Se connecterLYSANDER POV:But I was worried. The guards called me when Kier showed up, and I came downstairs immediately, ready to throw him out myself if I had to. But Celestine told me to wait, to let her handle it, to trust her. So I waited. And I listened.I heard him beg. I heard her laugh. I heard her tell him, gently but firmly, that she did not want him, that she would never want him, that no amount of plastic surgery would ever make him me.And I felt something I had not expected to feel.Pity.Not for Kier. Kier can rot in hell for all I care. But for the man he used to be, the man who had Celestine's love and threw it away, the man who will spend the rest of his life regretting it. That man, I pity.The security guards lead him past me. He does not look up. His face is wet and swollen and his shoulders are shaking and he looks like a beggar, like a warning, like a glimpse of a future I will never have because I am smart enough to hold onto what I have.I walk into the sitting room. Cel
CELESTINE'S POV:I stare at him for a long moment.Kier Thornwell, the man who made my life a living hell for three years. He is standing in front of me, thinner than before, his eyes hollow, his face gaunt, looking like he has not slept or eaten properly in weeks.And he just told me he would get plastic surgery to look like my husband.Something inside me shifts and hell no, it was not sympathy or pity and especielly not the old familiar urge to forgive and forget and give him another chance like I always do. Just... a sad kind of recognition. A realization that this man has lost his mind completely. That he is not capable of understanding what he did wrong or why I cannot forgive him or why no amount of plastic surgery will ever make me love him.I start to laugh.It is not a mean laugh but it is not a cruel laugh. I laugh because this is absurd. I laugh because this is tragic. I laugh because I cannot cry anymore, not for him, not for us, not for the years I wasted trying to love
KIER'S POV:I show up at Valancourt House one more time.It is not like the last time. I am not drunk. I have not been drinking at all, actually, not for three days, because I wanted to be clear headed for this, I wanted to be able to say what I needed to say without slurring or stumbling or forgetting my words. I wanted her to see me, really see me, and understand that I have changed, that I can change, that I will do anything to get her back.The drive from London takes two hours. I spend the whole time rehearsing. I am sorry. I was wrong. I love you. I have always loved you. I did not know what I had until I lost it. Please give me another chance. Please, Celestine, please. I regret everything.The security guards recognize me. Of course they do. I am the man who was tackled on the front lawn, the man who screamed her name into the night, the man who made a fool of himself in front of everyone. They stop me at the gate and tell me to leave and I tell them I am not leaving until I s
CELESTINE'S POV:I speed up, slamming down harder, my pussy clenching around him. “I love you, Lysander. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone. And I am not going anywhere. Do you understand?”“I understand,” he groans, voice breaking as I ride him mercilessly.“Then stop being jealous of my brother.”He laughs breathlessly, the sound turning into a moan as I grind down particularly hard. “I am not… I am not jealous of your brother.”“You are.” I clench around him intentionally, making him curse. “And it is cute, but it is also ridiculous. He is my brother. He has known me my whole life. Of course I laugh at his jokes. That does not mean I want to sleep with him.”I ride him faster, harder, my ass bouncing, breasts swaying. The wet slap of our bodies is constant now. I reach back and cup his balls, massaging them as I fuck him.“I know. I know. I am sorry. I am being an idiot,” he pants, head thrown back, veins standing out on his neck.“You are being an idiot,” I agree, leani
CELESTINE'S POV:He falls back against the pillows, surprised, his gray eyes wide. I climb on top of him and reach for his tie, the one he is still wearing from work, and I pull it loose from his collar."What are you doing?" he asks, voice already thickening."What does it look like I am doing?"I tie his hands to the headboard, not too tight, just tight enough that he cannot get free without my help. He watches me the whole time, his chest rising and falling faster, lips parted. The sight of him like this, powerful, restrained, completely at my mercy, sends a rush of heat straight between my legs."You are in charge tonight," I say, leaning down so my lips brush his ear. "And by in charge, I mean you are going to lie there and let me do whatever I want to you."He swallows hard. "Yes, ma'am."I take my time. I kiss him slowly, deeply, tongues sliding and tangling until we’re both breathing hard. Then I move lower, unbuttoning his shirt with deliberate fingers, kissing every new inch
Lysander POV:One night, I come home to find her in the living room with Maxwell. They are sitting on the couch, her brother and my wife, and she is laughing at something he said. Really laughing and her eyes crinkle at the corners and her hand reaches out to touch his arm.I stand in the doorway and watch them. My chest feels tight. My jaw feels tight. There is a knot in my stomach that I do not want to examine too closely.She never laughs at my jokes like that. My jokes are terrible, she says. I am not funny, she says. But Maxwell makes her laugh like that. Maxwell, who has known her her whole life. Maxwell, who is her brother and should not make me feel like this."You never laugh at my jokes like that," I say, walking into the room.She looks up at me, still smiling. "That is because your jokes are terrible, sweetheart."I pout. I actually pout. I am Lysander Ashcroft, the richest man in the world, feared by CEOs and politicians and everyone who has ever crossed me. And I am pout







