The next morning, Berlin woke up to find a beautiful white dress laid out on her bed. There was a note attached:
"Wear this today. - Mrs. Lydia"
Berlin picked up the dress. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It had tiny diamonds on it that sparkled in the sunlight.
"Why does Mom want me to wear this?" Berlin wondered.
She got dressed and went downstairs. The resort looked different today. There were flowers everywhere - roses, lilies, and orchids of every color.
"What's going on?" Berlin asked a maid who was passing by.
The maid smiled mysteriously. "You'll see soon, Ma'am."
Berlin walked outside and saw Mrs. Lydia waiting for her. She was dressed beautifully too.
"Mom, what's happening? Why is everything decorated like this?"
Mrs. Lydia took her hand. "Come with me, dear. There's something special happening today."
They walked to the beach where Berlin had played in the water yesterday. But now, the beach was covered with white chairs and flowers. It looked like... a wedding!
Berlin's heart started beating fast. "Mom, whose wedding is this?"
Before Mrs. Lydia could answer, music started playing. Everyone turned to look at Berlin.
At the end of the flower path stood Karlos, dressed in a handsome black suit. He was looking straight at her.
"What... what is this?" Berlin asked, feeling confused and scared.
Mrs. Lydia smiled with tears in her eyes. "This is your real wedding, my dear. The first one was rushed and not special. Today, you and Karlos will get married properly, with all of us watching and celebrating."
"But... but I didn't know about this!" Berlin said.
"I wanted it to be a surprise," Mrs. Lydia said softly. "I can see that you two care for each other. Let today be a new beginning."
Berlin looked at Karlos. He was walking toward her now. When he reached her, he took her hand.
"I'm sorry this is a surprise," he said quietly. "But my mother is right. Our first wedding wasn't real. Today, if you're willing, we can start fresh."
Berlin's mind was racing. In her past life, there had never been a second wedding. This was something new and different.
"I... I don't know what to say," she whispered.
"Then don't say anything yet," Karlos said. "Just walk with me."
They walked together down the flower path. Berlin felt like she was in a dream. Was this real? Or would she wake up and find it was all fake?
But then she looked at Mrs. Lydia, who was crying happy tears. She looked at Prissy, who was smiling at her for the first time ever. She looked at all the people watching them with joy.
Maybe this was real. Maybe things could be different this time.
The ceremony began. The priest asked Karlos, "Do you take Berlin to be your wife?"
Karlos looked into Berlin's eyes. "I do."
Then the priest turned to Berlin. "Do you take Karlos to be your husband?"
Berlin opened her mouth to answer, but before she could speak, someone screamed.
"STOP THE WEDDING!"
Everyone turned around. Standing at the back of the crowd was Tasha, dressed in a red dress and looking very angry.
"This wedding is a lie!" Tasha shouted. "Berlin doesn't love Karlos! She only married him for his money!"
Berlin felt her heart stop. How did Tasha get here? This was supposed to be a private ceremony!
Karlos's face became hard and cold. "Tasha, you need to leave. Now."
"No!" Tasha walked closer. "I won't let you marry her again! She doesn't deserve you, Karlos! I'm the one who loves you! I'm the one who has always been there for you!"
Mrs. Lydia stood up, looking angry. "Tasha Bane, this is not your place. Please leave before I call security."
But Tasha didn't leave. Instead, she pulled out her phone and showed it to everyone.
"Look at this!" she said loudly. "This is a picture of Berlin meeting with another man last month! She's been cheating on Karlos!"
Berlin looked at the phone and gasped. It was a picture of her and Jason Vicks at the hospital. But they weren't doing anything wrong - he was just apologizing for the accident!
"That's not what it looks like!" Berlin said.
"Really?" Tasha smiled evilly. "Then why were you meeting him in secret? Why didn't you tell your husband?"
Berlin felt trapped. She hadn't told Karlos about Jason because she knew he would worry. But now it looked like she had something to hide.
Karlos looked at Berlin. His face was calm, but his eyes were full of questions.
"Is this true?" he asked quietly. "Have you been meeting with Jason Vicks?"
Berlin's throat felt tight. "Yes, but not the way she's making it sound. He visited me at the hospital after the accident. He was just being kind—"
"Kind?" Tasha laughed. "Is that what you call it? Everyone knows Jason Vicks likes you, Berlin! He's been sending you flowers and gifts!"
"That's a lie!" Berlin said. But she could see that some people were starting to believe Tasha.
