Isla’s heels echoed against the marble floor as she stepped into Blackwood Enterprises. Her spine was stiff, her chin lifted high as if the weight of her heartbreak hadn’t crushed her the night before. Killian’s betrayal was still fresh in her mind. The image of Celeste standing beside him, her fingers possessively gripping his sleeve, replayed like a cruel joke. He had lied. Lied about the engagement being over. Lied about wanting Isla in any way that mattered. Yet, here she was. She had convinced herself that she was here for closure—for control over her own narrative. But deep down, a part of her knew she was drawn to the flame, even though she had already been burned. The receptionist looked startled as Isla stormed past her desk without so much as a glance. She didn’t need an appointment. She was his wife—secret or not. She had every right to demand answers. The doors to Killian’s office were shut, but that didn’t deter her. With a firm push, she burst inside, her pulse ha
The evening air was thick with unspoken words as Isla sat in the dimly lit library of the Blackwood estate. The fire crackled softly in the background, casting flickering shadows along the mahogany bookshelves. She had buried herself in a book, hoping that the fictional world would offer some solace from the chaos of her reality, but her mind kept drifting back to Killian. The way he had kissed her. The way he had pulled away. The way he had shattered whatever fragile understanding had begun to form between them. She hated him for it. And she hated herself for letting him affect her so deeply. A sharp knock at the door startled her. Before she could respond, the door creaked open, revealing the one person she was trying to avoid. Killian. He stepped inside, his imposing presence filling the room instantly. Dressed in a tailored black suit, his stormy blue eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine. There was something different about him tonight—som
The tension in the Blackwood estate was suffocating, an invisible force pressing against Isla’s chest as she paced the length of her bedroom. Sleep had been impossible, her mind a tangled mess of emotions and memories. Killian’s words from earlier echoed in her head, leaving her restless and on edge. *You think I don’t want you? You think I don’t fight every damn day to keep my hands off you?* Her stomach twisted at the memory, at the raw hunger in his voice, the way his fingers had ghosted against her cheek before he had shut himself off again. It was maddening—the way he ignited something inside her only to douse it in cold indifference moments later. A sudden knock on her door made her freeze. For a brief second, she debated ignoring it. But deep down, she already knew who it was. Taking a deep breath, she strode toward the door and pulled it open. Killian stood there, dressed in another perfectly tailored suit, though his tie was loosened, his top button undone. His eyes,
The heavy silence that stretched between them was deafening. Isla’s breath came in shallow bursts as she locked eyes with Killian, trying to read the emotions swirling beneath the surface of his cold exterior. But Killian Blackwood was an enigma, a man who had mastered the art of hiding his true feelings behind a carefully curated mask. Yet tonight, standing in the dim glow of the Blackwood estate, there was a shift. A crack in his armor. And Isla wasn’t sure if she was ready for what lay beneath. Killian took a slow step forward, his towering presence making the air between them thick with tension. Isla clenched her hands into fists at her sides, willing herself to remain unaffected, but her traitorous body reacted to him in ways she wished it wouldn’t. “You should go inside,” he murmured, his voice carrying an edge of restraint. She lifted her chin defiantly. “Why? So you can keep running from whatever this is?” His jaw clenched, and for a moment, he looked like he was on the
The city skyline stretched endlessly before Isla as she stood on the balcony of the Blackwood estate, her fingers gripping the railing so tightly her knuckles turned white. The night breeze carried the faint scent of rain, cool against her skin, but nothing could cool the fire raging inside her. Killian had left her raw, exposed, and for the first time in her life, powerless. She had never allowed anyone to have such an effect on her, but here she was—twisting and unraveling beneath his touch, his words, his cold, distant gaze that somehow burned her more than any flame ever could. "You should be careful standing out here alone," a deep voice drawled from behind her. Isla stiffened, her heartbeat quickening as she turned to find Killian leaning against the doorway. He was dressed in his usual impeccably tailored suit, the black-on-black combination doing nothing to soften the sharpness of his features. His piercing blue eyes studied her, unreadable yet intense, as if he was analyz
The tension in the Blackwood estate had become suffocating, an invisible war waged behind cold gazes and unspoken words. Isla had always thought that pain came in screams, in shattered glass and torn apologies. But this—this slow, agonizing silence—was worse. Killian had returned to his usual ways, burying himself in work, ignoring her presence except when absolutely necessary. Celeste, ever the viper, had taken full advantage of his emotional distance, draping herself over him like a prized possession.Isla refused to let them see her break. But every time she walked into a room and saw them together, it took everything in her to keep her emotions in check. One evening, she found herself in the grand dining hall, where Killian sat at the head of the table, reviewing documents with his usual impassive expression. Celeste sat beside him, sipping from a glass of wine, her eyes dancing with mischief as she watched Isla take a seat across from them. The tension in the air was so thick it
