Estrella's panic attack didn't fade like the others.
At first, Thomas thought she was just shaking—just catching her breath. But when her legs gave out and she slid down the wall, clutching her chest and whispering "No puedo… no puedo… I can't remember—why can't I remember?", he realized this was something darker. Something she had been fighting for years without telling anyone.
He dropped beside her immediately.
"Estrella, hey. Look at me," he whispered, voice shaking. "You're safe. You're with me."
But her eyes were wide, unfocused, as if she were seeing something that wasn't there.
Something from the past.
Something she shouldn't remember.
Thomas wrapped his arms around her, letting her bury herself against him as her breathing fell apart. He didn't call Damiano yet—he knew calling early would only make it worse. He waited until she could hold onto him, until she stopped trembling enough to speak.
That's when she whispered:
"Thomas… I know I wasn't supposed to exist. Something happened before I was born. Something no one wants to say."
His heart dropped.
But he didn't let go.
Aaliyah's World Starts Cracking
On the other side of Rome, Aaliyah stared at her phone as another headline exploded across her screen:
"Aaliyah pregnant again: chaos, scandal, and betrayal—sources claim the baby isn't Damiano's."
It felt like someone had stabbed her. The lies, the accusations, the venom—it was everywhere. Her hands shook as she threw the phone onto the bed and covered her face, forcing herself not to scream.
She was exhausted.
Emotionally drained.
And worst of all… she felt alone.
Because Damiano wasn't answering.
Ethan, however, was texting.
Then calling.
Then showing up at her hotel door.
"Aaliyah," he murmured, stepping closer, "you don't deserve this. You shouldn't be going through this alone."
She took a step back.
"Ethan, not now."
But he didn't move.
He reached out, touched her arm gently—a touch that wasn't innocent, wasn't friendly, and wasn't wanted.
"Damiano is letting you drown," Ethan whispered. "I wouldn't."
Aaliyah pulled her arm away so fast he froze.
"Get out," she said, voice breaking. "Now."
And this time, Ethan listened.
But not because he respected her.
Because Damiano had just turned the corner of the hallway.
And he'd seen enough.
Damiano Faces Italy's Media Trap
Hours earlier, he had been in a meeting with the same media company that had tried to blackmail him years ago. They wanted an exclusive:
The truth behind Aaliyah's pregnancy.
The truth about his "broken family."
The truth about Estrella's origins.
They offered money. Exposure. A chance to "control the narrative."
Damiano nearly flipped the table.
"You come near my family," he growled, "and I burn every one of your offices to the ground."
But they only smirked.
"You can't protect a secret forever, Damiano."
The same words haunted him now as he walked toward Aaliyah's hotel room.
Because Ethan was there.
Because the media was hunting.
Because everything was spiraling again.
Thomas & Estrella – Too Close, Too Fast
Back at the apartment, Estrella's breathing had slowed. She rested her forehead on Thomas's chest, exhausted, tears still drying on her cheeks.
"You're the only one who doesn't lie to me," she whispered.
Thomas froze.
He shouldn't have felt what he felt at that moment.
Not with everything falling apart.
Not with her being Damiano's daughter.
But when she looked up at him…
He couldn't help himself.
He brushed a tear from her cheek.
She didn't pull away.
The air changed.
Hot.
Dangerous.
Forbidden.
Their lips were inches apart—
their breaths mixing, hearts racing—
Then Estrella jerked back suddenly.
"Thomas… I can't. Not now."
He nodded, even though it hurt.
"I'm here for you," he said softly. "However you need me."
She believed him.
That was the problem.
Aaliyah Breaks
Damiano tried to comfort Aaliyah when he finally reached her, but she was shaking too violently to hear him. The weight of the media, Ethan's presence, the pregnancy, the secret about Estrella's birth—it all crashed down at once.
She slid to the floor, sobbing into her hands.
"I can't do this anymore," she whispered.
"Everyone wants something from me. Everyone is lying. Everyone is watching."
Damiano knelt beside her.
"Aaliyah, amor… breathe. I'm here."
But she didn't hear him.
Her body went limp.
Her eyes unfocused.
Aaliyah collapsed.
Damiano caught her before she hit the ground, shouting her name over and over.
The Truth About Estrella's Birth Begins To Leak
At that exact moment, Estrella's phone buzzed in her hand.
A message from a blocked number:
"You deserve to know why you were born.
Ask your father about the clinic.
Ask about the pregnancy."
Estrella stared at the message.
Then at Thomas.
Her entire world shifted.
Cliffhanger Ending
The final scene:
Damiano carrying an unconscious Aaliyah down the hotel hallway, shouting for help.
Thomas holding Estrella as she trembles, reading the message again and again.
Ethan watching them from the shadows, jaw tight.
Rome silent.
The storm ready to break.
And a final text appears on Estrella's phone:
"You were never supposed to survive."
Fade to black.