18

By the time we pulled up to the penthouse, my chest was heaving, my skin buzzing like I’d been electrocuted from the inside out.

I didn’t know what came over me.

Maybe it was the months of restraint. Maybe it was the way he held my hand in the car like it meant something. Or maybe… it was the way he looked at me like he was trying to memorize my every reaction.

Nathan stepped out first and came around to my side. Before I could open the door, he pulled it open and leaned in.

Then, without a word, he scooped me into his arms like I was something fragile,but also something he’d earned.

His scent enveloped me. That damn intoxicating mix of bergamot, smoke, and sin.

I gasped quietly, curling into him as he carried me toward the entrance of the penthouse.

And then....eyes.

Theresa was standing by the hallway, her mouth parting slightly. One of the other guards did a subtle double take.

I buried my face into Nathan’s chest.

Shit.

He didn’t flinch, pause nor acknowledge them.

Like carrying me,his wife,through the front door like I was his whole damn world was completely normal.

We crossed the marble hallway. He kicked the bedroom door open.

Then he set me down.

But only just enough to let our eyes meet.

He didn’t say a word as he reached for the buttons of my dress, fingers slow and steady. My breath caught.

“Nathan…” I whispered, unsure if it was a warning or a plea.

He stopped.

Just long enough to whisper, “Tell me to stop, and I will.”

But I didn’t.

I couldn’t.

I just stared into his eyes… and pulled him to me instead.

That was all the permission he needed.

His mouth crashed onto mine, and the kiss was everything! My dress slid down my shoulders like it had been waiting for this moment.

His lips traced a path from my jaw to my collarbone, and I moaned before I could stop myself.

He lifted me again,effortless—and laid me on the bed like I was something sacred.

The room blurred around us.

All I could feel was his hands on my skin. My legs wrapped around his waist. The way his mouth whispered fire across my chest.

Months of denial poured out like melted tension.

He kissed me like he was starving.

Touched me like he’d been dreaming of this.

And when he finally slid inside me?

My body arched to meet his like we were made for this, like we were meant for this moment.

I clung to him not because I was afraid, but because I didn’t want to lose the feeling of being wanted. Needed. Seen.

He thrust deep. Slow. Then faster. Our rhythm reckless and raw. His name fell from my lips like a confession.

“Nathan…”

And when we broke together tangled, breathless, undone,it wasn’t just my body that trembled. His body did too.

****

It was the first time I ever fell asleep in Nathan’s room.

Our bodies tangled, hearts slowly calming from the storm we’d just weathered between those sheets. The room was dim, soaked in silence except for the soft hum of the AC and our matched breathing.

His arm was still loosely wrapped around my waist, his warmth grounding me.

But sometime deep into the night… that peace shattered.

He twitched beside me.

I stirred.

It started with a soft murmur. Almost a whisper.

“No…”

I blinked in the darkness, my eyes adjusting slowly.

Nathan’s brow was furrowed, his body slightly tense.

“No… Mum—don’t leave me…”

Then he gasped.

And just like that—he started shaking. A slow, awful tremble like something was clawing at him from the inside.

“Nathan?” I whispered, sitting up. “Nathan, wake up…”

He didn’t respond.

His skin felt clammy when I touched his chest. Damp with sweat. His breathing had turned ragged, and his face… he looked haunted.

My heart thudded in panic.

Something was wrong.

“Nathan,” I tried again, louder, shaking his shoulders. “Wake up,please!”

Nothing.

No response.

He was burning up.

Oh God.

I jumped out of the bed, grabbing the nearest shirt I could find,his again,throwing it over myself as I rushed barefoot down the hall. The cold tiles did nothing to calm the heat of fear spreading through me.

“Theresa!” I called, voice echoing into the stillness.

A light came on at the far end.

Desmond appeared too, shirtless and half-dressed, rubbing his eyes. “Ma’am?”

