The following morning...
Rain washed over Rosewood.
Gray clouds hung low above the city as people hurried beneath umbrellas.
Inside Steel Medical Center...
The warm atmosphere remained unchanged.
Children laughed.
Doctors made their rounds.
Life moved forward.
Unaware...
Danger had begun moving toward them.
Celina stood in the hospital café arranging fresh flowers on the tables.
Chef Marco peeked over the kitchen counter.
"You know..."
"I've been thinking."
Celina smiled.
"That usually means trouble."
He laughed.
"The hospital's Family Day is next month."
"It would be wonderful if you organized the dessert table."
Her eyes widened.
"Me?"
"You already have half the children convinced you're secretly a pastry chef."
She laughed.
"I'd love to help."
Marco clapped happily.
"I knew you'd say yes."
Nearby...
Aaron had just entered the café with Ethan.
Before either of them spoke...
They heard Celina laughing.
Aaron's eyes instinctively found her.
She was discussing cake flavors with Chef Marco, her hands moving excitedly as she described different recipes.
Ethan noticed.
"You know..."
Aaron looked at him.
"You've developed a habit."
"What habit?"
"Looking for Miss Bakers every time you enter the hospital."
Aaron opened his mouth to deny it.
Then stopped.
Because...
He couldn't.
Instead...
A small smile appeared.
"I suppose I have."
Ethan nearly laughed out loud.
If someone had told him six months ago that Aaron Steel would openly admit something like that...
He would never have believed it.
Across town...
Victor Hayes sat alone in his office.
The file labeled Isabella Moretti remained open before him.
Photographs.
Hospital records.
Old newspaper articles.
Most had been damaged by time.
But one page caught his attention.
A witness statement.
He began reading.
"The young woman repeatedly said..."
"If anything happens to me..."
"Please protect my baby."
Victor slowly lowered the paper.
"A baby..."
"So there really was a child."
His phone rang.
"The report?"
The familiar voice asked.
Victor answered calmly.
"I'm certain now."
"Isabella had a daughter."
"And?"
"The child disappeared after Isabella's death."
Silence.
Then...
"Find the child."
Victor hesitated.
"I believe..."
"...I've already found her."
Meanwhile...
At Hart's Estate...
Eleanor sat in her study.
She had not slept well.
Every time she closed her eyes...
She remembered Isabella's face.
A gentle knock sounded.
"Come in."
Her housekeeper entered.
"Madam..."
"Miss Sophia Barrett is here."
"Please send her in."
Moments later...
Sophia entered quickly.
Her usual elegance had been replaced by worry.
"Eleanor..."
"We have a problem."
Eleanor's heart sank.
"What happened?"
"I received a call this morning."
"Someone has been asking questions about Isabella."
Eleanor closed her eyes.
"So it's spreading."
Sophia nodded.
"They even asked where she gave birth."
Silence filled the room.
Finally...
Eleanor spoke.
"We don't have much time."
At Steel Medical Center...
Daniel proudly carried another paper airplane through the hallway.
"Miss Celina!"
She laughed.
"Another one?"
"This one is special."
"Why?"
"Because Mr. Steel has to sign it."
Aaron, who had just arrived, overheard the conversation.
"My signature?"
Daniel nodded seriously.
"So when I become a famous engineer..."
"I can tell everyone the hospital chairman believed in me first."
Aaron smiled warmly.
"That's a very good reason."
He accepted the paper airplane.
Instead of simply signing his name...
He wrote beneath it:
Never stop believing in your dreams.
— Aaron Steel
Daniel stared at the message.
His eyes began to shine.
"I'll keep this forever."
Celina looked at Aaron.
"That meant more to him than you know."
Aaron looked at the little boy.
"I think..."
"It meant something to me too."
Outside the hospital...
A black SUV slowly pulled into the parking lot.
Victor stepped out.
For the first time...
He had come in person.
From inside his jacket...
He removed a photograph.
It was one he had secretly taken at the gala.
Aaron.
Standing beside Celina.
Victor studied her face once more.
Then quietly whispered,
"Who are you, Celina Bakers?"
Just then...
The hospital's sliding doors opened.
Celina walked outside carrying a small bag of leftover pastries for the security guards.
She smiled warmly as she greeted them.
Victor watched from a distance.
Noticing how everyone smiled back.
How naturally she cared for people.
For a brief moment...
He frowned.
"This doesn't make sense..."
He had expected someone ambitious.
Someone manipulative.
Instead...
He saw kindness.
Real kindness.
His phone vibrated.
The cold voice returned.
"Have you met her?"
Victor kept his eyes on Celina.
"Yes."
"And?"
After a long pause...
He answered honestly.
"She's not what I expected."
The voice grew colder.
"Don't let sympathy cloud your judgment."
"Remember why you're there."
The call ended.
Victor slipped the phone back into his pocket.
But as he watched Celina laughing with an elderly security guard...
A question entered his mind for the first time.
What if the wrong person was about to suffer for a secret she never even knew existed?