MasukLAUREN'S POV It had already been a month since Elizabeth was taken to rehab. After that day, after the screaming, the tears, the shock of her realizing she couldn’t move her own legs… I stopped thinking about her. I stopped wondering what she felt, or what she hated, or what she wanted. Whatever hell she was facing in that place was finally hers to deal with alone. And the truth was simple — she created every piece of it with her own hands. For the first time, the reason she despised me so much had nowhere left to go. She couldn’t reach me, couldn’t reach Roman, couldn’t twist anything or cause chaos. She was locked in a place she couldn’t run from. A place where she would finally face herself without anyone to blame. I didn’t need revenge. I didn’t need apologies. Silence from her was enough. We sat at the dinner table that evening, the warm lights giving everything in the dining room a soft glow. Roman’s mom had returned home yesterday. It had been months since she left accordi
LAUREN'S POV Five days had passed since the accident. Five days since I watched Elizabeth fall to the ground, unable to feel her own legs. Five days since the ambulance sirens filled the air and paramedics surrounded her while Roman stood beside me, blood still drying on his temple. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. About her. About him. About everything. The hospital had kept Roman overnight for observation after they stitched up the gash on his head. Mild concussion, they said. Nothing too serious, but they wanted to monitor him. I stayed in that sterile waiting room until they let me see him, my hands shaking the entire time, replaying the image of him stepping out of the car with blood running down his face. All because of me. Now, I stood outside his bedroom door in his estate, my hand resting on the handle but not yet turning it. He had been resting since we got back from his follow-up appointment earlier today. The doctors said he was healing well. No complica
LAUREN'S POV“Roman.” I called out again, even though he was just stepping out of the car. My voice sounded slightly shaky, but I didn’t even have time to focus on that because my eyes were locked on the van in front of me.As I walked closer, something about the person slumped inside the driver seat tugged at my memory. At first, the face was tilted down, pressed against the steering wheel, her hair falling over her cheek. I couldn’t make it out fully. But the closer I got, the more my stomach tightened. Something about the shape of her face… her jaw… even the way her shoulders were angled looked incredibly familiar.She had knocked out immediately upon impact. Her chest rose and fell slowly, indicating she was breathing, but she wasn’t moving. And then as I stepped right in front of the shattered window, the sunlight hit her face properly, clearing the shadows enough for me to see her features.I froze instantly.It was Elizabeth.My entire body stopped working for a second, my mout
LAUREN'S POV Once I was done having my bath, I stepped out of the bathroom feeling a bit more awake and refreshed. I dried my hair slowly with the towel wrapped around my shoulders, letting the remaining heat from the bathroom fade off my skin. When I entered the room, Roman was already fully dressed and adjusting his shirt like he was preparing to head out any second. I honestly thought he was going to leave for the company a little later than me, since he usually did, but here he was ready before I even finished moisturizing my face. “You want to go together?” I asked while picking up my engagement ring from the dresser. I slid it onto my finger, twisting it a little until it sat exactly how I liked it. “Oh, so you’re no longer worried about what the employees would think when they see us together?” Roman asked, raising a brow at me as he stood up straight. “You're basically my husband now, so why would I be worried about that? Anyone who can’t accept it or thinks it’s odd can g
LAUREN'S POV “I'm really confused about what you’re saying right now. When we met at the club, you already knew me?” I asked, my voice betraying the swirl of confusion I felt inside. My mind was spinning, trying to piece together this new revelation. It felt like I had just walked into a puzzle with half the pieces missing. “Well, I wouldn’t say I knew you, exactly. I had just seen you before, helped you out,” Roman replied calmly, his tone measured, yet filled with that quiet confidence I had always admired. “Helped me out? Where? How?” I asked again, feeling my confusion deepen. My brows furrowed tightly as I leaned closer, trying to extract clarity from his vague words. “Well, come to think of it, I don’t blame you if you can’t remember my face. I mean, you did faint that day, so…” Roman’s words trailed off slightly, and he tilted his head, watching me carefully, as if he could see the pieces slowly clicking into place in my mind. Fainted? My thoughts stopped dead in their tra
ROMAN'S POV “Like I said,” Lauren started, her voice calm but her expression focused on me like she wasn’t ready to let the topic slide, “let’s start with your ex. I saw the way you reacted when I first brought up the topic, and you told me you were faithful to her once, a few days ago. So… what exactly happened?” She asked it gently, but there was firmness in her tone. She wanted answers, and somehow I knew she deserved them. “I’ll tell you on one condition though,” I said, pointing slightly toward her as I shifted in my seat, “once we’re done here, you’re gonna go get ready for your meetings. Work always comes first.” She let out a light sigh, almost like my reminder was the last thing she wanted to hear. “Fine… agreed,” she said, but it sounded like she was agreeing under protest. Like she genuinely didn’t feel like going anywhere. “Alright,” I said, taking in a slow breath. “There’s nothing much to tell about that part of my life anyway. My ex-wife didn’t want something that







