로그인The electricity of the kiss is still buzzing like a live wire against my lips, but the sudden, cold splash of reality hits my brain a second later. My instincts—the ones that have kept me breathing through this entire nightmare—slay the romance in an instant. I pull away from him. Sharply. "Ow, da
A ragged, choking sob rips out of my throat, and I completely break down, burying my face into my hands as my entire body shakes with tears. Deckard was a fraud. A calculated, narcissistic, disgusting fraud. He was the imposter, and I spent three whole years of my life letting him emotionally manip
He doesn't reply. He looks away from me, his gaze drifting back out toward the crashing waves and the open sky. For a long, agonizing moment, the only sound between us is the rhythmic roar of the tide. He doesn't say he forgives me, and he doesn't tell me I'm wrong. Instead, he stretches his arm
The car door clicks open, and the salty, sharp scent of the ocean instantly floods my senses. I let out a low groan, my muscles locking up as Owen gently hooks his arms underneath my shoulders to guide me out of the passenger seat. Every single inch of my body is actively screaming at me. Since Ca
"Sydney... I stepped down from my position at the firm," I say quietly, the words falling like lead weights into the dark space between us. She freezes, her jaw dropping slightly as she stares at me in shock. "What? What do you mean you stepped down?" "I resigned," I clarify, looking her dead in t
Slowly, deliberately, I run my fingers through her soft hair, tangling my hand in the strands, silently vowing to myself that no one will ever lay a malicious finger on her again as long as I am drawing breath. We stay like that for a long stretch of time, existing entirely in the quiet sanctuary o
"You're in the city, but you never come to see me? You're like a ghost. A handsome and intelligent ghost, my son is." Mother’s voice rings out before I even reach the parlor. She’s sitting in her favorite wingback chair, looking as calm as she always does, though the grief lines from crying over my
The heavy doors to my office creak open, and for a second, I consider firing Miller again. I specifically told him I was in a meeting, which is corporate speak for 'I’m staring at my reflection in a glass of Scotch and wondering how my life became a tabloid headline.' But it’s not Miller. Owen s
"Yeah." Deckard? Making tea? The Deckard I know wouldn't know how to boil water if his life depended on it, let alone research herbal blends for a recovering patient. He’s a consumer, not a caretaker. Maybe he really was in love with her? But that's out of the question if he's never touched her an
I work quickly, my focus narrowing down to the task. I’m wiping away the blood, trying to be as gentle as possible while my mind is screaming about Lydia and the lever. As I lean in to wrap the white bandage around his forearm, I realize how close we are. I can see the sweat beading on his forehea







