ログインHi lovely readers 😍 We have come to the end of this book. Please leave reviews! I would love to know your thoughts on the book. Thank you so much for reading ❤️
Ariana’s POV I gripped the armrests of the plane seat, focusing on my breathing. I was desperately hoping my breakfast wouldn't make a reappearance. After the crash, I’d told myself I would never step foot on a plane again, but Nathaniel had convinced me. He called the crash a fluke, a one-in-a-billion accident that wouldn't happen twice. Still, as the small aircraft dipped toward the turquoise water, my heart was in my throat. The plane touched down on the familiar stretch of sand and slowed to a halt. We climbed down, and almost immediately, the pilot took off again. I watched it disappear into a speck in the blue sky, and for a second, panic flared in my chest. We were alone. Again. Then I looked around. "Nathaniel?" I breathed. The island had been transformed. It wasn't the coarse, dangerous place we had fought to survive in. It looked like a luxury getaway. Near the edge of the tree line, a beautiful open-air pavilion had been set up, draped in soft white linen. There were c
Nathaniel’s POV Two weeks had passed, and for the first time in my life, I truly understood what people meant when they talked about stability.Our days had settled into a rhythm of domestic bliss. Ariana spent her mornings doing her remote data analysis work from the sunroom, her laptop humming as she navigated the spreadsheets for CloudWorkers—her biological father’s company, ironically enough. I went into the office, handled the board, and watched the stock prices continue their steady climb back to record highs.The threats that once loomed over us had lost their teeth and even my mother had shifted her tactics. Once she realized that Ariana was the daughter of a CEO that was doing well for himself, her hostility vanished, replaced by a sudden, frantic interest in wedding planning. It was an emotional whiplash, but I’d take her overbearing "guidance" over her active sabotage any day.The day for the court hearing finally arrived. It was a crisp morning, and as we pulled up to the
Ariana’s POV "What?"The word left both mine and Nathaniel’s mouths at the same time. I sat there, paralyzed, as I looked at the man sitting across from me. James, the CEO of CloudWorkers, was now a full-blown mess. He wasn't just sniffling anymore; he was sobbing into his hands, his shoulders shaking with a grief that looked absolutely unconsolable.People from the surrounding tables were starting to stare. "James, please," my mother whispered, her own eyes red. She looked at me with a pained expression. "Go out for a minute, get some air."James nodded weakly, grabbed his handkerchief, and stumbled toward the exit. I watched him go, my mind spinning. I turned back to Eunice. "How... is this for real? Is this some kind of joke?""It’s no joke, Ariana," she said softly. "Before I left Arthur, I found James again. I found out that he never married. He never moved on. He told me he still loved me and that he regretted his cowardice every single day of his life. I decided to go back to
Ariana’s POV I didn't let him hide under the covers. I kicked them back, wanting to see every inch of him in the moonlight. Nathaniel didn't hesitate; he pulled down his sweatpants, and his cock bounced out, thick and firm. Even in the dim light, I could see the familiar dark, flushed head was already glistening, leaking a small trail of anticipation.He started to stroke himself and I watched his muscles ripple in his arms and chest with every movement. He wasn't being gentle, probably because he was driven by the same hunger I felt. After a few seconds, I couldn't just watch. I reached out, my fingers wrapping around the base of his shaft, feeling the frantic pulse of his heart beneath the skin.He groaned, his head falling back against the headboard. "Ariana," he rasped, his pace quickening. I leaned in, my breath hot against his skin, and began to trail my tongue along the underside, following the vein that throbbed with every stroke.When I felt his body go rigid, his breath hit
Nathaniel's POVBy 6:00 PM, we were at the precinct. The air inside was thick with the smell of burnt coffee and old paper. The detective assigned to our case was a man who looked like he hadn’t slept since the late nineties. He had heavy bags under his eyes and a weary expression that suggested he’d seen too many family disputes to care about ours.He asked the basic questions about names, addresses, and relationship to the suspect with a dry, monotonous voice. Then, he tapped his pen on the desk. "I’ll need to question you separately. Miss Tokes, come with me."I watched them walk into a small, glass-walled room. I could see her through the partition, looking small but determined. About twenty minutes later, she was ushered out, and it was my turn.I sat across from the detective. He didn't look impressed by my suit or my name. "So, Mr. Coop. You claim the suspect held a weapon to the victim’s head. Did you actually see him pull the trigger?""He didn't need to pull it for it to be
Ariana’s POVHe turned the phone screen toward me. It was a text from his security team. My heart stopped. "Maya is being held at the apartment. As soon as she got out of her car, Arthur jumped her. He’s holding her at gunpoint in front of the house. My men are there, but they can’t engage without risking her life."The blood drained from my face. "Maya? Why is she always getting roped into my mess?" I felt a wave of nausea. I owed that girl everything, and now her life was on the line. "Nathaniel, what are we going to do? We can't let him hurt her.""I’ve already alerted the police," Nathaniel said, his voice dropping into that calm, authoritative tone he used when things were at their worst. "But we have to go there. We need to deescalate the situation before they arrive. Just promise me you will listen to everything I say once we arrive. Do not try to be a hero."I nodded fervently. "I promise."The drive to Astoria felt like it took hours, even though the driver was pushing the sp
Nathaniel's POV I felt sick.It was a deep, oily nausea that pooled in the pit of my stomach. I looked at Ariana, sitting there in the flickering firelight, and all I could see was the shadow of that sixteen-year-old girl waking up in a dingy clinic to find her future had been carved out of her.H
Ariana's POV The moss was a trap. One second I was scrubbing the stubborn green-and-white streak of bird poop off my thermal sleeve, muttering about how much I hated this island, and the next, the world tilted. My heel hit a slick patch of slime, and my feet went flying.Everything happened in a b
Ariana's POV The morning was quiet until it wasn’t. I woke up to a low hum that seemed to vibrate through the rubber floor of the raft. Beside me, Nathaniel was already bolt upright, his head tilted like an animal catching a scent. We didn’t say a word. We just looked at each other, eyes wide, and
Ariana's POV The memory hit me as I stared into the dying embers of our fire. I was twenty-two, standing in the cramped kitchen of my father’s apartment in Greenwich Village. The air smelled of stale coffee and the lemon-scented floor wax he made me use every Saturday."I got the internship, Dad,"