Karlos stepped back from Berlin. "I need to think," he said. Then he turned and walked away.
"Karlos, wait!" Berlin tried to follow him, but Mrs. Lydia held her back.
"Let him go, dear," Mrs. Lydia said sadly. "He needs time."
Berlin felt tears running down her face. This was just like her past life. Tasha was destroying everything again.
But this time, Berlin wasn't going to just accept it. This time, she was going to fight back.
She turned to face Tasha. "You did this on purpose," Berlin said. "You planned this whole thing."
Tasha smiled. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do," Berlin said, her voice getting stronger. "You knew about this wedding somehow. You came here to ruin it. But I want to know - how did you know? Who told you?"
Tasha's smile faltered a little. She hadn't expected Berlin to fight back.
"I... I just happened to be nearby," Tasha said.
"Liar," Berlin said. "This resort is private. You can't just 'happen to be nearby.' Someone told you we were here. Someone helped you get in."
Mrs. Lydia's eyes widened. "Berlin is right. Tasha, who helped you? Who told you about the wedding?"
But before Tasha could answer, a voice spoke from the crowd.
"I did."
Everyone turned to look. Standing there, with a guilty face, was Penelope.
"I told Tasha about the wedding," Penelope said quietly. "I'm sorry, Aunt Lydia. I didn't know she would do this."
Mrs. Lydia looked shocked and hurt. "Penelope... how could you?"
"I'm sorry," Penelope said again. "My mother... she made me do it. She said it would be better for our family if Karlos married someone else."
Berlin felt like she had been hit. Mrs. Matilda Caldwell was behind this too? How many people wanted to destroy her marriage?
But she didn't have time to think about it, because suddenly, someone else screamed.
This time, it was one of the maids. "Help! There's a fire in the kitchen! The whole building is burning!"
Everyone started running and screaming. The beautiful wedding turned into chaos.
Berlin looked around for Karlos, but she couldn't see him. Where was he?
Then she remembered - Mrs. Lydia's room was in that building!
"Mom!" Berlin screamed. "We have to save her things!"
"Never mind my things!" Mrs. Lydia said. "We need to get everyone out safely!"
But Berlin knew that Mrs. Lydia kept her important papers and medicine in that room. If the fire destroyed them, Mrs. Lydia could be in danger.
Without thinking, Berlin ran toward the burning building.
"Berlin, no!" Mrs. Lydia screamed. "Come back!"
But Berlin didn't stop. She had to save her mother-in-law's things. She had to help.
She ran into the building, covering her mouth with her hand. The smoke was thick and black. She could barely see anything.
"Where is Mrs. Lydia's room?" she shouted to a maid who was running out.
"Third floor, room 301!" the maid shouted back. "But don't go up there! It's too dangerous!"
Berlin didn't listen. She ran up the stairs, even though the smoke was getting thicker and the heat was getting stronger.
She found room 301 and pushed open the door. Inside, she could see Mrs. Lydia's bag on the bed. Berlin grabbed it and turned to run back out.
But then she heard a sound. Someone was crying!
"Help! Please help me!"
Berlin followed the sound and found a little girl hiding in the bathroom. She was one of the maid's daughters.
"Come on, sweetie," Berlin said, picking up the child. "I'll get you out of here."
She ran back to the stairs, but they were on fire now! She couldn't go down that way!
Berlin felt scared. How would she get out? How would she save this little girl?
Then she remembered - there was a back staircase that the servants used!
She ran to find it, carrying the child and the bag. The smoke was making it hard to breathe. Her eyes were watering. She felt dizzy.
"Just a little more," she told herself. "You can do this."
Finally, she found the back stairs. They weren't on fire yet! She ran down as fast as she could.
When she got outside, everyone cheered. Mrs. Lydia ran to hug her.
"You foolish girl!" Mrs. Lydia cried. "You could have died!"
"But I didn't," Berlin said, smiling weakly. "And I got your bag."
The little girl's mother took her child and thanked Berlin over and over again.
Berlin felt proud. She had saved someone. She had done something good.
But then she looked around and realized - where was Karlos? She still hadn't seen him since he walked away.
"Where's Karlos?" she asked Mrs. Lydia.
Mrs. Lydia's face became worried. "I don't know, dear. No one has seen him since... oh no."
They both had the same terrible thought at the same time.
What if Karlos was still in the building? What if he was trapped in the fire?
CHAPTER 38
"We have to find him!" Berlin screamed. She tried to run back into the burning building, but the firefighters stopped her.
