MasukHe turned and saw Caleb, his face flushed with anger, standing directly behind Charlotte as though his entire existence in that moment was meant for one purpose alone; to protect her.Caleb’s stance was firm, unyielding, his shoulders squared with a quiet strength that spoke louder than words. His eyes burned with intensity as they locked onto Nathan, carrying a warning that needed no repetition. The harsh sunlight bore down on them, clinging to their skin, making the air feel heavier than it should. A thin line of blood trickled from the corner of Nathan’s mouth, sliding slowly down his chin. His chest rose and fell unevenly, like a man wrestling with something darker than pain, something buried deep inside his soul.For a moment, silence hung between them, stretched thin like a fragile thread ready to snap.Then, suddenly, anger surged through Nathan.His hand clenched into a fist, his arm pulling back, muscles tightening as veins stood out sharply beneath his skin. Every part
“Nathan,” Charlotte called the moment she noticed him standing just a few steps away from the house she now shared with Caleb Briggs.Her voice didn’t carry warmth. It carried surprise, tension, and something else she refused to name.Nathan’s head lifted instantly at the sound of her voice, his eyes locking onto her like a man who had finally found what he had been searching for in the dark. His lips parted, his breath uneven, his entire presence screaming desperation.He looked nothing like the composed, untouchable man he used to be. A long coat hung loosely over his shoulders, unbuttoned, barely shielding him from the early morning chill. Beneath it, he wore nothing but a pair of shorts and simple slippers, as though he had rushed out without thinking. His hair was disheveled, his face pale, his lips dry and cracked. Even from a distance, the faint smell of alcohol and cigarettes clung to him.Charlotte froze the instant she fully took him in. Her body stiffened, her fingers ti
The moment Nathan pulled the handle and swung the door open, his feet froze mid-step. His jaw slackened, his eyes widened, and for a second, he genuinely believed his mind was playing tricks on him.Standing at the doorway was his aunt, Rosemary Carlos.She didn’t look like someone who had come for a casual visit. Her posture was upright, composed, her chin slightly raised in that familiar authoritative way that used to silence rooms. One hand gripped the handle of a large traveling bag, the kind that carried more than clothes; it carried intention. That bag alone told Nathan everything he needed to know. She wasn’t visiting. She had come to stay.“Aunty…” Nathan’s voice cracked, disbelief lacing every syllable as his eyes scanned her face, searching for warmth that wasn’t there.Rosemary ignored him as she stepped into the house slowly, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor like a quiet announcement of dominance. Nathan instinctively stepped back, his movements slo
Nathan Mills lay stretched across the long couch, his tall frame barely contained by its length, his body wrapped beneath a thick blanket that hid the soaked clothes clinging stubbornly to his skin. His breathing came unevenly, rising and falling in unstable rhythm, as though his body could not decide whether to rest or to remain trapped in the chaos of the night he had just endured. His lips were dry, slightly parted, and the faint, unmistakable smell of whiskey lingered heavily in the air around him.Mr. Willis stood nearby, his tall figure still composed, yet the worry etched across his aged face betrayed the calm he tried to maintain. His eyes moved slowly from Nathan to Marcel, lingering on the younger man seated across from the couch. Marcel sat stiffly, his elbows resting on his knees, one hand pressed against his face as if trying to push away the exhaustion weighing heavily on him.“Mr. Marcel” Mr. Willis said at last, his voice low but steady, though it carried the weight
The rain poured without mercy, cascading from rooftops, splashing violently against the pavement, soaking every inch of the compound as though the sky had no intention of stopping. Water pooled beneath their feet, rippling with every drop that fell, turning the ground into a muddy reflection of the chaos in the air.Nathan’s knees were already drenched, mud clinging stubbornly to his trousers, staining them beyond recognition. But he didn’t seem to notice. He didn’t care.His world had narrowed to one person.Charlotte.His eyes never left her face, as if looking away would mean losing her again. His palms pressed together in front of his chest, trembling slightly, not out of the cold, but from the weight of desperation crushing him from within.“I was stupid,” he said, shaking his head slowly, his voice hoarse but loud enough to rise above the relentless rain. “I was arrogant. I held your love in my hands and let it slip away like water.”His voice cracked midway, but he forced him
The rain poured heavier, drumming relentlessly against the umbrellas like a warning echoing from the heavens above. It wasn’t just a passing shower anymore; it had grown into something fierce, something unforgiving, as though the sky itself had chosen to mirror the storm unfolding between them.Charlotte’s fingers tightened around the handle of the umbrella Marcel had handed to her. Even with the cover above her head, droplets still found their way down her arm, sliding coldly against her skin. Her body trembled, not entirely from the chill, but from the weight of everything she had held in for far too long.Her eyes remained locked on Nathan.They were steady, unyielding, but behind that stillness lay years of buried pain, silent endurance, and wounds that had never truly healed.“Enough of this apology,” she said sharply, her voice cracking slightly yet holding firm. “It only makes you look pathetic. Nothing will make me change my mind.”Her words cut through the rain like lightni
Nathan sat on the cold marble floor of his bedroom, his back bent awkwardly against the couch like a man who had given up trying to hold himself together. His shirt was crumpled, the sleeves rolled up unevenly, and his hair, once always neat was now disheveled, falling into his tired eyes. Empty
A sharp knock echoed through the apartment, cutting through the fragile calm that had settled in the room like a knife through silk. Charlotte stiffened instantly, her entire body going rigid. Her hands paused mid-movement as she packed the ointment back into the first-aid box with careful precisi
Nathan strode toward her with long, furious steps and grabbed her wrist roughly, yanking her sharply to his side with barely controlled violence. His grip was tight, possessive, burning with panic and jealousy all at once, his fingers digging into her skin hard enough to leave marks."Who the hell
The black SUV rolled smoothly through the tall iron gates.The vehicle came to a graceful halt in front of a grand mansion—a sprawling estate that was larger, colder, and far more imposing than the comfortable home Celine had grown accustomed to. But Celine barely noticed any of it.Her mind was s







