Hector and Jeanne parted ways shortly after; Jeanne could not linger with Hector. She headed for Edgar's office. It was like any other police station; nothing special-just filled with people who were busy dealing with crime and the law. It had been a long time since Jeanne had come to this place. Everything felt like a stranger again after the tragedy, and Jeanne didn't expect anything. In the corridor leading to Edgar's room, Jeanne stopped when someone greeted her. "Mrs. Villiers, it's been a long time since I saw you come here." Jeanne didn't recognize him for a moment, but she remembered him as someone on Edgar's team-someone who had come to pick her up that night from Hector's house. "I'm Mark Endo-in case you already forgot." "Ah, yes, Mr. Endo. I only slightly forgot your name, but I did not completely forget you." "I know that, ma'am." Mark was a friendly person, Jeanne remembered that. She felt guilty for forgetting Mark. "So, do you need help getting to Mr. E
Edgar going back to his job meant that Jeanne would go back to those long days without Edgar by her side. It was just her, in that spacious house filled with silence; the ticking of the clock in sync with her heartbeat. Jeanne kept herself busy with other things; she cooked more, making snacks to fulfill her cravings. She had a sweet tooth now, and she had never missed muffins more than this moment. The warm muffins with a strong chocolate aroma, the smoke on top like a replica of her memories and the image of Hector pulling out a tray of muffins from the oven made Jeanne speechless. Jeanne was busy with her better life, but she still liked to pause suddenly just to ask the silence; how is Hector doing now? Was he okay? Was his wound treated properly that night? Jeanne rubbed her face, sighing heavily; "My fears are becoming more and more real; he is slowly becoming the person I miss being with." Jeanne knew this was wrong; she had also regained the life she wanted. But her
Celine stopped counting the hours she’d spent under Hector’s control. Her body knew his rhythm too well now—the ruthless game he played with her bare skin. They moved in sync, switched positions, not for love, but to chase some cruel satisfaction in each other’s exhaustion.Hector’s hands clamped hard around her waist as he pulled back, his expression carved from stone. His brows furrowed, eyes sharp—not like a man losing himself in a woman’s body, but like a soldier mid-siege. Focused. Detached. Dangerous.He slipped out of her, his breath steady, movements cold. Celine wasn’t even sure what she was feeling—pleasure had long left the room. Still, she grabbed him as he stepped away, refusing to be left sprawled across the wrecked table like a forgotten plaything.“Are you going to her now?” she asked, voice rough, lined with defiance. Her lipstick was smudged, mascara streaked from sweat and hours of being tangled with him. She didn’t care. His scent clung to her skin like a second la
Celine returned to Hector’s house just as the sky began to bruise into twilight, the weight of the day clinging to her shoulders. The past week had been unforgiving—Hector’s recovery had left a temporary void in leadership within the family, and as always, she had stepped in without hesitation. Decisions, confrontations, damage control—each task taken with the practiced sharpness of someone who knew this world far too well.Despite the exhaustion pressing at her spine, a chuckle escaped her lips as she climbed the stairs to the second floor. One memory from earlier played vividly in her mind, its ridiculousness cutting through the day’s fatigue. “I should’ve recorded his face,” she muttered, laughing softly to herself. “God, it was hilarious.”Her hand reached the doorknob to Hector’s room and twisted it open—only to be greeted by silence. The bed was undisturbed. The room empty.Celine stepped inside, blinking. “Hector?” she called, her voice cautious at first. No reply.She moved qu
Edgar reacted with the precision of instinct honed by years in the field. In one fluid motion, he intercepted the man’s wrist just as the blade came within inches of Jeanne. His grip was unrelenting, steel around flesh, forcing the attacker’s arm back with a sharp twist. The man stumbled, his body turning involuntarily as Edgar used his own momentum against him. With another calculated movement, Edgar wrenched the weapon free, the knife clattering harmlessly to the floor as gasps filled the lobby.Before the man could recover, Edgar spun him around and locked his arms behind his back, securing him with a practiced, effortless force. The would-be assailant grunted and struggled, but Edgar had already subdued stronger men with less effort. The tension only broke when a woman—young, breathless, and clearly shaken—rushed forward from the crowd.“Oh my God, my phone! My phone!” she cried, her voice frantic.Edgar, expression taut with focus, shoved his hand into the inside of the man’s hea
Edgar had changed. Anyone who had known him before might have dismissed it as temporary guilt or a passing impulse to mend what had once been taken for granted. But Jeanne knew better—because she was living it.Since her return, Edgar had devoted himself entirely to her, as if every moment they spent apart was now owed back tenfold. He no longer split his attention between work and home. In fact, for the first time in years, he had taken a full week off—voluntarily—just to be with her. He hovered without smothering, cared without commanding. And above all, he made it clear that she, and the child growing inside her, were now his first and only priority.She could see how earnestly he was making use of this second chance. He made no assumptions, didn’t take her forgiveness as a guarantee, and never once tried to rush what was fragile between them. Instead, he worked at it, day by day, making her feel wanted, protected, remembered. It wasn’t perfect. It couldn’t undo three years of isol