LOGINI fell into a deep sleep. I didn't know how long I'd been out when a warm touch brushed my eyelids, light as a feather, and his lips pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.
Outside, the sky was faintly light."Lisa, look at the sunrise."Too sleepy to open my eyes, I snuggled closer, arm slung over his waist and hand resting on his stomach, feeling the steady rise and fall beneath my palm."Not now. I'm tired."Alexander chuckled softly, wrapping me tightly in a thick dowLuke and Elena's wedding ended perfectly.Back home, I kicked off my heels and collapsed onto the sofa with a satisfied sigh."Today was a good day. Elena and Luke finally made it."Alexander took off his suit jacket, loosened his collar, and sat down beside me, pulling me into his arms."Exhausted?""Tired, but happy."I nuzzled against his chest and pulled out my phone."Let me see if anyone posted photos."I opened Messenger. Luke had just shared several high-res shots from the wedding, including group photos of the bridal party.Alexander glanced at my screen. His eyes casually swept over my recent chat list.The top one was him.The note wasn't "Alexander" or "Husband." It was—Beast.Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Beast?"I froze. I followed his gaze to the phone and felt my scalp prickle. I slapped the phone face-down on my thigh."What did you see?" I played dumb.Alexander reached over, too
The air went still for a beat. Luke stopped moving. He looked up at her. The teasing drained from his eyes. They went deep. Quiet. "Elena." He walked to her, crouched down, and looked up at her. The position, humbling for someone as arrogant as him, made him look like he was kneeling in devotion. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "Proposing? That's my job." "I don't care." Elena cut him off. She held his hand tighter. Her eyes were clear. "The ceremony, the ring. I don't care about any of it." She looked at him. Her eyes were red. "We've waited too many years." "From fifteen to twenty-five. The best decade of our lives. We spent it missing each other." She took a breath, like she was gathering every ounce of courage she had left. "The time we have left? I don't want to waste a single second." Luke's breath stopped. He watched her red eyes. He heard her brave, tearful confession. Somethin
Elena jerked up from his chest, her face instantly on fire. "You saw that?" She had always thought he never looked. "I saw it." His admission was clean. "Every word. Every stroke. Clear as day." "I watched you scribble out my name and fill the page again. You almost tore through the paper." Elena's cheeks burned hotter. Shame flooded her. She tried to pull away. He held her tighter. She couldn't move. "Then why did you throw it away?" "What was I supposed to do?" Luke's voice dropped. "Kiss you right then? Tell you I was losing my mind too?" "Elena, how old were you back then?" His voice was rough with years of struggle and restraint. "You were so young. So innocent. Like a blank sheet of paper." "And the things I wanted to do to you? Even I thought they were dirty." "How could I let you sneak around with me when you were engaged to someone else?" He smiled bitterly. "I had to wait. For yo
After Victoria left, Elena sat cross-legged on the carpet, her back against the sofa.Only a floor lamp was on, its warm yellow glow surrounding her in a small, solitary circle.She went over the objects again and again, piecing together the version of Luke she had missed for seven years.Every photo. Every flight. They were his silent confessions.All the details she had deliberately ignored now rushed to the surface.He had tanked his grades on purpose. Stayed in school for the one year they should never have had together.He had torn up that love letter. Not to guard it for Alexander, but out of a teenage boy's clumsy, possessive need to claim her for himself.He had given her hyacinth seeds instead of flowers. Too scared to give her the real thing. Too scared she would know the meaning. Too scared she wouldn't.He had flown to London forty-two times and never come close. Because he was afraid he would lose control.He had taken on the
The new SoftVoice collection launch meeting was winding down. The conference room was bright with white light.Song Sheng finalized the last proposal and closed her tablet."The face of the new collection is locked in. Zoe Brooks."She glanced at Elena, adding casually,"Oh, and Elena, she went to the same high school as you, I think? You might have something in common."Same high school.Zoe Brooks.The name was like a rusty key, unlocking a corner of Elena's memory that she had kept locked away.High school. The grove of trees behind the gym.The girl who had stood in front of Luke Cole, confessing her feelings like a scene from a movie.---The work session went surprisingly smoothly.Zoe was professional, dedicated, and didn't act like a spoiled celebrity.During a break, they sat in the lounge drinking coffee.Zoe suddenly set down her cup, looked at Elena, and smiled with a hint of nostalgia."Elena, yo
The bathroom door slid open, and a wave of steam rolled out ahead of him. Luke stepped into the living room, shirtless, his dark hair still dripping. One towel was draped over his shoulders, while another was wrapped precariously low around his hips, the knot resting right on his pelvic bone. Elena was curled up on the sofa. The TV was on, but the volume was muted. She caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye—one second, two seconds—and felt the heat crawl up into the tips of her ears. He took the towel from his shoulders, rubbed his head with a few lazy strokes, and tossed it toward the laundry basket with a practiced, masculine grace. "Hairdryer," he said, his voice dropping an octave. A stray droplet escaped his wet hair, tracking down the corded muscle of his neck and disappearing into the hollow of his collarbone. Elena pointed toward the entertainment center. "Left drawer." Luke didn't move. He leaned against the doorframe, watchi
The Knight residence felt like it was split into two different dimensions.Downstairs, there was a heavy, suffocating wall of restraint.Luke Cole was finally taming his own demons, choosing to play the guardian rather than giving in to his darker impulses.Upstairs, however, was a
Luke Cole stared at the cigarette ash, not flicking it away.The tiny spark on his fingertips flickered, like the muddled, indescribable feeling he had right now.The car was still filled with an ambiguous warmth, mixed with the faint, sweet scent from her body, tangled with the smoke o
Luke Cole stared at her eyes glistening with water, then let out a low laugh."Sure."Without hesitation, Luke grabbed the cat carrier that had been prepared beside him and stuffed the bewildered ragdoll cat that was still licking its paws into it in a few quick motions.His moveme
Luke suddenly chuckled low, his finger rubbing the kitten's ear, but his eyes were on her.“Because someone looked like she was suffocating in there.”“Brought you up for air.”“Or would you rather stay downstairs being a porcelain doll with a painted-







