LOGINISABELLE'S POV:I stared at it. I stared at it for a long time, blinking to make sure my eyes were not playing tricks on me. The entire world outside the bathroom door seemed to stop spinning. The air grew completely still. Everything faded away except for those two tiny lines.I was pregnant. I was really going to have a baby.I slid down to the floor, pulling my knees to my chest, and I started to cry. I cried because I felt a rush of pure happiness. I cried because a sudden wave of fear washed over me. I cried because I had never wanted anything this much in my entire life.I did not tell him that night.I did not tell him the next night either. I kept putting it off because I wanted to find the absolute perfect moment. I wanted to make the announcement special, something he would remember for the rest of his life.So I made a plan.I drove to a small children's boutique downtown and bought a tiny baby onesie. It was soft white cotton decorated with little gray elephants pla
ISABELLE'S POV:The first sign was the tiredness. It crept up on me slowly before hitting me like a wave.I had always been a morning person. I woke up with the sun, ready to face the day, ready to write, ready to conquer whatever challenges lay ahead. But lately, I could barely drag myself out of bed. My limbs felt weighed down, and my eyelids felt glued shut. I was exhausted all the time, no matter how much sleep I managed to get. I would wake up tired, spend the afternoon yawning at my desk, and fall fast asleep on the couch long before dinner time rolled around.Damon noticed. Of course he noticed because he always noticed everything. Nothing ever slipped past him."Are you okay?" he asked one morning, watching me struggle to keep my eyes open over a bowl of cereal."I am fine," I said, trying to flash a convincing smile while blinking rapidly. "Just tired.""You have been tired for weeks, Izzy.""I have been working hard on the manuscript.""You have been napping every s
ISABELLE'S POV:I felt my heart swell. I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed him right there in the middle of the kitchen.The master bedroom was the biggest project of all.It was large and cold and impersonal, just like the rest of the house. The bed was huge, the sheets were stark white, and the curtains were black. It looked like a hotel room where people stayed for one night and left.I changed everything to make it softer.I bought new sheets, soft and cream-colored, with pillows that were actually comfortable to sleep on. I added a thick duvet that made you want to bury yourself in it on lazy Sunday mornings. I replaced the gloomy black curtains with light, airy white ones and I added photographs on the nightstands, pictures of us laughing, of our wedding day, of our quiet moments on our honeymoon.And I added a small wooden bookshelf in the corner, filling the shelves with paperback novels that I loved.Damon walked in while I was arranging the last few books. He stopped
ISABELLE'S POV:The mansion was cold when we returned from our honeymoon.I had not noticed it before. When I had first arrived, when I had been recoering from the attack, when I had been focused on Damon's injuries and my own fear, the mansion had just been a backdrop. A place to sleep. A place to hide. A place to wait for the next terrible thing to happen.Now that everything had settled and we were officially married, everything felt different. The air inside the grand foyer felt a bit stiff, carrying that slight chill that only a massive, empty house could hold. My suitcases sat by the door, looking small against the giant marble tiles.Damon stood right beside me, his hands tucked into his pockets, looking around the space as if seeing it through my eyes for the first time."It needs work," I said, crossing my arms against the sudden draft.He raised an eyebrow, a faint hint of amusement playing at the corner of his mouth. "It is a mansion and you know it is worth more tha
ISABELLE'S POV: There was no rush, no lingering worry, and no outside noise to pull our attention away. We made love on the outdoor daybed under a clear sky full of bright stars, listening to the rhythm of the tide below us. We made love inside the room with the sheer white curtains fluttering in the sea air and most times we swam together at night in the warm water right beneath our deck, held close in each other's arms while the quiet sea cradled us. It was deeply romantic, passionate, and completely restful. It was everything I had ever hoped our new beginning would be. One evening, after the sun had gone down, we lay together on the cushions out on the deck. A soft breeze kept the air cool, and the sky above us was completely filled with stars. "I still catch myself feeling amazed that this is really our life now," I whispered softly into the night, resting my head against his bare chest. "That we are actually here, totally at peace, as husband and wife." Damon shifted s
ISABELLE'S POV:The Maldives was everything I had ever dreamed of and so much more.We arrived late in the afternoon and the seaplane ride from the capital had been breathtaking. We flew over vast stretches of clear turquoise water dotted with tiny ring-shaped islands that looked like bright green jewels dropped into the ocean. I spent almost the entire flight with my face pressed close to the small oval window, taking in every view with wide eyes and a full heart.Damon watched me from his seat, a small, amused smile playing on his lips while his hand rested comfortably on my knee."You look like someone seeing the ocean for the very first time and you are a brilliant writer," he teased softly."I feel like it," I admitted, looking over at him with a wide grin. "I have traveled to a lot of places for work and family trips, but I have never seen water this clear or sand this white.""Neither have I," he said quietly. "At least, not like this. Not with you by my side."I turned
Kier Thornwell looked like he belonged on a magazine cover even when he was just standing in an elevator. Thirty eight years old. Strong jaw and sharp cheekbones. Eyes so dark brown they looked black. A mouth that rarely smiled, but when it did, women forgot their own names. Six foot two. Carried h
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 started cooking at three in the afternoon, flour on her hands, music playing low from her phone and the smell of tomatoes and garlic filling the whole penthouse.She made the sauce from scratch, the way her grandmother taught her when she was maybe ten years old. She rolled out the pasta
The first time Kier met Sable Morwenna was at a charity gala about six months after his father died.He was standing by the bar, looking miserable, drinking too much and wishing he could leave. And then this woman just appeared next to him, like she had materialized out of thin air."You look like







