved without a trace. All she remembered was the sound of that tiny heartbeat echoing in the room... the warm tears falling from her eyes... Enzo’s hand gripping hers... and the look on his face.

She knew she couldn’t have the child.

She knew the fate that awaited it if she did.

But in that moment, she couldn’t justify the cruelty anymore. Because in that second, she became a mother.

A mother who had fallen in love with someone she hadn’t even met. A mother to a child born not from politics, not from strategy, but from love.

A mother who could only whisper to her unborn child’s heart: "I’m sorry... that your mother is me."

But all of that... was just one part of the truth.

A part that the child may never know.

And perhaps... it was better that way.

---

"If I’m correct, she investigated Uncle Haines and Dad while she was in Anteca," Zoren said in a solemn tone. "Since Noel had ties with Uncle Haines—and since the leader of that operation was his cousin—I think that’s what made them suspicious of you."

"After all, they believed Noel could’ve told Uncle Haines something," he added. "Or worse, there was another scheme they weren’t aware of."

"If that’s true, then why didn’t they come for me?" Charles’s voice came through the phone. "They only attacked Haines under the pretense of investigating the baby swap."

Zoren looked down at the phone in silence. Then he lifted his gaze and locked eyes with his brother-in-law. Everyone else stared at the phone, too—even Finn. The only one confused was Dean, furrowing his brows as he noticed the shift in everyone’s expression.

Because the truth was...

’They did,’ Penny thought. ’They killed you and our family slowly, but deliberately.’

’In the first life, you had that accident that left you paralyzed. And now that everything’s been uncovered... I think they did it to make your entire family suffer—to watch you wither.

And eventually... you gave in,’ Finn thought.

’If it weren’t for Penny losing her mind and fixing the company crisis in this life... you wouldn’t be here,’ Slater thought grimly. ’She saved you—all of us—from reliving that same loss.’

Whether they admitted it or not, Charles had been their shield. He might’ve been unconventional, but he was their greatest protector. He defended Allison from the Bennet family, kept his children away from Chairman Bennet’s twisted beliefs.

With him around, they knew what it meant to feel safe.

Atlas and Hugo had learned the truth about their father’s death in the first life. That was why they sat silently now. They still couldn’t imagine a world without him. They couldn’t even bring themselves to think about it.

"...That, I have no idea," Zoren finally said, shrugging despite Charles not being able to see him. "But my guess is, at that time, Global Prime Logistics was too high-profile. Touching you might’ve complicated things."

Everyone glanced at Zoren, but he didn’t look up from the phone.

"That’s just my theory. Besides, the baby swap had already happened. Maybe they thought that was enough at the time."

Charles didn’t respond, unaware of the thoughts clouding his children’s minds. "I see."

"So..." Dean began, still clueless as to why the mood had shifted into something akin to a funeral. He rubbed his chin. "So Naylani eventually got pregnant while retracing Noel’s steps... but why did she go crazy instead of getting killed by Nathalie?"

He squinted in suspicion. "Or are you saying Nathalie killed her after she was convicted? That doesn’t make sense. Why wait that long? She’s been after the woman, so it doesn’t make sense that it took her many years. Unless Nathalie lost track of Naylani because of the Pierson Family’s power."

Zoren shook his head. "That part’s a little unclear... but that’s where the fourth person comes in."