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32. Tangles and Temptations

last update Last Updated: 2025-07-15 00:08:44
The sky had barely begun to blush with the first rays of morning light when the black car rolled to a slow stop just outside the Carter estate. The gates were already open from the early-hour deliveries. Elena sat beside Ryan, her legs curled under her and his jacket draped over her shoulders.

“You sure you don’t want me to walk you in?” he asked, eyes pinned on her like he wasn’t ready to let her go yet.

She smiled sleepily, lips still swollen from the goodbye kiss they’d shared minutes ago. “I’m sure. If anyone sees you, I’m dead.”

Ryan leaned closer, his fingers brushing down her jaw. “You’re never allowed to die. I’ll bring you back just to kill you again for scaring me.”

Elena laughed, soft and breathy. “Possessive much?”

His smirk deepened. “Always. Especially when it comes to you.”

Their lips met again, this one slower, lingering. When she finally opened the car door, the crisp morning air kissed her flushed skin, and she adjusted the hem of her dress, cheeks burning as she slip
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  • Guilty Pleasure #2   109. Forever, My Butterfly

    The morning of the wedding day dawned clear and bright, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue. Elena stood before the full-length mirror, her heart beating a frantic, joyful rhythm against her ribs. Her fingers trembled slightly as she adjusted the thin veil over her hair.Today was the day. Her heart pounded in her chest, a drum of nerves and anticipation that made her stomach flutter with every beat.A soft knock sounded at the door.“Come in,” she called, her voice slightly tremulous.The door opened, and her father, Enric, stepped in. He was handsome in his classic black tuxedo, but his eyes were bright with unshed tears the moment he saw her.&

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    The silence in the car as they drove away from her father’s house was different from the furious tension of the afternoon. Elena leaned her head against the cool window, watching the familiar streets of her old neighborhood blur past. Her hand rested loosely in Ryan’s, their fingers entwined as if neither wanted to let go.Ryan glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “You’re quiet, butterfly. What’s running in that pretty head of yours?”She turned to look at him, her lips twitching into a small smile. “Just everything. Tonight, my dad, Avonlea, us. It feels like my life is changing so quickly.”“It is,” he admitted simply, his voice steady, “but not for the worse. Change isn’t always bad.&rdquo

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    A month had passed. Time had moved forward, but grief had not been erased. It lingered like a stubborn shadow that refused to let go, hanging over Ryan and Anna’s home with a heavy silence that never seemed to fully lift.Ryan had settled into a routine, spending his days at the Johnson estate with his mother. He managed business from there, balancing conference calls, paperwork, and the constant pressure of keeping the empire steady, while simultaneously keeping watch over Anna.Anna herself was trying, but her health had not been steady since his father’s passing. Some days were better than others. On the better days, she would sit in the garden, pretending to read a book while the sunlight touched her tired face. On the harder ones, she would stay in bed, fragile and silent, leaving Ryan restless and on edge.

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