LOGINChapter 67—Brandon’s pov Rage UnleashedThe house had never been this quiet before. Not peaceful quiet. Not restful quiet. This was the kind of silence that pressed against the walls like something alive… something watching. Brandon sat in the center of it. Motionless. Straight-backed in his wheelchair. Hands resting on the armrests. Eyes open. He had not slept. Not for one second. The clock on the far wall ticked. Each second scraped against his skull like glass. Freya was gone. And the world had not dared to stop with her.Kyle stood near the doorway, tablet clutched tightly in his hands. He had delivered bad news to powerful men before. Billionaires. Politicians. Criminals. None of them had ever frightened him like Brandon did now. Because Brandon wasn’t shouting. He wasn’t raging. He wasn’t even moving. He was still. And Kyle had learned long ago that when men like Brandon went still… someone else was about to fall.“Sir,” Kyle said carefully, voice low, “we tracke
CHAPTER 66 — Freya’s POVNowhere Feels Like HomeThe cab didn’t wait for me to change my mind. Its taillights vanished down the empty road before I could even pull my coat tighter. Silence swallowed the hum of the engine. I stood there. Alone. Behind me, the inn creaked softly in the wind, its wooden sign swaying with a faint groan that sounded older than the road itself. A thin yellow light spilled from the front window—warm, distant—like a promise of comfort just out of reach. The night air bit into my skin, but I didn’t shiver. I barely felt it. My fingers tightened slowly around the necklace against my collarbone—Brandon’s necklace. The metal felt cold now. Not comforting. Not safe. Just… heavy. I swallowed hard. “You promised,” I whispered into the night, voice barely audible. The wind offered no response.Inside the InnThe woman at the front desk watched me quietly, asking no questions. She simply handed me a key, cast a quick glance at my face, and said softly, “Roo
CHAPTER 65 — Brandon’s POVThe Silence After the StormThe house had never felt this deafening.Not with shouting.Not with shattering glass.Not with slammed doors.Only silence.It pressed against my ears, crawled under my skin, and sat across from me in the dim living room like an uninvited witness, replaying every word she had said.Am I a burden to you?I dragged a hand down my face, my heart heavy.The lamp beside the couch cast a weak amber glow, insufficient to warm the coldness that had settled in the room. The storm outside was still a distant threat, but the air felt thick — heavy with anticipation, as if it were waiting for everything to break.Her voice echoed relentlessly.Don’t treat me like a child.I want to be trusted.If you didn’t want me anymore, just say so.I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, hands clenched so tightly they ached.I had faced boardrooms full of men intent on destroying me.Handled scandals, betrayals, bloodlines tangled in politics.Nothing — n
CHAPTER 64 — Freya’s POVHeavy Lies the HeartI woke up smiling, not the forced kind, but a genuine one that took me by surprise. I even touched my lips to see if it was real. Next to me, Brandon was peacefully asleep—his hair a bit tousled, his face relaxed, one arm stretched out as if he’d reached for me in the night and hadn’t even realized it. My chest felt warm and soft. Last night’s memories replayed in fragments—the whisper of his voice asking, 'Are you sure?', the breathless moment when I said, 'I want you,' and the slight tremor in his hand when he touched my waist, as if afraid I’d disappear if he held on too tightly. I took a deep breath. Even with him right here, I missed him. Carefully, I slipped out of bed so I wouldn’t wake him. My feet touched the cool floor, grounding me in the peaceful morning. Sunlight peeked through the curtains, soft and warm, like the day itself was rooting for us. I whispered to myself, 'I want to try.' Not just to feel better, but to
CHAPTER 63 — Brandon’s POVHer Smile, My OathThe first thing I noticed wasn’t the sunlight. It was her hand—gently resting against my chest, as if it had always belonged there. Her fingers twitched softly in her sleep, brushing the fabric of my shirt, and a warm, soothing feeling spread through my ribs. I stayed still, not breathing too deeply, not daring to move even an inch because Freya was sleeping peacefully. This was different from the restless nights she’d had for weeks—no furrowed brow, no tense body as if she were bracing for something even in her dreams. No, this was calm. Her face was serene, peaceful. The faint crease between her brows had faded, her lips were slightly parted, and a loose strand of hair draped across her cheek. And God help me—I smiled, softly, gently—because she looked safe. My gaze rested on her mouth, and a memory suddenly flooded in—her quiet, steady voice from last night—"I want you." Heat warmed my ears. I turned my face halfway into the p
CHAPTER 62 — Freya’s POVThe Slow ReturnI woke up before the world did, not because of noise or restless dreams pulling me out of sleep, but because my body gently decided it was time to rise.For a moment, I remained still, quietly gazing at the ceiling while soft morning light stretched across the room as if it had all the time in the world. Today, the air felt different—lighter, somehow. It didn’t press so heavily against my chest the way it had for weeks. It no longer felt like I was breathing through an invisible weight.I inhaled slowly, and the breath came easily. That simple act almost brought tears to my eyes.I swallowed and turned my head toward the window. Sunlight slipped through the curtains in delicate golden lines, dust floating lazily inside it like tiny stars drifting through the sky. Everything looked calm, still, peaceful.For the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t feel like I was drowning inside my own mind.My fingers tightened slightly against







