LOGINJulia’s POV The air in the room was too heavy. I could barely breathe. Everything around me seemed to echo in silence — the sound of my heartbeat, the faint drip of water from the tap, the soft rustle of his shirt as he stood there watching me. My body trembled. His eyes were fixed on me like I was the only thing that mattered in the world. That look — the same one that used to make me melt — now burned through my chest like fire. I wanted to say something. Anything. But no words came out. Lucian’s expression was unreadable. He looked both calm and furious, cold and broken, as if he was fighting with himself to stay in control. I hated that look. I hated that even now, after everything he had done, my heart still reacted to it. I wanted to push him away, to scream, to tell him how much I despised the way he made me feel. But instead, the words came out choked and bitter. “Sometimes I wish you fucking died instead of your younger version of yourself.” The words slipped from my m
Lucian’s POVThe first thing I felt when I woke up was the pounding in my head. A deep, unrelenting throb that reminded me how much I drank last night. My eyelids felt heavy, and the room spun faintly around me. I groaned quietly, pressing my fingers against my temples. I needed a moment to remember where I was.The familiar scent in the air caught me before the memories did. It was soft, faintly floral, and undeniably hers. Julia. I inhaled slowly, that fragrance settling deep inside my lungs. She always carried it with her, even when she tried to hide it. It was the kind of scent that clung to everything it touched. The bedsheets. My shirt. The room.It was strange, because my bed had never smelled like that before. I blinked several times, trying to clear my head, and when I shifted slightly, I noticed a faint trace of warmth beside me. My muscles tensed. The memory hit me all at once.Julia.Her trembling voice. The anger that glimmered behind her eyes. The way I had pulled her cl
(Julia’s POV)I didn’t open the door.Not immediately. My hand hovered above the handle for what felt like forever. My heart was pounding so fast I thought he could hear it through the wall. I wanted to hide, to melt into the floor, to vanish completely. But I couldn’t.Because when Lucian said my name the third time, it wasn’t a command. It was almost a whisper. Tired. Soft. Dangerous.I opened the door.He stood there, barefoot, his shirt halfway unbuttoned, his hair messy. His eyes looked heavy from sleep, but still sharp enough to make me flinch. He scanned me from head to toe, and then his gaze dropped to the box in my trembling hands.“What’s that?” he asked quietly.“Nothing,” I said too quickly. My voice cracked, betraying me instantly.He took a slow step forward. “Julia.”My grip on the box tightened. “I said it’s nothing.”His brows furrowed. “Don’t lie to me.”I swallowed hard, taking a step back. The wall was cold against my back, but his presence felt hotter than fire. I
Got it ❤️Let’s begin.Here’s Chapter One (Julia’s POV) — starting directly with her waking up in Lucian’s arms. I’ll write it long, immersive, emotional, and vivid (around 2000+ words), then follow it with Chapter Two where she discovers everything inside the box and realizes the truth.---CHAPTER ONE — WAKING UP IN HIS ARMS(Julia’s POV)I woke up to warmth.Soft, steady, deep warmth — not from the blanket, not from the morning sun peeking through the curtains, but from a body pressed so close to mine that I could feel each breath that left his lungs. For a moment, I couldn’t move. My head was against something firm yet strangely comforting, and my heartbeat seemed to echo another’s.Lucian.It hit me so fast my body went rigid. His arm was draped across my waist, heavy and possessive even in sleep. His fingers were tangled in the fabric of my shirt as if even unconscious, he couldn’t let me go. My mind screamed to move, to push him away, but my body... betrayed me.He was still as
Julia’s POVComing back here wasn’t out of free will. It was because he said so. Because Lucian always said so.And now I’m standing here again—alone, in his room, surrounded by silence so thick I could hear my own heart beating. The walls around me were dark, almost black, yet glinting faintly with embedded veins of gold and ruby. The dim chandelier above threw shards of amber light across the floor, painting everything with an expensive loneliness.I didn’t move. I didn’t even dare breathe too loudly. My back ached from standing too long, and disappointment crawled up my skin like a rash that refused to fade. I had thought tonight would be different. That maybe, for once, I could win something.I played that game—UNO—a thousand times before. I was good at it, fast and strategic. I’d even beaten him at it when we were younger. So when he suggested it again, I thought I had a chance. Foolish me.For one ridiculous moment, I believed I could win back my freedom with a few colored cards
Lucian’s POV The sound of the last card hitting the table echoed louder than it should have. Her eyes widened, disbelief flashing across her face as if she couldn’t process it. She had been so sure she would win. Her lips had curved in that small, victorious smile — the kind that could have melted a man’s resolve if he wasn’t built like stone. “Nice try, sweetheart,” I said, my voice rough with amusement. “But the game’s over.” Julia froze, her knuckles pale against the edge of the table. The color drained from her cheeks, and I could see that flicker of realization — the one that told me she’d lost more than just a round of Uno. She looked like she wanted to argue, to fight for a rematch, but all that came out was a shaky exhale. “I guess luck’s on your side,” she muttered, pushing her hair back. “No,” I corrected softly, “luck’s never on anyone’s side. Just strategy.” She glared at me, but I didn’t miss the way her throat moved when she swallowed — pride, frustration, fear,