The night was thick with tension, the air charged with something neither of them dared to name. Isla sat on the edge of the leather couch in the grand Blackwood estate, her hands curled into fists against her thighs. Killian stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring out into the city skyline, his posture rigid, his jaw clenched. She had come here for answers, but all she had received were half-truths and empty reassurances. And she was tired—so damn tired—of pretending that things between them were anything but a toxic cycle of push and pull.“Are you going to keep ignoring me, Killian?” Her voice was sharp, laced with frustration. “Or are you finally going to tell me the truth?”Killian exhaled slowly, turning just enough to look at her. His stormy gray eyes flickered with something unreadable before he masked it behind his usual indifference. “What truth do you think you’re owed, Isla?”Her blood boiled. “Don’t do that. Don’t act like I’m some naive idiot who doesn’t see what’
The night felt colder than usual, despite the city lights flickering in the distance, casting their golden glow through the towering glass windows of Isla’s apartment. She sat curled up on the edge of her bed, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, staring at the untouched phone on her nightstand. She had told herself she wouldn’t call him. That she wouldn’t be that girl anymore—the one who waited, the one who hoped.But Killian had a way of unraveling all her carefully built walls with nothing more than silence.A deep sigh escaped her lips as she stood, moving toward the window. The city stretched out before her, bustling and alive, yet she felt completely alone. Her fingers hovered over her phone before she shook her head and grabbed a glass of water instead, trying to drown the thoughts swirling in her mind.Meanwhile, across the city, Killian sat in his dimly lit office, his tie loosened, a tumbler of whiskey in his hand. The amber liquid swirled lazily as he stared down at his
The next morning, after Killian Blackwood's offer, was bright and beautiful, the kind of golden light that made all things seem fresh. Isla Carter awoke with her hand still lying softly over the engagement ring on her finger, her heart still skipping a beat in disbelief and joy. The previous night had seemed like a dream created, but the sparkle of the diamond and the heat of Killian's arms about her reminded her it was real.She rolled over in bed to find him already awake, lying on one elbow, looking at her with quiet respect."Morning, fiancée," he whispered, voice low with sleep and love.She laughed, stretching out. "Morning, fiancé."He got up and kissed her softly, his thumb tracing her cheek. "We have to get up. Big day today."She groaned. "I just want to lie here and pretend the world doesn't exist."He smiled, his face buried in her hair. "Tempting. But I promised a very clever woman that we would do something real."Her heart skipped another beat.Isla threw off the covers
For a couple of days, it looked like the storm had actually passed.The made-up stories fell out of the headlines.A formal denial from Marcus's so-called "anonymous sources" appeared, recanting all the charges. The donors who had pulled out of Haven's Hope began calling again, bearing apologies and tentative promises of aid.The shelter breathed again.The town itself, cautiously at first, but ever more warmly, welcomed Killian Blackwood back home.But Killian wasn't the same man anymore.He'd surrendered his empire, his riches, and his fine reputation for Isla Carter.And even though he didn't resent it — not one minute of it — the weight of it came upon him now and then on nights that stretched interminable and sleepless.He didn't tell Isla everything.Not yet.Not with the phone calls he wasn't returning from old friends who now saw him as a liability.Not with the lawyers circling like vultures over the deals Marcus had bullied him into signing.Not with the creeping, insidious
For a few fleeting days, the world stilled around Killian Blackwood and Isla Carter.They settled into a rhythm that was fragile but real — a rhythm built of whispered vows and lingering touches, of cautious smiles and hands brushing accidentally-on-purpose.It wasn't ideal.There were still shadows, still wounds not quite scarred over.But it was real.It was theirs.And that was enough.Until Marcus came back.This time, he did not come quietly. This time, he came to destroy.---It started with a headline. Killian had just stepped into the entrance of the shelter when he heard the buzz — biting whispers, horrified gasps. Janine rushed to him, phone outstretched, her face pale. "You need to see this," she whispered, shaking. Killian took the phone. The article stared back at him, the bold letters screaming:**"Blackwood's Dirty Secrets: From Criminal Empire to Philanthropist Fraud"**He read the words once. Then again. And again.Each sentence was a knife.Each accusation meti
