Novel-novel oleh Selome

Chapter 534Her presence still carried something bittersweet for me. There had been a time when I couldn't imagine having a relationship with her that wasn't poisoned by the circumstances surrounding us. But people could change. Families could change.Sometimes healing didn't mean pretending the past had never happened. Sometimes it meant deciding that the past would no longer control the future.Cass caught my eye. She smiled and I smiled back. That was enough.Nathan suddenly lifted his glass."Everyone."The conversations gradually faded.The children didn't pay much attention. Athena was already chasing Luca again while the twins followed behind them.Nathan looked around the garden."I know we've all had enough speeches over the years," he said, making several people laugh. "But I think we deserve one more."I smiled.He continued."We have all lost something."The garden became quieter."Some of us lost people. Some lost years. Some lost trust. Some lost pieces of ourselves."Hi

Chapter 533She was sitting beneath one of the garden lights, watching Carmen and Lucian's son race around with Athena.She looked peaceful. Healthy. Happy.There was something deeply beautiful about seeing her like that. After everything she had endured, she deserved this. She deserved ordinary evenings. She deserved laughter. She deserved grandchildren running around her. She deserved a life that wasn't defined by what had been taken from her.Nathan noticed where I was looking, "She's happy," he said quietly.I nodded, "She is.""And so are you."I looked at him."I am."He smiled."Good."I leaned my head against his shoulder.Happiness was ordinary. And after everything I had survived, ordinary felt extraordinary.I looked toward Athena again. She had stopped running.Luca stood beside her, apparently explaining something very important."What are you two talking about?" I called.Athena looked toward me."Mommy!"She immediately ran toward me. I set my glass on the nearby table

Chapter 532Athena turned around while still moving and laughed."I won't!""You always say that!""I won't fall this time!"Luca shook his head with the seriousness of a little man twice his age.From where I stood, I couldn't stop myself from smiling.A few steps behind them, Ava and Liam's three-year-old twins were struggling to keep up. Their tiny legs moved as quickly as they could, their laughter filling the garden whenever one of them stumbled and the other stopped to wait.Carmen stood nearby, watching Luca with an amused expression."That's your son," I teased her.She looked at me and laughed softly. "Unfortunately, yes. He has decided he's responsible for everyone."Lucian slipped an arm around her shoulders."He's your son when he's being protective," he said. "When he starts causing trouble, suddenly he's mine."Carmen gave him an incredulous look."You have been saying that for five years.""And I'll continue saying it for another five."They laughed.I watched them for

Chapter 531I slipped my hand into Nathan's. He held it. And for a few quiet seconds, we simply watched.I thought about my father. About everything he had lost. About everything he had hoped his family would one day become.His hospital had grown beyond anything he had built during his lifetime. I had expanded it internationally, carrying his name and his vision into places I had once never imagined reaching.People now knew me as one of the most respected surgeons in the city. They knew my work. They knew the hospital. They knew the success.But when I stood in my garden and watched my daughter laughing with the people she loved, none of those achievements mattered as much as this moment.My greatest accomplishment wasn't the hospital. It wasn't my career. It wasn't the wealth that had come with everything we had built. It was standing here.Alive. With my family.Nathan gently squeezed my hand."What are you thinking about?"I looked at him and smiled."How lucky I am."His express

Chapter 530A little later, the garden became even louder.Ava and Liam arrived with gifts, and not long after that, Lucian and Carmen returned as well.The moment Luca saw his parents, he ran straight toward them."Mom!"Carmen bent down and caught him in her arms."There you are."Luca wrapped his arms around her."I missed you."Carmen kissed his forehead."I missed you too."Lucian stood beside them, smiling."Did you behave while we were gone?"Luca immediately pointed toward Athena."She made us play her game."Athena protested from across the garden."It was a good game!"Lucian laughed."Then I suppose you had a good time.""We did," Luca admitted.Carmen looked toward me.Her smile softened."Look at them."I followed her gaze.Athena was sitting on the grass while the twins surrounded her. Luca stood beside them, apparently explaining some complicated rule that only he understood.I smiled."They're inseparable."Carmen nodded."Luca talks about Athena constantly."I looked

Chapter 529Before he could say anything else, a loud shout came from downstairs."Mommy!"I laughed."That's my cue."Nathan chuckled.We left the room together. By the time we reached the dining area, Mom was already there, arranging breakfast plates across the table.She looked toward the garden doors with an expression of complete exhaustion."I have one question," she said.I smiled."What?""How can four children make the noise of twenty?"Nathan laughed beside me. Mom immediately pointed at him."Don't laugh. You are partly responsible."Nathan placed a hand against his chest."Me?""Yes, you.""What did I do?"Mom shook her head."You taught Athena how to sneak cookies from the kitchen."Nathan looked at me."That information was supposed to remain confidential."I burst out laughing.Mom folded her arms."And you wonder why she thinks she can do anything she wants."Nathan smiled innocently."I have no idea what you're talking about.""Of course you don't."Before the convers