"Ma'am, you can't go in there!" one firefighter said. "It's too dangerous!"
"But my husband might be inside!" Berlin cried.
"We'll find him," the firefighter promised. "We're doing everything we can."
Berlin watched helplessly as the firefighters went into the building. She felt like her heart was being torn apart.
"Please be okay," she whispered. "Please, Karlos, be okay."
Mrs. Lydia held her hand tightly. Prissy was crying. Everyone was worried.
Then, through the smoke, Berlin saw someone walking out. It was Karlos! He was carrying someone in his arms!
"Karlos!" Berlin ran to him. He was covered in soot and his arm was bleeding, but he was alive!
"I found the hotel manager unconscious in his office," Karlos said, coughing. The paramedics rushed to help both of them.
"You're hurt!" Berlin said, looking at his arm.
"It's just a scratch," Karlos said. But he was looking at Berlin strangely. "Why is your face black? Why do you smell like smoke?"
Before Berlin could answer, the little girl's mother spoke up.
"Sir, your wife saved my daughter! She ran into the burning building to save her and your mother's things! She's a hero!"
Karlos's eyes widened. He looked at Berlin with shock and something else - was it pride?
"You ran into a burning building?" he asked.
Berlin nodded, feeling embarrassed. "I had to help."
For a long moment, Karlos just stared at her. Then, suddenly, he pulled her into a tight hug.
"Don't ever do that again," he whispered in her ear. "You could have died. When I heard you were inside, I thought my heart would stop."
Berlin felt tears coming to her eyes. "I was scared too. When I couldn't find you, I thought..."
They held each other tightly, not caring that everyone was watching.
Finally, Mrs. Lydia cleared her throat. "Well, I think we should all go to the hospital to get checked out. And someone needs to investigate how this fire started."
"I already know how it started," said a voice. It was the head of security. "We found evidence that someone deliberately set the fire. It was arson."
Everyone gasped.
"Who would do such a thing?" Mrs. Lydia asked.
The security chief looked uncomfortable. "We found Miss Tasha Bane near the kitchen right before the fire started. We have her on camera."
All eyes turned to Tasha, who looked scared.
"I didn't start the fire!" Tasha said quickly. "I was just... I was looking for the bathroom!"
"The bathroom is on the other side of the resort," the security chief said. "And we found matches in your purse."
"Those aren't mine!" Tasha said. "Someone must have planted them!"
But no one believed her. Even Penelope was looking at her with disgust.
"You tried to burn down the resort?" Penelope asked. "Tasha, how could you? People could have died!"
"I didn't do it!" Tasha screamed. "I'm being framed!"
Karlos stepped forward, his face cold and hard. "Take her to the police," he told the security guards. "And get me all the security footage. I want to know exactly what happened."
As the guards took Tasha away, she looked at Berlin with pure hatred in her eyes.
"This isn't over!" Tasha shouted. "You'll regret this, Berlin! I'll make you pay!"
Berlin watched her go, feeling a mix of emotions. Part of her felt sorry for Tasha. But another part of her felt relieved. Maybe now, Tasha would finally leave them alone.
But deep down, Berlin knew it wasn't that simple. Tasha had powerful friends. And in her past life, Tasha had never given up that easily.
This was just the beginning.
Later that night, after everyone had been checked by doctors and the fire was put out, Berlin sat in a new room with Karlos. They were both tired and dirty, but alive.
"I'm sorry about the wedding," Karlos said quietly. "It was supposed to be perfect."
"It's okay," Berlin said. "We're both safe. That's what matters."
Karlos looked at her for a long time. "When I thought you were trapped in that fire, I realized something."
"What?" Berlin asked, her heart beating faster.
"I realized that I don't want to lose you," Karlos said. "I know our marriage started as an arrangement. I know there are things we haven't talked about. But Berlin, when I thought you might die, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I felt like my world would end."
Berlin felt tears in her eyes. "Karlos..."
"I'm not good with feelings," Karlos continued. "And I know you probably don't feel the same way about me. But I want you to know that I care about you. More than I've ever cared about anyone."
Berlin's heart felt like it was going to burst. Should she tell him the truth? Should she tell him about her past life? About how she had loved him and lost him?
But before she could say anything, there was a knock on the door.
It was one of Karlos's men. He looked serious.
"Sir, we have a problem," the man said. "The security footage has been erased. Someone deleted all the videos from this morning."
Karlos stood up quickly. "What? How is that possible?"
"We don't know, sir. But without the footage, we can't prove that Miss Bane started the fire. Her lawyers are already demanding her release."
