Sinful Temptations

LYDIA'S POVThe engagement party was supposed to be about my brother, that was what everyone kept reminding me, tonight was about celebrating him, his fiancée, and the beginning of the life they were about to build together. It was supposed to be an evening of laughter, photographs, champagne glasses raised in celebration, and relatives I barely remembered hugging me like we had seen each other yesterday.Instead, I had spent most of the night trying not to look at Daniel, which was difficult when he was standing twenty feet away. He was beside my brother near the center of the room, listening to one of the uncles tell a story everyone had heard over a dozen times before. Daniel laughed politely, shaking his head as the older man gesticulated dramatically with his hands.I looked away, only to look back a few seconds later, this time he was already looking at me and like the countless times we had found ourselves in this situation I looked away trying to calm my heart that was beating

CHAPTER THREELYDIA'S POVFor several seconds, neither of us moved. The air inside the car felt tense, almost suffocating, as though the words Daniel had finally spoken had changed the atmosphere around us. He had said what we had both spent years refusing to acknowledge, and somehow hearing it aloud made everything between us feel dangerously real and far more complicated than it had ever been in my fantasies.I could hear my own breathing as he watched me intently, neither of us knowing what to say next, or perhaps both of us knowing exactly what we wanted to say and being afraid of what would happen once the words left our mouths. His hands slowly moved towards mine, and I did not pull away. His fingers brushed against mine before closing around them, his touch surprisingly gentle considering the storm of emotions raging inside me.“Lydia,” he murmured, and the way he said my name made a shiver run through me.I looked at him. “What?”“Are you sure?”I knew what he meant, and I sho

LYDIA'S POV The next morning, I woke up with the weight of last night pressing against my memory. For a few seconds, I stared at the ceiling, trying to convince myself that everything had been a dream. The ache in between my legs convinced me that it was real as it could be, after we had both calmed down Daniel cleaned me up to the best of his ability and dropped me home not before kissing me like he was starved.I reached for my phone on the table only to find one new message from Daniel “Tonight, my place? 8pm. I want to see you again beautiful”The hidden intention behind his message wasn't lost to me. My legs clenched as I recalled last night's activities.By evening, I was standing outside his apartment, my heart pounding as I stared at the door. When it opened, Daniel was standing there, for a moment, neither of us spoke, his eyes moved over me, lingering just long enough to remind me of everything that had happened the night before.“You came.”“You asked me to.”“I didn't th

ELOISE POVI opened my eyes slowly, blinking several times as I tried to make sense of the white ceiling above me. For a few seconds, I couldn't remember where I was or why my entire body felt like it had been dragged through hell. Then everything came back in pieces. The restaurant. The messages. The car coming toward me. The brakes. The crash.My heart began pounding as the memory hit me all at once. I instinctively tried to sit up, but pain shot through my body and forced me back against the pillow. I winced and looked around the unfamiliar room. A hospital room. An IV was attached to my hand, and the faint beeping of the monitor beside my bed filled the silence. I looked down at myself and noticed the bruises scattered across my arms. My head throbbed, and there was a dull ache running through my ribs, but considering what had happened, I was surprised I could move at all.I tried to raise my hand to push a strand of hair away from my face, but I couldn't. Something was resting on

ELOISE POVLena was already waiting for me downstairs when I came out of my room, and the moment she saw me, she clapped her hands together.“Finally. I was beginning to think you had decided to spend the rest of your life hiding upstairs.”I rolled my eyes as I walked toward her. “I said I would come shopping with you, didn't I?”“You did, but knowing you, you could have changed your mind.”“I wouldn't dare.”“Good answer.” She looked me over before nodding approvingly. “You look better already.”I smiled faintly. “I feel better.”It wasn't entirely true. My ear still hurt, and the memory of the gunshots hadn't disappeared. Sometimes, when the house became too quiet, I could still hear them in my head. But sitting there with Lena, talking about clothes and shoes like we had done a hundred times before, made everything feel a little less frightening.Nico was waiting by the door, his expression as serious as ever.Lena pointed at him. “Nicky, let's go.”“Nico.”“That's what I said.”“