Olivia found herself unable to shake the memory of seeing Raphael a few months ago. Thoughts of her college days flooded her mind, evoking feelings of nostalgia for the good times she had experienced.

However, she merely reminisced about those days; she never imagined that Raphael would reappear in her life, let alone play a significant role in her future.

As Alexis stepped into the suite, she was greeted by a carefully decorated room adorned with her favorite flowers, each carefully air-freighted from abroad and still adorned with fresh dew.

Smiling at the sight, she reached out to pluck a rose and inhaled its delicate fragrance.

She lowered her head and noticed a plethora of gifts scattered across the white silk bedsheet. There were over 32 presents in total.

Alexis couldn't help but feel her eyes well up with emotion.

32 gifts, 32 years... She had known Leonel for 32 years, and it was evident that these gifts were from him.

For three decades plus two, the number of presents matched the years.

Leonel, it seemed, marked each year with a gift.

Alexis faced an array of gifts, unwrapping them one after another: a diamond watch here, a piece of jewelry there. Among these treasures could be a simple note, a whisper of Leonel's love, or a box cradling a single maple leaf.

The heaviest gift sat last, holding a round glazed object within.

It was meant to be her token of celebration for Leonel's company milestone. But fury had claimed it, breaking it apart. Yet, here it was, mended and returned. What message did he mean to send by piecing it back together?

On the carpet, Alexis found herself seated, a tide of tears rising to her eyes.

She felt the stirrings from within as her child shared in the swell of emotion, the life inside her dancing restlessly.

Her hand moved in a gentle arc across her belly, a soft connection with the little girl nestled within.

The baby, her name chosen and waiting, would meet the world come autumn's cusp.

Seven months had woven a bond she already cherished.

The sudden chirp of a phone sliced through the quiet.

A number not known flashed on the screen, yet it was him. Leonel.

She had not barred his calls.