Chapter: chapter one hundred The first few weeks after their return from Europe felt like exhaling after years of holding their breath.The mansion seemed to breathe with them  the air softer, the light kinder, the walls no longer echoing with tension but laughter. The trip had changed something unspoken between Adrian and Gabriel. It was as if love, once a battlefield of power and pride, had finally found its quiet rhythm  the kind that didn’t need to prove anything anymore.Every morning, the sound of birds in the garden replaced the shrill buzz of alarms. Adrian still woke early, but now he lingered in bed a little longer, tracing lazy patterns on Gabriel’s arm, watching how sunlight brushed against his husband’s skin. Sometimes Gabriel would stir and smile without opening his eyes, murmuring, “Stop staring and kiss me already.”And Adrian always did.At Knight Enterprises, things were thriving. The company had never been stronger new contracts, international partnerships, and a reputation for innovation that
Last Updated: 2025-11-04
 Chapter: chapter ninety nineThe Knights mansion had always been beautiful sprawling lawns, tall windows, the faint scent of cedar that clung to the halls but when they returned from their long vacation, it felt different. Lighter. Warmer.  Elias was the first to notice it...  He ran through the familiar corridors with his usual energy, laughing as he skidded across the polished floors in his socks. “Home!” he shouted, grinning at the echo. “We’re home!”i miss my home ...  Adrian followed behind with a box under one arm, Gabriel with another. Their eyes met for a brief second the kind of quiet look two people share when a chapter has ended, and another has just begun.  “Feels strange,” Gabriel said softly. “Like we’ve been gone for years.”  Adrian set the box down, exhaling. “Maybe we needed to be.”  The house had stood empty while they were away, but it didn’t feel lonely. It felt ready as if it had been waiting for them to come back not just as the family who lived there, but as the family who had found e
Last Updated: 2025-11-04
 Chapter: chapter ninety Eight Italy felt like something out of a dream soft, golden, and timeless.  They arrived in Tuscany just as the summer ripened, the hills rolling in waves of green and amber, dotted with cypress trees and the hum of life that seemed to move at a slower, kinder rhythm. The villa Gabriel booked sat on a rise overlooking a valley of vineyards, the kind that glowed bronze at sunset and smelled faintly of crushed grapes and earth.  For the first time in a long while, Adrian didn’t wake to the sound of an alarm clock or the vibration of his phone. He woke to sunlight streaming through linen curtains, the smell of coffee drifting in from the kitchen, and the soft sound of Gabriel humming while Elias tried to make pancakes.  It was domestic, ordinary and it was perfect...  After breakfast, they would drive through winding roads to nearby villages, exploring cobblestone alleys where flowers spilled from terracotta pots and laughter echoed from cafés. Adrian watched Gabriel and Elias take turns t
Last Updated: 2025-11-04
 Chapter: chapter ninety seven It started over breakfast on a quiet Sunday morning. The sunlight poured through the kitchen window, warm and honeyed, catching in Gabriel’s hair as he leaned against the counter, sipping his coffee. Elias sat across the table, scrolling on his phone, while Adrian read the day’s headlines from his tablet. Everything about it was ordinary almost too ordinary  and that’s when Gabriel set down his cup with a soft clink.“I think we need to get away,” he said suddenly.Adrian looked up, brow furrowing. “Away?”..like elope ????Gabriel smiled faintly. “Yes. Well not elope but  away from boardrooms, contracts, deadlines. Away from this.” He gestured toward Adrian’s tablet. “Europe, maybe. Just us. No phones, no meetings, no alarms. Just time.”Elias perked up instantly, eyes wide. “Europe? Like… Paris? Italy? Maybe even London?”Gabriel chuckled. “Exactly like that.”Adrian’s lips curved into a small, uncertain smile. “You’re serious.”“Completely.”Adrian leaned back in his chair, arms cro
Last Updated: 2025-11-03
 Chapter: Chapter ninety six The morning light spilled through the wide glass windows of their bedroom, painting soft gold across the sheets. Adrian stirred first, eyes blinking open to a world that finally felt calm. No shadows lurking at the corners of his mind, no paranoia tugging at the edge of his consciousness just the quiet rhythm of breathing, Gabriel’s arm heavy around his waist, and the scent of coffee drifting faintly from downstairs.For a long moment, he didn’t move. He simply watched the sunlight move across Gabriel’s face, tracing the lines that hadn’t been there a few years ago. Laugh lines. Not from pain, not from forced smiles, but from genuine laughter. Adrian smiled faintly to himself.There was a time he thought he would never wake up to something so ordinary, so still. He’d lived too long in chaos fighting ghosts, chasing success, building empires on restless ambition. But here, in the soft hush of dawn, he realized this was what survival had bought him: peace...The peace he has looked so co
Last Updated: 2025-11-03
 Chapter: chapter ninety fiveThe nights had grown softer The storms that once haunted Adrian’s dreams  the sirens, the blood, the echo of the gunshot  had begun to fade into distant memory. In their place came something gentler. The sound of Gabriel’s quiet breathing beside him, the soft rustle of Elias’ laughter drifting from the other side of the house. For the first time in years, the Knight mansion didn’t feel like a fortress. It felt like a home.Adrian stood by the window that evening, watching the city skyline melt into the horizon. The air smelled faintly of rain, and the amber glow from the fireplace cast shadows across his face. He traced a hand down the faint scar on his shoulder  a reminder of what he had survived  and exhaled slowly.Behind him, Gabriel’s voice broke the silence.“You’re doing it again,” he said softly.Adrian turned, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Doing what?”“Staring at the skyline like it’s going to give you answers.”Adrian chuckled under his breath, walking back toward 
Last Updated: 2025-11-03