Karlos's jaw tightened. "Find out who erased those videos. I don't care what it takes."
After the man left, Berlin felt worried. "If they can't prove Tasha did it, she'll go free. And then she'll come after us again."
"I won't let her hurt you," Karlos promised. "Whatever it takes, I'll protect you."
Berlin wanted to believe him. But she knew from experience that Tasha was dangerous. And now, Tasha had nothing to lose.
The next morning, Berlin woke up to find Karlos already gone. There was a note on his pillow:
"Had to go back to the city for an emergency meeting. I'll be back tonight. Stay safe. - K"
Berlin felt disappointed. She had hoped they could talk more about what he said last night.
She got dressed and went to find Mrs. Lydia. But when she got to Mrs. Lydia's new room, she found it empty.
"That's strange," Berlin thought. "Where could she be?"
She asked the maids, but no one had seen Mrs. Lydia this morning.
Berlin started to feel worried. She checked the dining room, the beach, the gardens. But Mrs. Lydia was nowhere to be found.
Then Berlin saw Prissy running toward her, looking scared.
"Berlin! Thank God I found you!" Prissy said. "It's Mom! She's missing!"
"What do you mean missing?" Berlin asked.
"I went to her room this morning and she wasn't there. Her bed hadn't been slept in. And look - I found this on her pillow."
Prissy showed Berlin a note. It said:
"If you want to see Mrs. Lydia again, bring $5 million in cash to the old lighthouse at midnight. Come alone. If you tell anyone or call the police, she dies."
Berlin felt like the world was spinning. Someone had kidnapped Mrs. Lydia!
"We have to call Karlos!" Berlin said.
"No!" Prissy grabbed her arm. "The note says not to tell anyone! What if they hurt Mom?"
"But we can't handle this alone," Berlin said. "We need help."
"We have until midnight," Prissy said. "That's almost twelve hours. Maybe we can find her ourselves before then."
Berlin thought quickly. In her past life, something similar had happened to Mrs. Lydia. But it had been much later, and Berlin hadn't been able to save her.
Now she had a chance to change things. But she had to be smart about it.
"Okay," Berlin said. "We'll look for her ourselves. But if we can't find her by evening, we're calling Karlos, no matter what the note says."
Prissy nodded. "Deal."
The two women started searching the resort. They asked everyone if they had seen Mrs. Lydia. They checked every building, every path, every hiding place.
Hours passed. They found nothing.
Berlin felt desperate. Where could Mrs. Lydia be? Who would kidnap her?
Then Berlin remembered something. In her past life, Mrs. Lydia had mentioned a secret room in the resort - a room that Karlos's father had built for emergencies.
"Prissy," Berlin said. "Does this resort have any secret rooms? Places that most people don't know about?"
Prissy thought for a moment. "I don't think so. Why?"
"Your mother once told me about a secret room your father built. Do you know anything about it?"
Prissy's eyes widened. "Oh! I forgot about that! It's in the basement of the main building. But that building was damaged in the fire yesterday. It might not be safe."
"We have to check," Berlin said. "It's our only lead."
They went to the damaged building. The fire department had said it was safe to enter, but parts of it were still smoking and black with soot.
Berlin and Prissy carefully made their way to the basement. It was dark and scary.
"How do we find the secret room?" Prissy whispered.
"Your mother said there's a special bookshelf," Berlin said. "If you pull the right book, a door opens."
They found the bookshelf and started pulling books. Nothing happened.
"It's not working!" Prissy said, frustrated.
Then Berlin noticed something. One book was cleaner than the others, like someone had touched it recently.
She pulled it, and suddenly, part of the wall slid open!
Behind it was a small room. And inside the room, tied to a chair and gagged, was Mrs. Lydia!
"Mom!" Prissy screamed. They rushed to untie her.
When Mrs. Lydia could finally speak, she hugged both of them tightly.
"Thank goodness you found me!" she said. "I thought I would be trapped here forever!"
"Who did this to you?" Berlin asked.
"I don't know," Mrs. Lydia said. "Someone came to my room last night. They put something over my face - a cloth with a strange smell. When I woke up, I was here."
"Did you see their face?" Prissy asked.
"No, it was too dark. But I heard them talking on the phone to someone. They said... they said this was just the beginning. That soon, the Wayne family would lose everything."
Berlin felt a chill run down her spine. This wasn't just about Tasha anymore. Someone bigger, someone more powerful, was trying to destroy them.
But who?