Dwight’s POV"You want the truth, huh? How about you start by giving me that?"I frown. "What do you mean?"Leah exhales sharply, arms crossing tightly over her chest. "You left. Days before our wedding, Dwight. No calls, no messages. Nothing." Her voice shakes, but she doesn’t back down. "Do you think that deserves zero explanation?"Her words hit me like a freight train.I left? Days before our wedding?No. That’s not— that’s not possible.A cold wave crashes over me, sinking deep into my bones, sending an unsettling chill through my entire body.I shake my head, my pulse hammering. "Leah… what are you talking about?"She laughs, sharp and humorless. "Oh, don’t do that. Don’t stand there and pretend you don’t know exactly what I mean."But I don’t.I don’t.A strange, hollow feeling spreads through my chest, like a chasm opening beneath my feet. "I left?" The words feel foreign, wrong.She lifts her chin, eyes flashing with anger and something else—pain. "You disappeared, Dwight. No
Leah’s POVI don’t move.I don’t breathe.Because if I do, if I allow myself even a single moment to process what Dwight just said, I might fall apart completely."I never stopped loving you, Leah. Not even for a second."The words echo in my head, twisting through every thought, every memory, every year I spent believing the opposite.He never stopped loving me.My pulse is wild and erratic, a sharp contrast to the way my body feels—numb, weightless, and disconnected from reality.I spent years hating him for something he never did.I spent years grieving a man who wasn’t dead.A tremor runs through me. My throat tightens, but I force myself to speak, to push through the suffocating fog in my mind."You were… abducted?" I ask, even though he has said it already. Maybe, I need to be told repeatedly until I realize that this is no dream.Dwight nods, slow, deliberate.The confirmation punches the air from my lungs.My stomach twists. "By who?"Silence.A long, heavy silence that stretc
Leah’s POVThe silence is unbearable.It stretches between us, thick, suffocating, pressing in on my chest like an unseen force. It’s the kind of silence that drowns out even the loudest thoughts, leaving behind only the weight of what has been said—and what hasn’t.Dwight hasn’t moved.He stands near the window, his posture tense, his hands curled into fists. His eyes are distant, unreadable, locked somewhere beyond the present moment. But I know what he’s thinking. I can feel it in the air between us.He’s regretting this.Not the truth. Not telling me. But being here. Standing in front of me. Giving me a piece of himself that he had sworn to keep buried.And I… I don’t know what to do with it.The truth has changed everything. And yet, it has changed nothing at all.Then, a sharp, jarring sound shatters the silence.My phone.The sudden vibration against the glass coffee table sends a ripple through the stillness, a stark contrast to the heaviness in the room.I flinch.My eyes dro
Leah’s POVThe silence in my hotel room feels heavier now.I sit on the edge of the bed, staring at my phone, but my mind is still caught in the last hour—still replaying Dwight’s words over and over."I was taken, Leah. Held captive. Tortured."I press my palms against my temples, my breathing uneven.Maybe I should take a shower. Maybe that would help calm me. I step into the glass stall and switch on the overhead shower, sighing as the lukewarm water pelts my skin.But even the heady sensation of warm water does nothing to quell the endless thoughts swirling in my head.I don’t know how to process this.I can’t process this.Dwight was taken. Not just gone—not just choosing to leave—but forcibly removed from my life. It’s the kind of revelation that should change everything.And yet, somehow, it changes nothing.So much time has passed. Why did he not reach out? I had been waiting. Hoping. Praying.I'd anticipated his return. Dreamt of it. But I'd never gotten it. Maybe if he had r
Leah’s POVThe night drags on, stretching endlessly as I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep remains elusive, chased away by the endless cycle of thoughts circling in my head. No matter how much I try to push them away, they keep coming back—Dwight’s words, Cece’s questions, the gnawing uncertainty that refuses to let me rest.I turn onto my side, gripping the sheets. The weight of everything presses down on me. I had spent years believing Dwight had chosen to leave. Years convincing myself that, for some reason, I wasn’t enough to make him stay. And now, with one revelation, the past has been rewritten.I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to slow my racing heart.I had searched for him. After he disappeared, I had called, emailed, even gone to his office. But I had always been met with silence, with a void where he should have been. Eventually, I had stopped searching. I had forced myself to move on.But had I really?If I had, why does it still hurt this much?I exhale sharply and
Dwight’s POVLeah’s words cut through me like a blade, sharp and precise, leaving behind a wound that refuses to close."You never gave me a chance to choose."She’s still looking at me, her eyes burning with hurt, anger, and something else—something unspoken but undeniably there. The weight of it settles in my chest, suffocating, pressing down with the full force of every mistake I’ve made.I rake a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply. I had thought leaving had been the hardest thing I’d ever done. But standing here, seeing the pain my absence caused her, knowing that I was the reason she spent years believing she wasn’t enough—it’s unbearable.And yet, even now, with so much standing between us, I can’t stop looking at her.She’s still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.The silk of her nightwear clings to her in a way that makes it impossible not to notice every curve, every dip of her body. The soft glow from the lamp casts a warm hue across her skin, highlighting the deli
