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CHAPTER 26: TENTATIVE AFFECTION

Penulis: M. Crown
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-08 17:28:54

I woke up with a strange flutter in my chest, that kind of heavy, shaky feeling that sits somewhere between disbelief and giddy confusion.

My fingers brushed against my lips before my brain even caught up. I could still feel the memory of Damien’s kiss, soft and warm, lingering like a secret the morning light couldn’t chase away.

I lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of everything.

I had kissed Damien Blackwood. Or… he had kissed me.

Either way, I had kissed my husband, the man I wasn’t supposed to fall for and he had also confessed his feelings to me.

Every part of me still tingles with the memory of it.

When I finally made it downstairs, the scent of coffee and toasted bread wrapped around me, grounding me in the present. Damien was sitting casually by the kitchen island, scrolling through something on his laptop.

“Morning,” he said, looking up. His voice was steady, calm but full of warmth.

“Morning,” I replied, trying to sound equally composed but h
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  • LOVE UNDER CONTRACT    CHAPTER 26: TENTATIVE AFFECTION

    I woke up with a strange flutter in my chest, that kind of heavy, shaky feeling that sits somewhere between disbelief and giddy confusion.My fingers brushed against my lips before my brain even caught up. I could still feel the memory of Damien’s kiss, soft and warm, lingering like a secret the morning light couldn’t chase away.I lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of everything.I had kissed Damien Blackwood. Or… he had kissed me.Either way, I had kissed my husband, the man I wasn’t supposed to fall for and he had also confessed his feelings to me.Every part of me still tingles with the memory of it.When I finally made it downstairs, the scent of coffee and toasted bread wrapped around me, grounding me in the present. Damien was sitting casually by the kitchen island, scrolling through something on his laptop.“Morning,” he said, looking up. His voice was steady, calm but full of warmth.“Morning,” I replied, trying to sound equally composed but h

  • LOVE UNDER CONTRACT    CHAPTER 25: CONFESSION

    I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at nothing. My mind felt heavy, my chest tight, and my heart… well, my heart had completely betrayed me. I was in love with Damien Blackwood. The realization hit like a slow burn, spreading through me until there was no denying it anymore. The man I’d married out of necessity, the one who was supposed to be nothing but a temporary arrangement, had somehow become the person who made my world feel alive again. But this wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to feel this way about Damien. I pressed my hands over my face and groaned softly. “You’ve really done it now, Cara.” The contract was supposed to be simple: stay married for a while, keep up appearances, get the money I needed for Caleb’s hospital bills and then quietly disappear when it was over. But somewhere between pretending and surviving, I’d stopped acting. Now, I was the one who was lost. I needed to think. Or at least breathe. And whenever the world got too loud, there was

  • LOVE UNDER CONTRACT    CHAPTER 24: HONESTY

    Damien surprised me over breakfast when he said he’d be working from home for the rest of the week.I paused, spoon halfway to my mouth. “From home? You never do that.”He looked up from his coffee, that knowing smile curving his lips. “Can’t a man take a break from the chaos once in a while?”I frowned slightly. “You just don’t seem like the type to take breaks, that’s all.”He chuckled softly, the sound low and smooth. “You overthink, sweetheart.”Then he went back to reading as if nothing had happened.The rest of the morning passed quietly.After breakfast, Damien had gone straight to his office, apparently, he had an office at home, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the faint scent of his cologne still lingering in the air.I tried to distract myself, cleaning the counters, rearranging the spice rack, even wiping down a table that didn’t need wiping, but nothing worked. The maid kept circling around me, reminding me this was her job, but I just dismissed her. My mind kept cir

  • LOVE UNDER CONTRACT    CHAPTER 23: BE STILL, MY HEART!

    I didn’t sleep much that night.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Damien’s grandfather, the crack in his voice when he saw that painting, the way his eyes shone with love and memories he clearly never stopped carrying. The whole visit had been an emotional whirlwind.It was strange, really. Watching the old man look at Damien with pride, hearing him speak about Damien’s parents like they were some fairytale couple… something about it tugged deep at me. For a moment, I’d felt like I didn’t belong, like I was standing in the middle of a family portrait that wasn’t mine.But the way Damien had placed his hand on my waist as a silent, grounding gesture, somehow, that changed everything. It felt… protective, so real.And that terrified me.Maybe that’s why I was up before sunrise, pacing around the penthouse. My mind wouldn’t stop replaying everything that happened and I knew i needed something to do, something simple to keep my hands busy while my thoughts tangled themselves to pieces.S

  • LOVE UNDER CONTRACT    CHAPTER 22: ECHOES OF THE PAST

    The next morning, I tried to act normal. Really, I did.But it was impossible to forget the way Damien’s lips had pressed against mine last night or the way my entire body had caught fire when he pulled me close.So I did the only logical thing: I buried myself in my coffee, refusing to meet his eyes across the breakfast table.“Good morning, Mrs. Blackwood,” Damien said, his voice smooth and annoyingly calm. As if nothing had happened. As if I hadn’t practically melted against him last night.I muttered something that sounded like “morning”, at least to me, and reached for the cream, determined not to look at him. Big mistake. Because the second I did glance up, his lips curved into that infuriating smirk.“Relax,” he drawled. “I don’t bite… unless provoked.”Heat rushed to my face so fast I nearly choked on my coffee. He was teasing me on purpose.“You’re insufferable,” I snapped, glaring at my cup.“And yet…” His chair scraped slightly as he leaned closer, his voice dropping low en

  • LOVE UNDER CONTRACT    CHAPTER 21: FIRST KISS

    The ride back felt endless. Damien sat beside me, his phone glowing in his hand, his expression unreadable as he fired off clipped words to whoever was unlucky enough to be on the other end. I kept my eyes fixed on the city lights flashing past the tinted windows. Anything to distract myself from the mess in my chest. The night had been… too much. The glittering auction, the eyes on me, the way Damien’s hand had tightened over mine when his mother’s portrait appeared. And then me, bidding like a lunatic because I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else taking it. My heart still hadn’t settled. Every time I thought of it, I wanted to kick myself. “Half a million,” Damien said suddenly, ending his call. His voice cut through the silence like a knife. I stiffened. “Here it comes.” He turned his head, one brow raised. “Here what comes?” “The lecture. The part where you tell me I’m reckless and stupid for throwing around money like—” “Like a Blackwood?” he interrupted. I blinked.

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