FAZER LOGINElena's POV It had been two months since Adrian and I had fallen back into this complicated rhythm, and nothing about it felt simple anymore. He had stayed in New York. No more talk of returning to Italy, at least not anytime soon. That decision alone changed everything. It made his presence feel permanent, like he was weaving himself deeper into my life whether I was ready for it or not. We spent nights together sometimes at his mansion, sometimes at mine, drifting between the two places like we were testing how well we fit after everything that had happened. He was still making amends, showing up consistently in that annoyingly reliable way of his. No matter how much of a hard time I gave him and I gave him plenty he never backed down. He just kept trying, patient and steady, like he knew exactly what he had broken and was determined to fix it piece by piece. I wasn’t making it easy for him on purpose. Part of me still wanted him to prove himself more, to earn back the t
Elena's POV Sunlight filtered through the curtains that morning, pulling me out of a deep sleep with a dull ache behind my eyes and my whole body feeling like I'd been run over by a truck. I stretched carefully, the silk sheets cool against my bare skin, and noticed right away that Adrian's side of the bed was empty, the covers tossed back like he'd gotten up hours ago. His cologne lingered faintly, mixed with that raw scent of last night's intensity, but I pushed the memories aside because dwelling on it would only make my face burn hotter. Sitting up slow, I winced at the soreness between my thighs, a sharp reminder of how far we'd gone, but instead of spiraling into embarrassment, I grabbed one of his black dress shirts from the chair nearby. It smelled like him, crisp cotton hanging loose with just a few buttons done up, skimming my thighs in a way that felt dangerously short, no underwear because honestly, who could be bothered after all that. Padding barefoot down th
Elena's POV The second that waitress draped herself over Adrian's shoulder like a cheap scarf, her fake assets two inches from his face, something inside me snapped not a clean break, but the kind of jagged shatter that leaves you bleeding and furious. I'd spent the entire dinner perfecting my ice-queen routine, tossing barbs at his over-the-top flowers, that sinfully perfect dress he somehow magicked up, every single one of my favorite dishes arriving like he'd hacked my brain for the menu. All an act, of course, because no way was I letting him see how his low rumbling voice made my stomach flip or how leaning close enough to smell his cologne had my thighs pressing together under the table. I didn't *want* to show jealousy God, I fought it hard, cold shoulder locked and loaded because forgiveness? Not on the table. But feelings from before? They stuck like fucking glue, impossible to scrape off no matter how much attitude I threw. And this skank? Touching *my* man? Hell no. He
Adrian’s POVThe second the words left my mouth, Elena went very still.She did not soften. She did not smile. She did not give me the satisfaction of looking impressed or touched or even remotely easy about it. She just sat there in that wine-red dress like she had stepped out of one of my most dangerous fantasies and decided to make me suffer for the privilege.I almost laughed.Actually, no. I did laugh, just not out loud.Because that was Elena for you. One second I was certain she was about to explode at me for the flowers, the note, the restaurant, the entire .Adrian Knight experience of the day, and the next she was sitting across from me with that calm, maddening expression that said she was absolutely not making this easy.And God, she looked incredible.I had noticed the second she walked in, of course I had. Impossible not to. The dress was fitted in all the right places, the deep color making her skin look even warmer, her hair styled in a way that looked effortless in t
Elena's POV Sunday mornings always had a way of feeling softer than the rest of the week, like the whole city had agreed to slow down for a few hours and pretend it wasn’t always racing toward something. I had been in that half-lazy, half-bored mood since I woke up, the kind that made coffee taste better and thoughts drift longer than they should. I had curled up on the sofa in a loose lounge set, one leg tucked under me, coffee in one hand, phone in the other, scrolling through nothing in particular while the sunlight poured through the windows and warmed the room in patches. I had briefly considered calling Lila and dragging her out somewhere for brunch or a walk, maybe even some random shopping trip just to kill time, but Lila was buried in work and had already sent me three different apologetic messages before nine in the morning. I had replied with a dramatic speech about betrayal, busyness, and the collapse of society, then gone right back to scrolling through my phone
Elena's pov A few days had passed since the wedding disaster, but the memory of it still sat somewhere heavy in my chest, refusing to leave completely. I had gone back to my routine, back to my work, back to pretending I was not thinking about the fact that Alex had embarrassed himself so publicly and that Adrian had stood beside me through all of it like it was the most natural thing in the world. That part bothered me more than I wanted to admit.Adrian had not done anything dramatic after that. No outrageous declarations. No pushing me into conversations I was not ready for. No possessive speeches meant to corner me into feeling something before I was ready. Instead, he had started doing something far more dangerous.He had become quiet.Not distant. Just steady.And somehow that was worse, because I had expected him to either disappear for a while or come at me with all the stubborn intensity he usually carried like a second skin. But he did neither. He simply kept showing up
Adrian's POVMarco's words slammed into me like a freight train. "We found her." My blood ignited into pure fire. I jammed the knife deeper into Alex's throat, slicing just enough to make a thin trickle of blood run down his neck. "This conversation isn't over, you lying piece of shit," I sna
Elena's POV One week had crawled by, slow and suffocating, with me locked inside my room like a prisoner serving time for a crime I couldn't undo. Mom slid trays through the door three times a day plain breakfasts of eggs and toast, sandwiches for lunch and dinner. Her eyes always dodged mine wh
Elena's POVDad snatched my phone the moment Adrian's name flashed on the screen after that call dropped—his face went dark recognizing it wasn't mine before smashing it hard against the wall pieces flying everywhere while I stood frozen too shocked to move. "You where the HELL have you been all n
Adrian~ "This isn't done. You'll both pay." My jaw clenched hard reading Alex's stupid threat over her shoulder, anger burning hot in my chest because that prick thought he could scare us after hurting her first. The headlights in the rearview got brighter closing in fast some idiot tailing us thr