Ethan’s POV“Is it done?”“Yes, sir.”“Good,” I mutter.The world sees chaos as an accident. A tragic, unfortunate event.I see it as strategy.My glass rests against my lips, the whiskey burning down my throat as I watch the city below. A storm of lights flickers through the skyline, but my mind is elsewhere—on a different kind of fire. One that has already turned a part of Dwight’s empire to ash.I set the glass down with a quiet clink, my pulse steady, my satisfaction quiet but absolute.This moment should feel like victory. And in many ways, it is. The first strike has been made. A calculated, well-executed move that no one will suspect. By morning, the news will break—one of Glimmr’s major workshops, up in flames, reduced to nothing but ash and twisted metal.A tragic accident, they’ll call it.An unfortunate loss.And Dwight?He’ll know better.That’s the beauty of it. No one will point fingers. There will be no investigations, no trails leading back to me. Just whispers. Just u
Dwight’s POVThe hum of the jet is steady, a low vibration that fills the silence. But Dwight isn’t listening to it. He’s gripping his phone so tightly that his knuckles turn white.Two workshops. Gone.The first call had been bad enough—a fire, a total loss. But the second? That was no accident. He knows it deep in his gut.He leans back in his seat, staring at the glass of whiskey untouched on the table before him. His mind is racing, threading through every possibility, every enemy he’s made over the years.This wasn’t some random misfortune. Someone did this.The problem is, he doesn’t know who.Glimmr has competitors, plenty of them. People who’d love to see him fail, even if they don’t know he’s the one pulling the strings behind the brand. But outright sabotage? Arson? That’s a different level of hostility.And whoever did it made sure there was nothing left behind. No trace. No evidence of arson. No trails.Scrubbed clean.Dwight exhales sharply and presses the call button. He
EPILOGUE Leah's POV I sit quietly by Dwight’s hospital bed, my fingers gently wrapped around his, the steady beeping of the heart monitor grounding me. After two surgeries, he’s finally resting.When I’d been told that Dwight was shot, I had felt my entire world crashing down. I’d cried all the way to the hospital, and it’d taken three men to keep me out of the operating room.But miraculously, he’s alive. Still here. Still breathing. Still mine. And yet, it all feels surreal—the whirlwind of the past few days catching up in uneven bursts. Ethan’s arrest, Gerald’s disgrace, the truth about Glimmr being Dwight’s all along becoming public. But nothing compares to the ache that comes from the one betrayal I never saw coming—my uncle’s.I had trusted him. Loved him. Thought of him as a steady force in my life. But behind all the warmth and concern was a man plotting to control me—using my heartbreak, pushing me toward Ethan, and scheming to seize Veloura for himself. He’d sat there at t
Dwight's POVThe road coils like a serpent beneath my tires, black and endless. Trees lean in on either side like silent witnesses, their twisted branches clawing at the pale sky. Gerald’s directions run through my head again and again, carved into memory. The House of Silence—what a sick, ironic name. My grip tightens on the wheel as I push forward, heart hammering in a rhythm I haven’t known in years.I tap my earpiece.“Parker.”Static, then his clipped voice. “Sir.”“I have done it. Coordinates check out." I tap on my screen, sending a screenshot of the map Gerald had handed me.“Mr. Spencer, wait. I’m pulling in backup. Don’t go in alone. I mean it.”“I don’t have time. He could be doing God knows what to that young woman right now. He needs to be stopped.” I couldn't let them do to her what they'd done to me.“Dwight—”“There’s no time, Parker. You won’t make it before it’s too late.”He curses under his breath. “At least wait nearby. Don’t breach. I’ll be there in fifteen.”But
Ethan’s POVShe looked like porcelain under the low light.Pale, trembling, slick with sweat. Her chest heaved as she lay on the stained cot in the far corner, wrists bound to the headboard with nylon straps, ankles tied tight. Her hair—light brown, maybe even blonde in the right light—was matted against her temples, soaked. And those eyes. Translucent blue, darting like a cornered rabbit, searching for a way out that didn’t exist.“I don’t know what I did,” she sobbed. Her voice cracked like something brittle. “Please, please let me go…”I didn’t move. I just watched her from the shadows, still as a breath held underwater. She tried to sit up, trembling, her arms pulling at the restraints with a sound like Velcro peeling from skin.“I’ll give you everything,” she cried. “My paychecks—every single one. I swear. Just don’t hurt me. My boyfriend… he doesn’t have money. He can’t pay ransom. Please…”God. She was alive. Alive in the way most people forgot how to be. The kind of aliveness
