All Chapters of Healing The Devil I Once Loved: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

ZARIA Thomas stared at me like I had just told him I wanted to become a goat farmer on the moon. His mouth opened and closed twice before he finally leaned back in his chair and laughed, a loud belly laugh that shook the table and made the cups rattle slightly.“You?” he said between laughs. “University for this kind of work? It no good. Just all too much book and no food to eat. Aiya, you funny girl.”“I’m serious,” I said quickly, feeling my face heat up. “I was. Before everything happened. I read books, watched videos and I even practiced pressure points on myself.”What sort of Renzo's wife would I be if I didn't learn a few ways to defend myself? It was all useless in the end anyway. Mama Li’s eyes softened as she looked at me, like she was trying to see all the years she had missed layered over my face.“You see?” she said to Thomas, nodding slowly. “Life still pullher back to what she meant to do.”Thomas wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “Okay, okay,” he said, holdin

ZARIA I sighed. “I said, is there anything important on your phone that…”“Oh,” Wang interrupted, smirking. “I have cloud.”Uncle Thomas frowned, shaking his head. “You two speak riddles. Cloud? Cloud in sky!” I hid a smile.Wang brightened immediately. “Cloud is back up,” he explained. “Everything on my phone is saved online. Pictures, contacts, files. Even if the phone break”“Good,” I said. Then I dropped it. The phone hit the ground face-first with a sharp crack. I lifted my foot and crushed it. The screen shattered completely with the pieces scattering in the dirt.I stepped back and lifted my head to find Wang’s mouth hanging open. Uncle Thomas was staring at me as I’d just murdered someone in front of him. “Why?” Wang started. “Why did you do that?”I shrugged. “This is the countryside,” I said simply. “Who needs a phone anyway?”Uncle Thomas blinked. “You crazy.”“Maybe,” I said, turning to him. “Now show me around, Uncle. Or I tell Mama Li you are rude to me.”He swore und

RENZO Someone was talking.No. Someone was breathing too close to my face.“Baby,” a voice said softly. “Wake up.”My head hurt. Everything hurt. But that voice… I knew it. I tried to open my eyes and failed the first time. My lashes felt heavy like they had 300lb weights attached. I tried again.Her face came into view..She was leaning over me, hair falling forward, eyes warm and familiar. Her breath brushed my cheek when she spoke again, and it smelled like mint—the one she always used in the morning. Scented toothpaste…“Baby,” she said again, tapping softly. “Wake up.”“You fell asleep again,” she added. “Today is my birthday. Have you forgotten?”Birthday.Right.Fuck.I smiled. Or tried to. My face felt stiff, but the feeling was there. The memory snapped into place like it had been waiting for this exact second.I bought an emerald necklace. Yeah, the real deal, not the bullshit replicas. I’d bought it weeks ago, had it wrapped properly, hidden in her dressing room behind th

RENZO A week changed everything.And it was not because time healed or any of that bullshit, but because my body finally stopped lagging behind my head. On the second day of my recovery, the shaking eased and the weakness stopped embarrassing me. I could walk without the crutches by the fifth day. My father's VIP Doctors grinned at the progress, and my father stopped hovering. At last, the house went back to the way it always had.It didn't last anyway. The news broke on the seventh morning. It wasn’t meant for me, but nothing ever stayed out of my reach for long.“Emilio Vescari and Richard Dominico to attend the upcoming White House gala alongside their children,” the anchor said brightly. “The exclusive event will host key international figures, philanthropists, and business leaders. Sources say the Vescari family has been instrumental in recent diplomatic negotiations.”I watched the screen without reacting.Why wouldn't it be Emilio Vescari? That greedy old fool was always see

RENZOShe turned her head slightly toward me and smiled for the cameras. “Everything will be fine,” she said softly.The security pushed a path open as we entered the hall.Inside, the noise was softer. Classical music played somewhere overhead. Crystal glasses clinked. All around, the conversations paused and then restarted as people noticed me.Claps filled the air.“Renzo Dominico!” A voice called.I looked up to see Emilio Vescari standing near the center of the room, clapping loudly with a wide grin on his face.“Ladies and gentlemen,” he announced, raising his voice without effort, “here is the man who defied death itself.”The applause grew. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.“A man who refused to stay down,” Emilio went on, “a man who woke from the brink and walked back into our world on his own two feet.”He gestured toward me. “The man!”The clapping increased along with cheers from some corners.“And,” Emilio added, turning slightly, “all accolades to Richard Dominico, wh