The glow of the fundraiser still warm in Isla Carter's memory the next morning, she came into the small office of the shelter, an armful of paperwork in her arms.Her cheeks burned even now as she recalled the kiss — their kiss — amid a sea of onlookers. She hadn't cared who might see.For the first time in many years, Isla could hope without terror tightening its grip on her throat.Killian Blackwood was transforming into the man she needed.Maybe, just maybe, they had a hope of forever.She put down the papers and started to put them in order, humming a tune to herself. The office was unusually silent on a Monday morning, but she wrote that off as post-event exhaustion.It was only when she listened in to the strained, hurried words behind the door that she stopped.Janine's voice. Taut. Concerned.A different voice — gruffer, lower. Male.And Killian's voice — hot, tight.Isla's gaze grew darker and took a step toward the door.The moment she pushed it a little way open, she listen
The next morning, Isla Carter woke to the smell of coffee drifting through her small flat.For a moment, she lay still, eyes closed, letting the warmth of it seep into her bones.It had been a while since she woke up feeling anything like peace.When at last she opened her eyes and moved into the kitchen, Killian Blackwood was waiting for her — his back to her, shirt sleeves rolled up, pouring two mismatched mugs with coffee.It was this small, ordinary moment. This brutally normal thing.And it hit her smack in the middle of her chest.This might be real.This might be them.Killian turned at the sound of her footsteps and smiled — a tentative, uncertain smile that twisted her heart in torture."Morning," he offered, holding out a mug.She took it, their hands touching, a spark of electricity shooting up her arm."Morning," she whispered in return.They stood there for a moment, sipping coffee, the silence comfortable.But Isla knew that it couldn't stay this easy forever.Last night
The next morning, it had stopped raining, but the city was shrouded in a thick fog, as if the world itself was catching its breath.Isla Carter stood in her window, holding a mug of steaming coffee between her hands, looking out at the gray skyline.The midnight conversation with Killian Blackwood still ran through her head, as vivid as if it had just happened.His cracked voice.His soaked body at her doorstep.His promise: *I'll wait forever if I have to.*She wasn't sure if she was ready to pardon him yet.But she did know this — she couldn't ignore him either.Her phone on the counter rang.Her heart skipped a beat.A message.**Killian Blackwood:**> *There's something I have to show you. No pressure. If you want to see it, I'll be at 345 Lennox Street at noon. If not. I'll get it.*Isla stared at the note for a moment, stomach twisting with nerves.She should leave it alone.She should stand up for herself.And yet. her fingers seemed to act of their own accord, typing out two b
Rain was still coming down on the city, sheeting the streets with a damp, mournful glow. Isla Carter slumped beside the big glass wall of her tiny rented studio, her knees to her chest, looking blankly out into the world beyond. Her tea had gone cold hours ago, sitting on the table.She hadn't replied to Killian Blackwood's previous attempts to reach out to her.Hundreds of messages. Voicemails, emails, even handwritten letters left on her doorstep — all ignored.She didn't know if she was brave enough to see him again. She didn't trust him — not entirely. Not yet.And the ache in her chest warned her that even one small mistake could destroy her for good this time.A sharp knock shattered her downward thoughts.Isla braced.She hadn't been expecting anyone. Her heart hammered pitifully. She crept quietly to the door and peered through the peephole.Of course.Killian.He stood there, dripping from the rain, a fistful of white lilies clutched tightly in one hand. His face was a map of
City lights twinkled in the weight of twilight, as though the horizon itself held bated breath. Killian Blackwood stood against the roof garden of the Carter Foundation, the wind tugging at his open coat, his expression impassive. The city raged beneath him, unaware of the storm brewing in one man's soul.Tonight was not one of pomp and circumstance. There were no fireworks, no red carpet, no over-the-top displays of riches. Tonight was raw, bare, and totally human. It was about truth. About redemption.Killian had sent the invitation to Isla Carter days before, a scribbled note in the bouquet of lilies she still refused to accept. But he knew she'd be there. He had caught it in the quiet between them, in how her eyes clung a beat longer on their last encounter, as if she heard words that he hadn't spoken yet.As she stepped onto the roof, her heels ticking quietly on the wooden deck, Killian turned lazily. The sight of her, in the gentle light of string lights swaying above them, too
The city hummed with its own rhythm, but for Isla Carter, it was all just a bit. softer. Quieter. It had been three days since she'd stood beside Killian Blackwood in the brightly lit community center and said the words she'd never been brave enough to say until that moment. "Maybe I'm still in love with you."Those words had changed everything. And nothing had been rushed. There were no grand statements or fireworks. No immediate talk of labels or planning. Just a slow rebuilding. And for once, Isla didn't feel like she needed to rush to get ahead of her emotions.She was in her bookstore again today. The scent of old paper and cinnamon coffee greeted her, and sunlight streamed through the windows, casting golden squares on the wooden floor. Customers browsed idly through the shelves, and her helper, Margo, waved as Isla entered."Morning, boss. You look. glowy," Margo teased.Isla smiled, her cheeks going pink. "It's the weather.""Okay, let's pretend it's not the sexy billionaire