“It’s Nathan,” I gasped, breathless. “Something’s wrong, he’s burning up, he’s shaking, he’s not waking up...”

Desmond’s face fell in an instant. “What… what exactly did he say?”

“He was calling for his mum,” I said, hugging myself. “He said not to leave him.”

Desmond’s jaw clenched.

I stepped closer, desperate. “Has this happened before?”

He hesitated.

“Desmond.” My voice rose. “Has this happened before?!”

Still nothing.

“ANSWER ME!” I shouted, trembling now. “TELL ME!”

He flinched. Then finally, slowly... “It’s his mother’s death anniversary. Every year, like clockwork, this happens. He tries to act normal, but by night… it breaks him.”

My lips parted. “You mean he’s relived this… alone? Every year?”

He looked down.

Theresa finally emerged, her robe trailing behind her.

I turned to her, my voice sharp,panicked. “Get a doctor. Now. I don’t care who or what hour it is,call one. Right now!”

She didn’t even argue. She nodded and disappeared.

Minutes blurred.

The doctor came. Sedatives were administered. Vitals were checked. Reassurances were given.

Eventually, Nathan stilled.

His breathing evened out. The sweat dried. But he never woke up.

He just… lay there, lips slightly parted, lashes damp from whatever darkness he’d just escaped.

Desmond pulled up a chair.

“I’ll stay here tonight,” he muttered.

I shook my head. “No. Go rest.”

He frowned. “But...”

“You’ll be running things in the morning,” I said softly. “You’ll need your strength.”

“But he’s...”

“He’s my husband,” I said firmly, surprising even myself. “I’ll stay.”

And I did.

I pulled the covers over Nathan’s body, sat down beside him, and took his hand in mine.

It was warm now. Safe.

I brushed my thumb over his knuckles.

For once… he looked fragile. Human.

Nathan’s breathing had finally settled.

He looked peaceful now. No more tremors. No more whispers. Just a steady rise and fall of his chest beneath the covers. I sat there for a while longer, watching him,studying the man who, moments ago, looked like he was drowning in a memory.

My fingers reached out before I could stop them, brushing lightly over his bare chest. He didn’t stir.

I swallowed hard and whispered into the silence, “I shouldn’t love you.”

My eyes stung.

“I know I shouldn’t,” I added, barely audible now. “But… I think I do.”

Then, before I could let those words destroy me, I curled up beside him… and fell asleep.

MORNING

Something tickled my ear.

I squirmed and swatted at it, groaning.

I sat up, looking at Nathan. “You are awake?”

He answered nodding affirmatively.

“ Desmond and Theresa filled me in on everything you did,” he said, his voice quieting. “The doctor. The panic. The way you refused to leave my side.”

I looked away, suddenly unable to meet his eyes.

He leaned closer. “Thank you, Ivy.”

I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks. “It was nothing. Anyone would’ve.”

“No. Not anyone,” he said, his tone softer than I’d ever heard it. “But you did.”

My eyes darted toward the door.

“You’re blushing,” he said, grinning now.

I covered my face with my palms and drifted to my room.

Later That Day

I was walking down the hall with a cup of tea when I overheard two housekeepers whispering near the laundry room.

“Today’s Mr. Blake’s birthday,” one said.

I stopped mid-step.

Wait,what?

I turned quickly. “What did you just say?”

The younger staff member jumped. “I...uh...nothing, ma’am.”

“No. You said it’s Nathan’s birthday?”

The older one nodded hesitantly. “Yes, ma’am. June twenty-fifth. He doesn’t celebrate it… hasn't for years.”

My heart sank.

If I’d known…

If I’d known, I wouldn’t have let him wake up to just a teasing joke and a pillow in the face. I would’ve done something. Even a stupid cupcake with a candle. Or breakfast in bed. Or anything other than making it another regular day.

And yet,none of them had said a word.

Why?

Why would a man so powerful, so in control… let the world forget his birthday?