Chapter 3

Damian's POV Continuation

I stared at her, the weight of her question hanging in the air like a noose tightening around my neck.

"Where exactly were you?"

My mouth was dry. My mind raced for a believable response, but none came. Seconds felt like hours. Her eyes were locked on mine—sharp, calm, but dangerously observant. I knew Lydia well enough to recognize that her silence was never empty. It was a test.

Then,just like that,a memory saved me.

Earlier that afternoon, after lunch, Ava had dragged me into a designer perfume store tucked inside a luxury mall. We had picked out a few fragrances,playfully testing scents on each other, laughing as though we were lovers without consequences. She had insisted I keep the gift bag in my car, saying she didn’t want it mixed up with the others she was taking home.

I hadn’t even remembered the perfumes until that moment.

I cleared my throat, forcing my lips to twitch into a smile. “Oh,that smell on my shirt?”

Lydia raised a brow, not convinced yet.

“We stopped by a perfume boutique today,me and the team. They were showcasing some premium collections, so I grabbed a few for you. Left them in the car. Thought I’d surprise you later.”

Her expression softened slightly, though I could still sense the hesitation behind her pretty eyes.

“Perfumes?” she asked, folding her arms. “For me?”

“Of course,” I replied, moving toward the door with as much calm as I could muster. “Wait here. Let me get them.”

Downstairs, I practically sprinted to the car.

The white luxury bag was still in the back seat. Three bottles,exotic, elegant, and thankfully untouched. Ava’s taste was elite. They looked like something a husband with good intentions would bring home to a loving wife.

I rushed back up and handed the bag to Lydia like it was a bouquet of roses. Her fingers brushed over the box, then she opened one of them and sprayed it lightly on her wrist.

Her smile was instant. “This is… beautiful.”

I exhaled quietly in relief.

She leaned forward and kissed me gently. “Thank you, darling.”

Then she wrapped her arms around my waist, pressed herself against me, and whispered against my chest, “I’ve missed you so much.”

I nodded, holding her tighter. If guilt had a scent, I would’ve reeked of it. But in that moment, it didn’t matter.

That night, Lydia made love to me like a woman who had longed for her man. Her kisses were hungry. Her hands traced every inch of my body like she was trying to re-memorize me.

She slid down slowly, teasing me with her tongue, her mouth taking control of me until I could barely breathe. I gripped the sheets, my back arching with every movement. The sensation was maddening. My resolve trembled. For a second, I almost confessed,blurted out everything.

But then she pulled me into her, riding me slowly, then harder, her moans echoing off the bedroom walls. All I could do was lay there, grinning from ear to ear, drowning in the pleasure and forgetting the danger I had just escaped.

She leaned close and whispered softly into my ear, “I missed you, Damian. So much.”