INICIAR SESIÓNI want to deny everything she’s saying.I want to say, No, you’re wrong. I never meant any of those things.But I can’t. I’m not able to.No matter how badly and desperately I want to deny her claims, she isn’t entirely wrong.I did treat her that way. I did consider her helpless.In fact, I was the one who asked her parents to cut all ties with her, to make sure she understood what it meant to be left alone in her new life—just like Hannah would have felt when she ran away from the marriage, just like Hannah would suffer without her family—without me—out there in a foreign world.Now that I think about it, I was such a jerk.Because whatever happened back then, Elara had nothing to do with it. She never bullied Hannah, never made her life miserable. It was all lies that Hannah and her family made me believe. They all pretended in front of me as if Elara was some kind of villain who deserved every miserable thing that was happening to her.And I believed it too. I believed she didn’t
[Damon]When Elara enters the café, I can’t take my eyes off her.It’s hard to—almost like the first time I saw her at the school event. Her long, dark hair frames her face beautifully, and her eyes… they literally sparkle under the café's soft lights.I’m not done taking in every stunning feature of her when she reaches the table I reserved for us and stops.Jerking myself out of the stupor, I quickly rush to the other side and pull out the chair for her to sit.“Thank you for coming,” I say, glad that she didn’t lie just to dismiss me.I wonder if that means something—if what I’m doing is finally up to her expectations, and if things go smoothly from here on, she won’t be able to stay mad at me for long.I hurry back to my side and take a seat.“I already ordered an iced tea for you. It used to be your favourite, right?”She looks at me for a second and then shakes her head, smiling. “I hate cold beverages, Damon. Hannah was the one who liked iced tea or whatever.”My throat tighten
[Elara]When I wake up in the morning, I’m glad to see the other side of the bed empty.Though I feel a little…off too, as if something inside me is sad to know that he left without a word.But knowing myself, and our obvious circumstances, I quickly push that feeling to the back of my mind and focus on the day that’s already waiting for me.I jump out of bed, shower, and change first.Then I head to Cora’s room to see if she’s awake.She isn’t.So I pause and gently wake her up.“Good morning, love. Come on, get up. It’s already 8. Your aunt Nora will be here any moment now.”The mere mention of Nora is enough to get a rapid response out of my daughter. Her eyes open too fast, and she sits up even faster.“Oh, no. We had plans to see the science museum today. Mommy, I can’t be late. Please help me get ready.”I chuckle at her excitement and enthusiasm, nodding. “Of course. I have already prepared the water; all you have to do is take your bath. Until then, I’ll get your clothes ready
[Griffin]When I wake up the next morning, Elara is still asleep by my side.I reach across the bed and tuck a loose strand of her hair out of her face, wondering how long it will be before she admits that this thing between us has no expiration date.I know she thinks this is temporary. I know she thinks we have no future together.But that’s where she’s wrong.She is my future. My present. And my past.She has always been.The vibration of my phone pulls me away from my thoughts. I sit up straighter, grab my phone and my clothes, and head out of her room.Lucas’s name flashes on the screen.For a moment, I pause and wonder if he called to scold me as Elara’s elder brother.The man does have some serious protective instincts, and if not for his parents approving of my relationship with Elara, I wouldn’t be surprised if he punched me in the face and still expected me to apologise.Surprisingly, I’m relieved I’m not on his bad side.It would have been brutal to be at odds with someone
One of his eyebrows perks up, and he turns fully to face me now. Looking more than just amused. “So, you knew I was trying to seduce you.” He admits, slowly moving closer to where I stand. Once he’s close enough to hear me breathing, he stops. “Does that mean you approve?”I can feel the way my heart races at his presence, at the way he smiles and looks and makes my brain go all nuts. Even if I want to, I can’t deny that I’m attracted to him. I’m attracted to him in ways that fill me up with desires and wild imaginations that I never knew of before.But I can’t admit to them. Not after what I have endured.“Nope!” I say and pull myself away from him and towards the couch. I drop my ass on it. “I told you. It was over between us. No more friends with benefits. No more sex.”“Ouch!” I hear him faking a gasp, but before I can react, he’s leaning over the couch, in a way that makes me see his face upside down. His eyes are all I can see. His breath is all I can taste. “Not the sex. I kind
[Elara]“He did what?” Nora squeals, sounding as shocked and entertained as she looks. She turns sharply to Griffin. “Did he really punch you? Oh. My God. That’s epic, man! I can’t believe he had the guts to punch a Magnus. Does he know? Does he know who you are? I bet when he does, he will be pissing his pants by now.” She laughs, not able to hold herself, like she almost never does.I press my lips and exchange a brief glance with Griffin. “I never asked, but are you alright? I’m sorry that it came to this.”“You have nothing to be sorry about,” he says, pouring another glass of water and handing it to me instead. “A man as big as him should be responsible for his own actions.”He’s right. Damon needs to face the consequences of his own actions. During our marriage, I used to shield him a lot. I used to put myself in front of him and apologize on his behalf. I used to do everything I could to make sure he never suffered the negative impact of his arrogance and terrible temper.But w
[Damon]“How could this be?” I glare at the screen, scrolling through the reviews of the technicians who have been handling the new batch of equipment we ordered last month. “So many flaws. This has never happened before. What the hell is going on?”Jordan swallows, nervously flipping through his o
[Elara]At the hospital, Dr. Wilson comes by to check on Cora.“She’s looking much better today,” he says. “We’ll keep her under observation for one more night, and if everything continues to look good, she should be discharged in the morning.”Once he leaves, Cora grins. “Yay! I can finally go hom
[Elara]I’m helping Cora get into the cab when I feel someone’s presence behind us.I look over my shoulder and find Dr. Wolfe staring at me.I smile, slightly confused by the serious look on his face. “You look glum. Is everything okay?”He blinks. “You’re leaving.”I raise a brow, not sure what h
[Elara]Damon turns, eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”I follow his gaze and look up to find Dr. Wolfe glaring.“You heard me,” he says calmly, though his eyes… they speak something else. Strangely, they look annoyed to the core.Damon drops his gaze to Dr. Wolfe’s hand, the one wrapped around my wrist,







