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Chapter Forty-Five: Softness in the Silence

Author: Hallie Hart
last update Last Updated: 2025-06-30 22:58:30

Amelia’s POV

I woke up to the scent of him.

It clung to the sheets, to my skin, to the air itself. A mix of something clean and dark — cedarwood, spice, and the trace of expensive cologne that never quite faded. It felt like falling into a memory, one I didn’t realize I’d been chasing until now.

The apartment was quiet.

Too quiet.

I stretched out beneath the soft, heavy covers and reached for him instinctively, only to find the other side of the bed empty and cool. Disappointment pricked at me, sharp and unwelcome, but I shook it off. I shouldn’t expect him to be here. That wasn’t how this worked. Not with Dominic Blackwood.

And yet, it stung.

I sat up, the oversized black shirt I’d stolen from him slipping off one shoulder. My hair was a mess, strands tangled from restless sleep and his hands. The thought sent a rush of heat through me, remembering how his mouth had moved over my skin, how his voice sounded rough and unguarded in the dark.

Last night had changed something between us.
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