Chapter: CHAPTER 5 THE MAN WHO WON'T STOP He took a slow step toward her, closing the space between them, heat radiating from his body, snow melting against the warmth of his skin.“You haven’t asked me why I left Damien’s family,” he murmured.“Because you don’t want to tell me,” she whispered.“Because I didn’t want you to look at me differently.”Elara’s heartbeat stumbled.“Lucian,” she breathed, “I already look at you differently.”Something broke in his controlJust a flicker.But she felt it.He reached up and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.Carefully.Slowly.As if memorizing the shape of her.Her breath trembled.Lucian lowered his forehead to hers.No kisses.No demand.Just closeness.It just aches.“Elara,” he whispered, “you matter more than you think.”Her fingers lifted hesitant, trembling and touched his jaw.He inhaled sharply, a sound half pain, half restraint.Snow drifted around them like falling stars.“Lucian,” she whispered, “tell me what you’re hiding.”His eyes closed for a moment.“The nigh
Last Updated: 2025-12-05
Chapter: CHAPTER 4 THE GALATwo weeks of hiding felt like slipping in and out of different worlds.By day, Elara occupied the quiet safety of Lucian’s penthouse, an impossible sanctuary with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city like a kingdom trapped behind glass. The air smelled faintly of cedar and shadow, of a man who moved silently and lived with a tension carved into the edges of his existence.By night, Lucian disappeared.Not for long.Never without warning.Never without giving her a look, steady, and sharp burning as if silently telling her to trust him.She did.More than she should.Tonight, he returned at dusk, the city glowing gold behind him as he stepped through the door dressed in a black suit, tie undone, hair damp from the winter rain.“Elara,” he said softly, eyes finding her immediately. “I need you to come with me.”Her heartbeat lurched.“Where?” she whispered.Lucian’s gaze dipped briefly to the small swell of her belly before rising again. Only he could make such a glance feel p
Last Updated: 2025-12-05
Chapter: CHAPTER 3 THE CHASE THROUGH THE STORMA black sedan was parked across the street.Engine running.Headlights dimmed.Waiting.Her heart somersaulted.He was already there.He hadn’t chased her down the hallway.Hadn’t followed her through the apartment.He had simply known where she would run.“Elara Voss.”The stranger stepped out of the driver’s seat, coat draped like a shadow around him.He didn’t rush her.He didn’t approach.He simply stood under the streetlight, watching her with unreadable eyes.“Get away from me,” Elara whispered, clutching her belly as she backed away.He took one slow step forward.“Damien is coming for you.”Her breath shattered in her lungs.“And I’m the only one who can keep you alive.”Elara’s entire body went cold.“You…” she stammered, “you work for him?”“No,” he said quietly, almost too sincerely. “Not anymore.”The wind whipped between them, carrying the faint scent of rain and metal. His coat billowed, his gaze never leaving her.“Elara.”He lowered his voice to something dark and inti
Last Updated: 2025-12-05
Chapter: CHAPTER 2 THE APARTMENT WITH THIN WALLSElara didn’t sleep.She tried, lying on her side, hand curved instinctively over her belly, eyes closed, but every flicker of wind outside, every creak of the building, every passing car made her jolt awake, heart racing.Damien’s message replayed in her mind on an endless loop.We always find what’s ours.He’d never said anything like that when they were married. He didn’t need to. Everything he wanted, he already controlled. Her. Her finances. Her choices. Her silence.But now she had slipped out of his grasp, and Damien Hale did not tolerate disobedience.Or loss.Not even of a woman he never truly loved.A chill ran along her spine.She sat up, unable to lie still any longer.The apartment was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of silence that hurt her ears, made her skin crawl. She left the bedroom and moved into the small living room, pulling the curtains tightly shut.Her pulse settled slightly once she did.Then…A knock.Soft.Two taps.Then stillness.Elara froze in place.Her breat
Last Updated: 2025-12-05
Chapter: CHAPTER 1 AFTER THE DIVORCEThe Night She Finally Walked AwayThe final night of Elara Voss’s marriage did not end in shouting.It ended in silence.A silence so heavy it pressed against her ribs, made her breath stutter, made her hands shake as she packed the last of her belongings into the small suitcase on the edge of the bed. Outside the window, winter rain stumbled down the glass like broken glass beads. It was late, past midnight. But Damien would be returning soon. And she refused to be here when he stepped through the door.Her daughter kicked faintly inside her belly.Six months pregnant.Alone.Terrified.But free.For the first time in years, Elara felt the thread of her life pulling her forward instead of binding her in place.She zipped the suitcase, each tooth of the metal fastening echoing like the ticking of a clock. Behind her, the bedroom felt cold and hollow, stripped of the warmth she tried to plant in it over time. Marital photographs still sat on the dresser, framed and perfect, carefull
Last Updated: 2025-12-05
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