LOGINDAMON'S POV: "After a while, I stopped letting my emotions get involved in my work," I admitted. "I shut down my personal feelings completely during working hours. I functioned like a fine-tuned tool, an asset to be assigned to high-risk zones. I stopped dwelling on the background of the targets we were tracking. I just focused on finishing the job and keeping my squad alive." I squeezed her hand gently, making sure she knew I was being fully honest. "I finally retired from active military service after eight years," I explained. "I left with a good pension, a lot of tactical knowledge, and a very tired heart. From there, I used my savings to build a brand new private security firm from the ground up. I made smart business investments. I took calculated risks in the market. I signed major security deals with powerful corporate figures. Step by step, I built a successful company, became a major leader in the business world, and established a brand that could not be easily brushed
DAMON'S POV:I sat beside her on the edge of the bed, her soft hand held securely in mine, and I felt the full weight of my personal history pressing down on my shoulders.I had never shared the whole story with a single soul before. I had spent years keeping my past experiences completely hidden from the rest of the world, locking away the memories of the difficult missions, the harsh decisions I had to make under pressure, and the vast disruption I had left in my wake. I had built tall emotional walls around that part of my life, barriers that were originally meant to protect the people around me from getting caught in the crossfire of my career.But Isabelle deserved to hear the whole truth from my own mouth today. She deserved to know the exact details of the life I had led while we were apart. She deserved to know every single risk she was taking by choosing to stand right next to me."I have not lived a simple life, Isabelle," I said, keeping my voice low, steady, and gentl
DAMON'S POV:I walked quietly across the room to the tall window. The green gardens stretched out below me, neatly trimmed and bathed in the bright morning light. My private security guards were already moving along their regular morning paths, their eyes constantly scanning the tree line, their radios tuned to the main channel. I had already tripled the guard rotation on the property the exact night I brought Isabelle here. I had ordered new motion sensors, clearer outdoor lights, and extra perimeter alarms installed along the outer fence. But even with all those upgrades, my mind could not rest easy.I remembered the very first warning message I received three years ago, right after the Volkov case closed. I was sitting late at my desk inside the main office building when my private phone buzzed with an unlisted number. I picked up the call, and a cold voice on the line whispered a single sentence: You will pay for every single thing you did to us.I had ignored the call back the
DAMON'S POV:I stood in the center of the room, watching the soft rise and fall of her chest while the morning sun came out fully.Isabelle has fallen fast asleep, her long dark hair spread across the white pillows, her face completely calm and relaxed. I had just spent the last hour simply sitting beside her, enjoying the peace of having her back in my arms after eight long years apart. Every instinct inside me wanted to slide back under the covers, pull her close, and forget that the rest of the world even existed outside these four walls.But the real world was already waiting for me beyond the bedroom door.My previous work in high-level security was a constant responsibility that followed me everywhere, a loud reminder of the dangerous world I lived in. Over the years, I had made plenty of powerful enemies, men who wanted nothing more than to see my entire operation collapse. I had built my successful company from the ground up through sheer determination, climbing to the to
DAMON'S POV:I woke up to the soft sound of her voice.I kept my eyes closed for a moment, letting the gentle sound wash over me while my mind slowly cleared. I opened my eyes to see her leaning over me. Her brown eyes were soft and shimmering with emotion as she pressed a light kiss to my forehead and whispered that she loved me, that she had always loved me.She began to pull back, looking down at me with a sudden blush creeping up her neck, looking a bit flustered as if she thought she had spoken too soon while I was still asleep."Good morning," I said, my voice sounding rough and raspy from sleep."Good morning," she whispered back, trying to smooth down her messy dark hair.I reached up with my right hand and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her small ear. My fingers lingered against her soft cheek, slowly tracing the curve of her warm skin. She leaned her face right into my touch, her eyelashes fluttering closed for just a short moment."I heard you just no
ISABELLE'S POV:I woke up slowly, the beautiful way you do when you are emerging from a wonderful dream that you never want to leave.The very first thing I noticed was the pure warmth in the air and the second thing I noticed was the comforting weight of a strong arm draped over my waist, solid and possessive. The third thing was the steady rhythm of his breathing right behind me, slow and even, a sound that felt both deeply familiar and wonderfully new.I slowly opened my eyes.The large room was bathed in soft morning light and the soft white sheets were messy and tangled all around us, silent evidence of the sweet night we had just shared. The air smelled faintly like his woodsy cologne and fresh linens and sex and also filled with the sort of closeness that I had never allowed myself to experience with anyone else.Damon was still fast asleep beside me.He was lying on his side, his handsome face turned toward me, his hand resting securely against my waist. His dark hair w
The forgotten anniversaries. There had been three of those. Three times she had dressed up nice and made dinner and waited and waited and waited until finally getting a text that said "working late sorry" with no exclamation points, no emojis, no nothing.The cruel comments. Those were worse."You
Celestine Valancourt stood in the bathroom of her penthouse apartment, her bare feet cold against the imported marble floor, staring at a little plastic stick that had just completely and utterly rearranged her entire universe. There were two little pink lines staring back at her. Two little lines
KIER'S POV:I pour myself a drink and I sit in the dark and I wait for her to come back.She always comes back.But she does not come back.A week passes. Then another. The penthouse stays empty. My calls go straight to voicemail. My texts go unanswered. I send messages through her email, through s
She watched from the window as her father walked out to greet him.August Valancourt shook Lysander's hand with both of his, the way he did with people he truly respected, and he said something that made Lysander nod solemnly. Then her mother appeared, and Isabelle kissed Lysander on both cheeks, t