Dwight's POV Gerald Carrington lived in a two-story villa tucked behind a quiet cul-de-sac on the city’s west end. The neighborhood had a curated calm about it — hedges trimmed to military precision, pavement scrubbed of all disorder. Unlike his brother Felix’s sprawling estate with its sweeping gates and Greek statues, Gerald’s home was the kind of place that whispered wealth rather than screamed it. Tasteful. Secluded. Expensive, but not decadent.I parked three blocks down and approached on foot, dressed in dark jeans and a charcoal sweater. No cologne. No jewelry. Nothing that caught the light.Judith had delivered the address an hour ago. She’d also found a layout of the house — a scanned blueprint buried in some renovation permits from two years back. I studied it on the ride over, memorizing the entry points, camera placements, the blind spots between hedges and roof angles.I wasn’t here for a polite conversation.I was here for answers.The backyard was mostly covered — two
DWIGHT'S POVThe office around me — my own private quarters at Glimmr — felt too big, too empty, too quiet. Every tick of the clock on the wall sounded like a drumbeat inside my skull.I couldn't sit still.Couldn't stop moving.Pacing back and forth in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows like a caged animal.My hands itched to do something — to tear something apart, to find Ava, to end whatever nightmare she was living through because of me.Ava had trusted me.Worked for me.Smiled at me, grateful for opportunities and promises.And I had failed her.Just like I had once failed myself, locked in that dark, cold hell three years ago.I dragged my fingers through my hair, jaw locked so tight it ached.Where was Parker?Where was the goddamn call?My phone buzzed sharply on the desk.I lunged for it like a drowning man reaching for a rope.“Talk to me,” I barked, not bothering with hellos.Parker’s voice crackled through, low and urgent.“We hit Ethan’s place. Just finished. He's not
Dwight's POV The tires screeched against the pavement as I pulled out of the driveway, my hand clenching the steering wheel so hard the leather groaned beneath my grip. The night sky stretched endless above me, but I barely saw it. All I could see was Ava's face. Bright, smiling Ava, who was now missing — God knew where — because somewhere, somehow, I'd let my guard down.Not again. I wouldn't lose another innocent to this madness. I swore it.I jabbed the button on the dashboard, calling Parker first.He answered on the first ring. "Boss?""I need you to move," I barked, weaving through traffic like a man possessed. "Ava's missing. Her fiancé called the office — she never showed up back there after leaving my house."A sharp intake of breath. "Shit. You think it's connected?""I know it is." My gut was screaming, every instinct sharpened to a fine, deadly edge. "I need you to pull every favor, use every contact you have. Track her phone, hack into traffic cams, do whatever it take
Dwight's POVIt was dark out. Leah lay half-sprawled across my chest, the silky strands of her hair tickling my skin. Our clothes were scattered haphazardly across the room, abandoned in our urgency. The heavy rug under us cushioned our bodies, still slick and languid from the intensity of our lovemaking. I still couldn't believe the feelings that coursed through me as I'd made love to her. It was better than all the times I had allowed myself to imagine... to fantasize.It had been pure magic. Messy, but perfect. And having her here in my arms filled me with the duty of contentment that had been missing for three years. I could have stayed like that forever. Her breath warm against my skin. Her heart beating in slow, contented rhythms against mine. Her fingers moved idly over my chest, tracing lazy patterns. Every touch sent aftershocks through my nerves, subtle reminders of how close we had just been, how perfect she felt wrapped around me...And then her fingers stilled. She brushe
Dwight's POV The clock on the wall ticked mockingly at me, but I barely noticed it anymore.I sat behind my desk, staring at the documents spread out before me, but none of the words made it past the thick wall of energy thrumming in my veins. It was all background noise. Filler. Nothing compared to the singular, burning thought anchoring me:Leah.Home. Waiting for me.The thought wrapped itself around every nerve ending, making it almost impossible to sit still. I knew it wouldn’t last—this arrangement was temporary. But even knowing that, I couldn't stop the anticipation that practically vibrated in my blood. The pull toward her was too strong, too fierce to deny.I remembered the kiss we shared. God, I remembered every detail. The tentative way I had brushed my mouth against hers. The way she had frozen for a breathless second before melting against me, kissing me back like it was the only thing keeping her alive. That kiss had shattered something inside me. It wasn
Leah’s POVAfter Ava left, the house felt much bigger.Much quieter.And somehow, even though I knew I was safe, the silence made me feel small.I sprawled on the plush sofa in the sunken living room, laptop abandoned beside me, staring out at the endless stretch of green beyond the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. The afternoon sun slanted in golden beams across the polished floors, painting everything in warm, sleepy light.I could still hear Ava’s cheerful goodbye ringing in my ears."Call me if you need anything, okay?"I had promised I would. But really, there was nothing Ava—or anyone—could do for me now.I needed time. Space.Maybe even forgiveness.The soft shuffle of footsteps pulled me out of my thoughts. I sat up just as the house chef—a kind-eyed woman named Marla—approached, wiping her hands on a white apron."Miss Carrington," she said with a polite nod, "would you like anything for lunch? I made a chicken and asparagus salad. Fresh bread too."My stomach gave an unexpe