INICIAR SESIÓNISABELLE'S POV:I was far too scared to admit the truth out loud. I was terrified of admitting that I was falling hopelessly in love with my best friend.I was fourteen when I started noticing the cruel way other people looked at the two of us together.We were walking through outside the estate gates, casually chatting as our hands brushed together. Out of nowhere, a group of older boys standing by the expensive market stalls started pointing at us and throwing nasty comments our way. They called Damon terrible names, words that made my cheeks burn with red anger. They openly mocked his old hand-me-down clothes, his scuffed shoes, and his family's deep poverty. They laughed right in his face as if he were completely worthless compared to them.I lost my temper instantly. Before Damon could stop me, I stepped right in front of him, my hands balled up into tight fists and my voice practically shaking with rage."Shut up and leave him alone!" I yelled at them.The lead boy just sm
ISABELLE'S POV:The years passed like water slipping right through my fingers.I remember those summer days in simple fragments, like snapshots of moments I held onto for way longer than I probably should have. I can still clearly see the way the afternoon light fell through the thick leaves of that old oak tree and I can still hear the sound of Damon's quick laugh echoing across the open garden, bright and full of life. Most of all, I remember the feeling of his hand wrapped around mine, always warm, steady, and completely sure.We grew up side by side, Damon and I. From the exact moment we met as kids, we were practically inseparable. We were just two lonely children who found something special in each other that the rest of the world could never offer us.He was my true confidant, my fierce protector, and my absolute best friend. He was the very first person I ever trusted with my secret hopes and dreams, and he was the only person who ever made me feel like I actually mattered
BOOK 3: RETURN TO ME: THE SNIPER'S PROMISE 18+A Dark Second Chance Romance"I will marry you when I grow up."Isabelle Valancourt never forgot those words. She also never forgot the day she broke his heart.She was sixteen when she overheard his parents talking. They wanted her family's money. They saw her as their golden ticket. Panicked and desperate to protect her family, Isabelle did the only thing she knew how to do.She rejected him. She told him he wasn't good enough for her, then she told him to forget her.She watched his heart shatter, and then she watched him walk away.Eight years later, Damon Varek is back. He isn't the poor boy she used to know. Now he's a billionaire, a former military sniper, and a dangerous man to cross. He has deadly enemies, but his main focus is winning her back.Isabelle isn't that same young girl anymore either. She's a famous writer, independent and successful, but still haunted by the truth she kept hidden for years.Damon has his o
CELESTINE'S POV:FEW WEEKS LATER...The morning of the reunion dawns bright and clear, the sun rising over the valley like a blessing.I stand in the kitchen of Ashcroft Manor, my hands busy with the familiar rhythm of preparing food, my heart full of anticipation. The house is already buzzing with activity, the staff moving with purpose, the scent of roasting meat and fresh bread filling the air. Outside, the garden is transformed, tables draped in white linen, flowers arranged in elegant centerpieces and the soft clatter of silver platters and porcelain plates echoes off the stone walls of the kitchen.Today is the day. Today, my family is coming home.I think about the years that have passed. The pain and the joy, the loss and the love, the moments that tested us and the moments that brought us together. We have been through so much. We have survived so much. And now, we are here. Together.Lysander walks into the kitchen. He is wearing a simple white shirt, his sleeves rolle
ELARA'S POV: MONTHS LATER… The hospital room is bright and smells like antiseptic as I have been in labor for hours. The contractions are coming faster and harder, each one more intense than the last. I feel like I am being torn apart from the inside, like my body is no longer my own, like I am drowning in a sea of pain that has no end. My fingers clutch the scratchy hospital sheet, twisting the fabric until my knuckles turn white. But Alistair is beside me. His hand is in mine. His voice is in my ear. He is telling me that I am strong, that I am brave and that I can do this. He brushes a damp strand of hair away from my forehead, his fingers gentle against my skin. I do not feel strong. I do not even feel any brave right now and I feel like I am falling apart. "I cannot do this," I gasp. "I cannot." He squeezes my hand. His grip is firm and steady. "You can," he says. "You are the strongest person I know. You can do anything." I laugh which came out as a weak
ELARA'S POV:The morning sun was up and I have been awake for hours, staring at the ceiling, my heart pounding, my hands shaking.I am pregnant.I found out three days ago. I took the test in the bathroom, my hands trembling, my breath held. I stared at the two pink lines for what felt like forever, waiting for them to disappear, waiting for the dream to end. The quiet ticking of the small bedside clock was the only sound in the house as I waited.But they did not disappear. They stayed. Two pink lines, glowing like a promise.I am pregnant. I am carrying Alistair's child.I have been waiting for the perfect moment to tell him. I wanted it to be special. I wanted it to be something he would remember forever. I have been planning it for days, going over every detail in my head, trying to find the right words, the right moment, the right way to share this news. I pictured us at dinner or walking along the quiet path outside, but none of those moments felt right enough.But now,
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







