LOGINAmelia's POVToday was the last day of filming.This was the final scene and the final stretch.After months of filming, sleepless nights, emotional exhaustion, and everything in between—it had all come down to this.I stood just off set, script in hand, though I barely needed it anymore. Every line, every movement, every emotion tied to this moment had already been etched into me. I had lived and breathed this role for so long that stepping into Sera now felt almost second nature.There was a quiet buzz of activity around me.Crew members moved with purpose, making final adjustments.The lighting team tested angles, and camera operators checked their equipment.And somewhere in the background, Glen’s voice could be heard, directing, correcting, refining.It felt different today. Everything felt heavier and much more significant.Maybe it was because this wasn’t just another scene.This was the ending of the first book. And in the ending was the cliffhanger that would leave audiences
James' POV I shouldn’t have followed him.That thought sat heavily in my mind as I stood just beyond the exit, partially concealed by the structure of the hallway that led outside.I had only intended to get some air.That was what I told myself when I stepped away from the mayor’s circle, when I excused myself with the vague mention of needing the bathroom.But the truth?The truth was far less composed.From the moment Amelia walked into that hall, something in me had shifted.Something I didn’t want to acknowledge.Something I refused to name.And when I saw Henry leave, and when I noticed the direction he was heading, my instincts took over before my logic could catch up.And so I followed him. I did it quietly and in a way that I wouldn't be seen.I told myself it was nothing and that it was only just curiosity.But deep down, I knew better.Because the moment I stepped outside and saw them, everything inside me stilled.Amelia and Henry were standing together. They were facing
Leaving the gala with Henry felt surreal.It wasn’t just the act itself—the quiet exit, the subtle avoidance of attention, the deliberate steps away from a place I was expected to remain in—it was everything that decision represented.I had chosen him. Again.And as I walked beside him, my hand still lightly held in his, I couldn’t even bring myself to regret it.The city lights blurred past us as we got into his car, the silence between us not awkward but filled with a quiet understanding. Neither of us rushed to speak. There was no need to fill the space with unnecessary words when everything that mattered had already been said or felt.Henry drove with calm precision, his focus on the road, but every now and then, I caught his gaze flickering toward me, like he was making sure I was still there.Like he still couldn’t believe this was happening.Truthfully, neither could I.After a while, the car slowed to a stop in front of a quiet, upscale building tucked away from the main stree
Amelia's POVFor a moment, for just one fleeting, suspended moment, I forgot everything.I had forgotten about the gala, the people, all the expectations, and the consequences that could come if people knew I was with Henry.All of it disappeared the second Henry’s lips met mine.And the most terrifying part?I didn’t stop him. I didn’t pull away, and I definitely didn’t hesitate.Instead, I leaned in.My fingers instinctively curled into the fabric of his suit, gripping him as though I needed something to anchor me, something to steady the storm that had been building inside me for far too long.Because that was what this was. It was a storm, and it was one that I had tried to contain and bury.I thought that I had convinced myself that all my feelings for Henry didn’t exist anymore.But I had been wrong.I had never been so completely and undeniably wrong.The moment his lips touched mine, everything I had suppressed came rushing back with a force I wasn’t prepared for. The longing
Amelia's POVI needed air.That was the only thought running through my head as I stepped out of the hall and into the quieter, dimly lit corridor that led toward the open terrace. The noise from the gala faded behind me almost instantly, replaced by a softer, distant hum that felt far less suffocating than the chaos I had just left behind.My chest rose and fell unevenly as I walked further out, my heels clicking lightly against the marble floor before I finally stepped into the cool night air.The breeze hit my skin gently, brushing against my face, my shoulders, and my arms—cooling me down, grounding me, and reminding me that I was still in control.Or at least—I was supposed to be.I stopped near the railing, gripping it lightly as I closed my eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply.This wasn’t supposed to happen.I had prepared myself for tonight. I had readied myself to face the people I needed to. I was fully ready to handle all the pressure, the attention, and the expectations.
Isabel's POVI knew exactly why James left.He didn’t need to explain it, and neither did he need to justify it.James didn’t even need to look at me for me to understand.Because I had already seen everything I needed to see long before he muttered that weak excuse about going to the bathroom and walked out of the mayor’s circle like he needed air.It was as if he were suffocating and like he couldn’t stand being there another second.And the reason for that suffocation?Amelia.Of course it was.It had started the moment she walked into the gala.No—even before that.Because I knew the effect she still had on him, even if he refused to admit it out loud.But tonight had made it undeniable.The moment she stepped into the room, something in James shifted.I had seen it as clear as day.I had seen it from the way his posture straightened just slightly.Or the way his gaze instinctively found her in a crowded room full of people who were arguably far more important than she was.I cou
Amelia's POVI did not speak for the first ten minutes of the drive.Priya knew better than to fill that silence. She sat in the front seat with her tablet, leaving me alone, and I stared out the window, letting the meeting sit in my chest and burn.Not because he had won. He had not won. Garrett w
Amelia's POVMrs. Brooks was at the apartment door when I came out of the bedroom.She looked me over once, the way she always did, with the calm thoroughness of someone checking that everything was in order and had found it satisfactory. She did not say anything. With Helen, silence was usually he
James's POVMy phone rang at half past nine.I was in the back of the car, jacket loosened, the city sliding past the window in streaks of light. Today had been a long day. It was the the kind that left you with a headache behind the eyes and the specific exhaustion of having spent eight hours in r
Amelia's POVNobody moved.Not me and not him. The noise of the party had carried on around us like we were standing inside a bubble that the rest of the room couldn't see into.Greg Peters looked down at his shirt one more time. The champagne had soaked through clean. A wide, dark stain was spread