Chapter 66THIRD PERSON POVShe reached down and tugged the boxers away from his waist, exposing his cock completely. It stood rigid, the head dark and swollen, a steady bead of pre-cum sliding down the shaft. She wrapped her hand around it once, gave it a single, slow stroke, then let go.Adrian groaned, hips jerking forward. The rope bit deeper into his wrists.Serena wiped her hand on his chest. “Look at you. So desperate. So pathetic.” She leaned in close, her breath warm against his ear. “I could leave you like this all night. Or I could make you watch me again. Which would be worse for you, I wonder?”He shook his head, eyes pleading.She straightened, walked to the bed, and picked up the vibrator again. She turned it on, the low buzz filling the room once more. “I think I’ll let you watch one more time,” she said, settling back on the mattress with her legs spread. “And this time, I want you to count how many times I cum.”Adrian’s cock twitched visibly. He tried to look away,

Chapter 65THIRD PERSON POVHer free hand reached beneath her to rub her clit in tight circles.Her pace quickened. The toy disappeared almost completely on every thrust, only to be pulled out again, shiny with her juices. “Listen to how wet I am,” she taunted, voice husky. “Every time I fuck myself like this, I think about how desperate you look right now. Tied up. Hard. Leaking. And completely useless to me.”Her breathing turned ragged. She slammed the toy in harder, faster, until her thighs quivered and a second orgasm crashed through her. She cried out, pussy pulsing around the silicone, more cum dripping down her thighs. She held the toy deep inside through the spasms, then slowly withdrew it, leaving her hole visibly twitching and slick.Serena turned back to face Adrian. She ran two fingers through the mess between her legs, gathering the creamy fluid, then stood and walked to him. She held her fingers under his nose. “Smell it,” she ordered. “That’s what you don’t get tonight

Chapter 64THIRD PERSON POVAdrian’s breath came faster. “Babe, when did my good girl turn this bad?”Serena leaned in close, her bare breasts brushing his shoulder. “You were wrong to think that I was ever a good girl, Adrian. I am about to show you a glimpse of what I am capable of.” She picked up a strip of cloth next, folded it once, and pressed it between his teeth. “If I leave your mouth open, you might scream in pain,” she said, knotting it firmly behind his head. The gag muffled his reply into a low, helpless sound. Then she took his trousers off leaving him in boxers only.She stepped back to admire her work. Adrian’s arms were pulled back, shoulders stretched, the rope biting into his skin. His cock strained visibly against the tight boxers, a dark patch already spreading where pre-cum leaked through. Serena smiled, then turned and walked slowly to the bed, hips swaying in a deliberate catwalk. She sat on the edge, her legs crossed, completely at ease while he strained agai

Chapter 63Third person povAdrian didn't move.He stood in the middle of the bedroom, staring at Serena as though he was trying to understand the woman standing in front of him. She had just told him that she had found another way to satisfy herself. She had told him that she didn't need him anymore.And now she was looking at him with a calmness that unsettled him, "I’m not leaving," he said finally.Serena raised an eyebrow, "You're still here?""Yes." His voice was firm, almost stubborn. He took a step toward her, "If there is something you want to show me, then show me."Serena studied his face. Adrian was trying to look confident. Trying to convince himself that whatever she had planned couldn't possibly be as bad as the words she had used.He had always been able to control the atmosphere between them. He was her husband. He was used to being the one who decided when they were intimate, when they talked, when they made up after an argument.But something about Serena tonight to

Chapter 62So instead, I shook my head, "Forget it.""No." His voice was firm, "You can't say something like that and then tell me to forget it."I turned toward the bathroom, "I don't want to talk about it.""Serena." He called again. I stopped.He moved closer, "The day I did what?"I slowly turned around. My eyes met his."You really want to know?" I asked already plotting my next plan of action."Yes." He said."Are you sure?" I asked again. He didn’t know what I was about to do, if he knew, he would dismiss it immediately."Yes." He said sounding surer of his answer.I studied him. Then I laughed softly, "Fine." I stepped closer like I finally wanted to give him a kiss he would die to have, "But perhaps you already know."His expression tightened, "I don't know what you are talking about."I folded my arms, "Come on, Adrian."He waited.I continued, "We've been living in this house together for four months." His face changed slightly. I continued again, "We've been sleeping in th

Chapter 61"How long have you been standing there?" My voice came out sharper than I intended. Adrian remained in front of me, his expression strangely calm. For a moment, neither of us moved.I tightened my grip around the towel. The bathroom door was still behind me, and the warm air from inside drifted into the hallway, but I barely noticed it.All I could focus on was Adrian. And the question that wouldn't leave my mind. Had he heard me? Had he heard my phone conversation? Had he heard me talking about Vanessa?My heart beat harder.Adrian finally smiled, "I just got here."I narrowed my eyes, "Just got here?""Yes." He said and I breathed a sign of relief.He took a small step closer, "I came upstairs to find you."To find me….. What does this husband of mine want from me again. "Why?" I asked.He shrugged, "I wanted to see my beautiful wife."I rolled my eyes. A quiet hiss escaped my lips, "Please."His smile widened, "What?""Don't start." I said and turned toward the bathroom.