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For a long minute, an infinite and terrible minute, Andrea closed her eyes and tried to accept this. She had to do it, there was no other option. Zack stood before her consumed by guilt, she was sure that it would never leave him, because he was a good man, a man with a good conscience, so forgetting that he had caused a death, even indirectly, would not be easy for him. So the only thing she could do was try to ease that feeling. She slipped into his arms and pressed herself against his chest. “I know you only wanted to protect us. I know that, Zack,” she said softly as she clung to him and caressed his back. “This will never leave us, but you can’t blame yourself, because if I had been in your place… maybe I would have done the same thing…” “Or maybe not,” he murmured. The tears came out strongly and she took refuge even further in his arms. “You know what happens? Parents don’t have a choice,” Andrea said, playing with his hair. You have taken charge from the beginning, you have taken responsibility for her happiness and you have protected her like no one else could. That’s what made you a real father to Adriana. Zack relaxed a little at her words and looked into her eyes. “She always comes first,” he whispered. “That’s right, our daughter always comes first. That’s why I told you when we were just getting to know each other that there are luxuries that parents can’t afford, and when it comes to protecting our children, a clear conscience is one of them.” It wasn’t a lie, Zack had done everything he could to take care of Adriana and to preserve her life. He had been there every step of the way showing unconditional love for the little girl. “I still love you, Zack…” Andrea murmured, taking his face in her hands. “What hurts me the most about all this is that you don’t feel okay, but I promise you it will pass, together we can make everything pass. Isn’t that right?” Zack nodded silently and hugged Andrea so tightly that it almost stopped her from breathing. She surrendered completely to his arms, and she was certain that everything would be okay one day. Their hearts would heal in due time and they would be together again as before. Thanks for reading on LeeNovelas.com. They got out of the tub and finally lay down to rest. Zack put his arms around her and buried his nose in her hair feeling every beat of her heart as she snuggled into his chest. They slept like that until dawn came. Zack woke up in the middle of the night with a bad feeling, as if he needed to check on Adriana. He sat up in bed immediately and saw Mason sitting at the foot of her crib, staring at her with a menacing expression. His heart raced as he launched himself out of bed and went to pick up the little girl to get her away from him. “No… it can’t be… Gazca told me…” he muttered, backing away and pressing Adriana against his chest. “Did he tell you he was dead?” Mason laughed. “No one knows whose corpse it is when it decomposes into cement.” Zack shook his head in anguish.Remember. Read this novel only on LeeNovelas.com, not on other sites. “No… They do know… of course they know…! You’re dead!” “Are you sure about that?” Mason laughed. “If you’re so sure, how can I do this?” Mason approached him quickly and punched him in the face, sending him to the ground. Zack heard Andrea’s scream and then the dull pain of his back hitting the floor. “Zack! Zaaaaack! Zack!” His face made a gesture of pain, but when he opened his eyes the world had turned around and he was next to the bed, face down while Andrea desperately tried to turn him over. “Zack…! Look at me, look at me, honey, wake up!” She tried to shake him until Zack finally sat up, leaning his back on the bed. His nose had been the first to touch the floor and it was bleeding. It had been a nightmare, it had all been a nightmare! Andrea ran to the bathroom and came back with a couple of small towels. “Adriana… Adriana…” Zack murmured, pointing at the crib, and Andrea stopped by the crib for a moment, checking that she was still asleep. “It’s okay, my love, the baby is fine,” she replied, pressing a towel against her nose. “What happened? Did you have a nightmare?” Zack only had to nod with his eyes for her to understand. He kissed her forehead and smiled at her with a comforting expression. “Don’t worry… I know how to make you sleep,” she said to reassure him, but she didn’t ask him what he had dreamed about because she already imagined what or who his nightmare had been about. That night Zack didn’t sleep again, and shortly before dawn he slipped out of bed to make a call. “Tell me it’s him, Gazca! Are you sure…? How sure are you!?” she asked him, her nerves on edge. —Zack, it’s more than proven, Mason Lee is dead. Dental records, DNA test, but if you’re not convinced, I’ll get on a plane today and go to the Montreal morgue so they’ll let me see him — the lawyer assured him. —Do that… I can’t have any doubts, Gazca, none — he murmured. He hung up the call and pulled his hair, not knowing that at that very moment Andrea was watching him from a corner of the hallway, worried because she knew that this would be one of the most difficult obstacles for both of them to overcome. They got ready in silence that morning and went to take Adriana to Nikola. Grandpa was improving a lot and maybe in a couple of weeks they could have him home again. While Andrea talked to him and played with the baby, Zack made time with his mother to tell her everything that had happened. —In a way, I feel relieved that your sisters have become humanized — Luana said. —And regarding everything else, I can only tell you that I’m proud of you, son. You did what you had to do and no matter how hard it is you will get through it. Now please tell me that you are going to be here for a while. Zack looked up and she was glad to see his eyes shining with more confidence. “Yes, Mom,“That’s what I want,” he replied. “We can both work from home and I thought we could look for a place here in the city to spend a few months. I’d like to have Adriana close to you where she can spend a little time being pampered.” Luana smiled at him pleased and hugged him tightly. “Of course, son, that would be wonderful. If you want, we’ll take care of finding you something nice to live in while…” “No need, mom,” Zack assured. “As long as you take care of the baby for a little while, I’m sure Andrea and I can find something that suits us.” Luana hugged him and held him against her chest, excited because the knot in her stomach was finally unraveling after so much worry. “Everything will work out, you’ll see.”She said while caressing him as if he were a child. But there is still something that worries me, son. You took the baby out with false papers from Canada. You have to fix everything with her and Andrea, we can’t take risks. Zack sighed while nodding. That was another problem, and although she had the perfect solution, perhaps with everything that was happening Andrea didn’t feel completely comfortable with her. They returned to the room and Mr. Nikola was excited to know that his wife and he would stay to take care of Adriana for a while. Zack took Andrea’s hand and as soon as they got into the truck she asked him: —Are we going somewhere special? —Yes, we are going to look for our own house —he tried to smile at her—. It’s not that I don’t like my parents’ house, but… you know… —You can’t yell there! —Andrea laughed. —Exactly, Pastelito, exactly! They spent about two hours contacting real estate agents around the city and looking at properties, until Zack decided on a house with a garden on the outskirts of the city. “Do you like it? I know it’s not very elegant…” “Zack! You know elegance isn’t my thing!” Andrea said, hugging him. “It’s perfect, it’s cozy, it has the necessary rooms, thick walls, and the nearest neighbor is a kilometer away. Conclusion: this is perfect for us, I love it.” Zack nodded, happy that they had agreed on that, and a while later they signed a one-year rental contract for that beautiful little house. Now, the next step was to condition it to make it their own. They went to a nearby furniture store and bought everything they needed to make a small office in one of the rooms, and of course they both agreed to buy a new, extra-large, extra-strong bed. A while later Zack stopped in front of a toy box they had bought for Adriana and said: “Here you go, Cupcake.” Now we have to get everything ready before we move! Andrea looked at him pleased while stroking Zack’s hair. —Tomorrow we’ll take it easy, now we have to go back to the hospital for the baby. —Okay, but first… —he said with some fear— Andrea, I have to talk to you about something important. She looked at him strangely, but nodded without asking more. —Of course, what’s wrong? Zack took a deep breath and squeezed one of her hands, showing a certain nervousness. —Adriana’s situation with Mason or any Canadian authority is no longer a problem… but remember that I brought her into this country with false papers—he said and Andrea felt a lump in her throat—. We have to regularize her situation immediately… and I’m afraid that the only way we have to do it… you’re not going to like it.