Chapter: Chapter 15Ava’s povI froze, my hand tightening on the cab door. Anger burned inside me at the smug face he gave me. Eight months. Eight months without seeing him, without hearing from him—and now he was back, showing up like a bad dream ready to ruin everything I had worked for. I ended everything with him that night and made it clear I never wanted to see him again.“What are you doing here, Damian?” I said, keeping my voice calm even though my heart was racing.He stepped closer, his hands in his pockets like he owned the space between us. “Saw the news,” he said casually, tilting his head as his eyes kept studying me. “Thought I would drop by and say hello.”My stomach tightened. The news about my “marriage” to Liam. Everything I had built felt like it was falling apart under his stare before I could even leave the street.I gave a stiff smile and moved toward the cab. “Well, hello. It’s been a while.” My voice was sharp and cold, nothing close to friendly.He smirked, that same annoying gr
最終更新日: 2025-09-23
Chapter: Chapter 14Ava’s povI dropped onto the bed, tucking my legs beneath me as the warmth of the room settled around me like a blanket. The night had drained me, but my mind wouldn’t quiet down. It kept circling back to moments at dinner, looping over the same pieces again and again. And at the center of all of it. Liam. That damn man. The way he leaned back in his chair like he owned the world, the way that smirk played on his lips, and those whispered comments he tossed my way. Somehow, they made me feel like I was the only person he truly saw… and at the same time, like he was making a fool of me without even trying.Waitress queen. Mama’s boy who can’t defend himself. Brave warrior.I found myself smiling at the memories, a blush creeping up my neck. He had this talent for teasing me at the exact moment I wanted to disappear. And somehow, it never annoyed me the way it should have. Instead, it made me feel… alive. Sharp. Like he had lifted me out of my normal life and thrown me into a world wher
最終更新日: 2025-09-20
Chapter: Chapter 13Liam’s povIt should have been an ordinary dinner. But nothing about this table was ordinary.I sat between two women who couldn’t be more opposite. Ava, struggling to hold her head high under everyone’s eyes. And my mother, using polite words to get to her in ways she didn’t expect.I hated it.The moment my mother brought up “waiting tables,” the mood in the room changed. The old me—whoever that was—probably wouldn’t have cared. Maybe I’d have even laughed and joined in. But now? Seeing Ava’s fingers tighten on her glass, hearing her calm voice hold steady as she answered back—it stirred something in me.It made me want to protect her. Fiercely.I laid my hand over hers, quiet but clear. I’m here. I won’t let her hurt you. I won’t let her break you.But inside, I was restless. Because the truth was—I couldn’t remember if what Ava said was real. Vegas. A bar. A chance meeting. It was a story I had no way of verifying, no past to confirm or deny it. And yet… I wanted to believe it. Be
最終更新日: 2025-09-16
Chapter: Chapter 12Ava’s povThe car slowed as the Vance estate came into view, and I held my breath. It wasn’t a house. It was a mansion. I stared in awe as I looked through the tinted windows of the car. Daniel sat in front with the driver scanning the area carefully as we drove in.My fingers clenched around the small clutch in my lap. I had spent hours preparing for this moment, and still, the place made me feel small, like an intruder walking into a kingdom that wasn’t mine.Liam sat beside me, calm as ever, one hand resting on mine. He hadn’t said much on the drive, but now, I felt his eyes flick toward me.“Breathe,” he said softly.“Easy for you to say. You grew up in this world.”“And now, so did my wife.” His lips curved. Looking at me with amusement.I shot him a look. “Wife? Don’t start using that like a magic word. It’s not going to stop me from embarrassing you in front of your mother.”“Hmm,” he hummed, completely unbothered. “Then at least do it in style. If you’re going to scandalize m
最終更新日: 2025-09-12
Chapter: Chapter 11Ava’s povLiam had been quiet since he came home last night. Too quiet. He ate in silence after that he went back to his office he had in the house. I caught him staring at me more than once, like he was studying something he hadn’t quite figured out yet. It made me so uneasy. I had the urge to speak and question him but felt maybe the silence was much needed. I finally heard his footsteps behind me that morning, I already knew he was carrying news I wasn’t going to like.“There’s a dinner tomorrow night,” he said simply. His tone was casual. He never asked me what I wanted. Asked me if this dinner was befitting for me, only commanded it and expected me to always submit.I turned to face him. “Dinner?”“With my family.” He leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed. “My mother wants to meet you.”I was surprised at the statement he made. His mother. Of course. I should have known she wouldn’t let me exist quietly in his shadow. I was a question mark in their carefully drawn-ou
最終更新日: 2025-09-10
Chapter: Chapter 10Liam’s povI glanced at the view of the city from my office window. I sat at my desk, staring at numbers on the screen I barely absorbed, my thoughts wandering somewhere else entirely.Her.Ava Quinn. My wife.The word still felt foreign on my tongue. Waking up with two years loss of memory and finding her at my bedside,saying we were married, had been the biggest surprise of my life. Or at least, the biggest since the blast on the yacht that stole pieces of me I couldn’t get back.I should have felt suspicious. I should have demanded answers, pressed her until I uncovered every hidden truth. But I didn’t. Instead, I went along with it. Something in her eyes made me believe her. Even if she wasn’t my wife when I opened my eyes, something in me wanted to claim her. Not because I was fooled. No. Because for some reason… it didn’t feel wrong.Ava is not like anyone else in my world. She doesn’t flatter me, doesn’t squirm under my stare, doesn’t treat me like a prize to be won. She carrie
最終更新日: 2025-09-03
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