04
Ciara’s Pov
The low hum of the jet’s engine faded as I blinked my eyes open. My body ached, especially where my stitches had torn earlier. I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my abdomen, forcing me to suck in a breath.
“Easy, Mistress,” a familiar voice said.
I turned my head to see Marco, one of my most trusted men, standing beside me. His dark eyes were filled with
concern
“We’ve landed in Mexico,” he continued. “An ambulance is waiting.”
I sighed, feeling the weight of exhaustion pressing down on me. “I can walk.”
Marco shook his head. “Not happening.”
Before I could argue, he gestured to the other men. Two of them carefully lifted me, their grip firm yet gentle. I swallowed my pride and let them carry me off the jet, knowing I didn’t have the strength to fight them on this.
The night air was crisp against my skin as they placed me onto the waiting stretcher. The ambulance doors shut behind us, and the sirens blared to life, cutting through the silence of the private airstrip.
Lying there, staring at the ceiling, I couldn’t help but think about the last few hours. Tony Hailey. The betrayal. The slap. The miscarriage. My throat tightened, but I refused to cry. Not anymore.
They didn’t deserve to make me miserable again. Seven years I dedicated my life to Tony and all I have to show for it was a gunshot scar, an affair, and a miscarriage
A familiar voice jolted me out of my thoughts.
*Ciara!”
I turned my head just as the ambulance doors swung open at the hospital.
Adam.
My younger brother rushed toward me, his face filled with relief and worry. Behind him, my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Salvador, stood, their expressions unreadable, but their eyes said everything–pain, anger, love.
Adam reached me first, gripping my hand tightly. “Dios mio, hermana, you scared the hell out of us!” His voice wavered. “Seven years, Ciara. Seven years, and then we get a call that you’re in the hospital? What were you
thinking?”
*1-“My voice cracked, and before I could form a proper sentence, my mother leaned down and cupped my
“My baby…” she whispered, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “You’re home now.”
Something inside me shattered.
Thad been away for so long. Seven years without seeing my family. Seven years of silence, believing I had to endure everything alone. And yet, here they were, welcoming me back with nothing but love.
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I was relieved by my mother’s touch, her eyes filled with unspoken words but the expression on her face said it all.
“I’m sorry, Mother,” I apologized, sniffling.
Hush now baby don’t stress yourself
My father placed a firm hand on my shoulder. “We’ll talk later. Right now, you need to get treated.” His voice was gruff, but I could hear the emotion behind it.
I nodded weakly, letting the doctors wheel me inside.
the
A few hours later, after receiving stitches and pain medication, I sat propped up in a hospital bed, staring at th IV drip attached to my arm
The door opened, and my family walked in.
Adam was the first to speak. “Ciara, what the hell happened? One minute you’re Mrs. Reeds, and the next, you’re showing up here injured with armed guards?”
I sighed, rubbing my temple. “Tony betrayed me.”
“We know,” my father said darkly. “Marco filled us in ”
My mother sat beside me and took my hand. “Oh, my love.. you should have told us. We would have burned him to the ground.”
“I thought I could handle it,” I admitted. “I thought if I worked hard enough, stayed patient enough, maybe…. maybe he would change.”
Adam scoffed “You’re a Salvador, Ciara. We don’t beg for love. We don’t tolerate disrespect. That man didn’t deserve you.”
I clenched my jaw. “I know that now,”
My father’s voice was calm but firm. “What do you want to do next, hija?*
I met his gaze, a fire igniting inside me. “I want to step out of the shadows. No more hiding, no more working behind the scenes. The world needs to know who I am” I took a deep breath. “The heiress of the Salvador Cartel has
returned.”
Silence filled the room for a moment before my father chuckled, a proud smile spreading across his face.
“Now that’s my daughter.”
