My heart ached as Jin informed me in the car that he was with Dante for negotiation talks, and his dislike towards me became very apparent. I was afraid to face him. I saw him from behind; I wanted to hug him, I wanted his arms around me. Tears welled up at the memories and the way he looked at me with those unfamiliar eyes. 

Jin touched my arm, and I looked back at him, "Stay focused, Rose." 

I nodded to him and looked back at Rodrigo. 

————

Rodrigo was now dead thanks to Dante. 

He addressed me amusedly, and in that moment, I slowly removed my mask. My strands of hair fell down.

He looked at me as if he had seen a ghost. His face turned pale, his eyes widened, the gun he held in his hand slipped slowly and hit the ground. 

He moved scarcely, his mouth gaping wide, trembling slightly, and muttered to himself in shock, "No, this can't be."

 I just looked at him sadly. I felt nervous, very much so; I thought my heart might jump out of my chest because it was beating so fast. My cheeks flushed red. I didn't say anything. 

He reached his arm out towards me, taking a shaky step forward, "No...". 

Out of fear, I took a small step back. He took another step and grabbed my arm, pulling me into a tight embrace. I was shocked by his reaction. I thought he might kill me, but he reacted completely differently. He hugged me even tighter. I hugged him back, and I started crying and sobbing uncontrollably.

He took my face in his hands and looked at me in shock, "Rose, you're alive."

 I saw tears forming in his eyes. 

Trembling  and sobbing, I said, "I'm so sorry, Dante."

 I squeezed my eyes shut as tears rolled down my cheeks. When I looked at him again, I saw tears streaming down his face, and he hugged me tightly once more. He breathed irregularly, still in shock. He hugged me tightly again as if he were afraid I would disappear. I felt his heartbeat against my ear, and I was so happy. I heard Jin sighing irritably from behind and exhaling.

 He also removed his mask, and Dante looked at him in shock, "What you?"

 I looked in Jin's direction as he adjusted his hair back.

Jin shrugged his shoulders and looked at Dante confidently, "You never mentioned the baby, Rose." 

Dante looked at me, confused and shocked. His gaze shifted to my belly and then back to me. Knowing Dante as I do, he was slowly getting angry. He moved away from me and approached Jin Woo, punching him in the face suddenly.

 With clenched teeth and a flushed face, he demanded, "What did you do to her, huh?" 

Jin, now on the ground, wiped the blood from his mouth with his hand and smirked at Dante mockingly. 

Dante tried to strike again, but I grabbed his arm, and he turned to me, saying, "Let go, Rose." 

I smiled slightly at him, "If you think the baby is his, no." 

He looked at me, puzzled, and then his arm relaxed at his side. 

"It's yours, Dante,".

 He sharply inhaled, "What?"

 I couldn't gauge whether it was a positive or negative reaction. 

Shocked, he covered his mouth with his hand, "I've become a father?" 

I nodded. He ran his hand through his hair, "And I wasn't even there for the birth?"

 I looked away from his eyes. He chuckled sadly and shook his head in despair. 

Suddenly , he looked at me again, and there was a hint of joy in his eyes, "Where is my child?" 

Jin stood up, adjusting his suit, and spat the blood from his mouth onto the ground. I signaled one of my men to fetch her, and he hurried outside. 

Dante looked at me painfully and commanded Claus, "Get the bastard out of here." 

Claus went to Collon, who was unconscious on the ground, and dragged him outside. My man returned with Anastasiya in his arms. She wore a pink dress with a bow on her head. She suddenly laughed. He handed her to me, and she cuddled right into my arms as I kissed her forehead. Dante grew even more shocked. He came to us and took her from me. He carried her delicate body, and Anastasiya kicked her legs in the air, laughing at him. A smile slowly formed on Dante's lips as he looked at her, so happy, and hugged her. 

He looked at me again, "Can we talk?" 

I nodded, "Of course." 

He went outside, and my men and his stayed behind to clean up the mess. I followed him outside into the dark night, and he opened the car door for me, just like he did before. He handed Anastasiya to me, and I got in as he closed the door for me and got in too. He drove off immediately. The ride passed without a word, and I felt myself getting more nervous. We arrived at a new villa he apparently bought after everything that happened. He got out and opened the door for me. I stepped out, and Anastasiya looked around the area with interest. We went inside, and he headed towards the living room. He turned on the dim light and ran his hand through his hair in stress. 

He breathed deeply, turning to me, his eyes moist, "Where were you all these 12 months?"

 I hesitated for a moment, "After the accident, Jin Woo's family found me and helped me. They were a great support for me during the pregnancy."

 He furrowed his eyebrows and came closer, disappointed, "Why didn't you show yourself to me, Rose? Why, Rose?"

 Tears welled up in my eyes, "You said if you ever saw me again, you'd kill me, and that's why I wanted to find solid evidence of my innocence first."

 He responded desperately, "I didn't mean it like that."

 I retorted angrily, "Then how else?"

He looked deep into my eyes and opened his mouth, knowing it could only be understood one way. 

"I later found out that you were innocent," he said.

 "But by then, it was already too late, Dante."

 He hugged me tightly and took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry. I'm truly sorry, Rose."

 Anastasiya, who was between us and surrounded by our emotions, looked around, bewildered, her mouth hanging open. Dante glanced at her, and only then did I notice tears streaming down his face. 

He said to himself proudly, "I'm a father!" 

I smiled at him, and he immediately took Anastasiya in his arms, lifting her slightly into the air and laughing with her. 

"What did you name her?" he asked. 

"Anastasiya," I replied. 

He looked at me with wide eyes. "Like my mother?"

 I nodded sadly at the thought. He pressed his forehead against hers, gazing deeply into her eyes. 

He sat down on the couch with her, "Now you're going to tell me everything that happened in the past 12 months." 

I chuckled and walked over to the couch. He placed her between us, and she started playing with her legs. 

"A lot has happened in the last 12 months..."