Alina’s POV
“You’re safe,” I whispered. “No one will ever take you from me. Not Estelle. Not Lila. Not anyone.”
He mumbled sleepily, “Mama… strongest ever.”
I kissed his forehead. “Yes, my lion. Strongest ever.”
As the city outside glowed under streetlights, I realized: this was only the beginning. Estelle would strike again, and Lila would attempt another move.
But the balance had shifted. I was no longer reactive. I was in control.
I had the evidence, the planning, the anticipation. I had Leo, alive, safe, and unaware of the dangers around him.
And I had something even more powerful: certainty.
No matter what came next, I would protect him. I would fight. I would win.
The tipping point had arrived. And the next moves would decide everything.
Leo began coughing two months after
