LOGINEdwin’s POVThe villa in Santorini had been a dream, but coming home felt like stepping into the rest of our lives.I stood on the wide deck overlooking the water, a mug of coffee warm in my hands, watching the early morning light paint the bay in soft golds and blues. Two days back from Greece and the house already felt fuller, more lived-in. Ruby’s laughter still echoed from the boat trip we’d taken the day before. Daniel’s clothes were mixed with mine in the closet. My books had found permanent shelves in the library. It no longer felt like I was a guest in someone else’s beautiful life. It felt like ours.The sliding door behind me opened. I didn’t need to turn around to know it was Daniel. His arms slid around my waist from behind, chin resting on my shoulder as he pulled me back against his chest. He was still warm from bed, wearing only loose gray sweatpants.“You’re up early,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the side of my neck.“Couldn’t sleep. Too happy, maybe.” I leaned int
Edwin’s POVThe villa in Santorini was everything Daniel had promised and more.We had arrived two days ago after a long private flight, and the moment the car had pulled up to the clifftop property, I felt something inside me unclench. Whitewashed walls glowed under the Aegean sun, infinity pools spilled toward the caldera, and the view that impossible, breathtaking view of blue sea and volcanic rock made the rest of the world feel very far away.No emails. No board meetings. No lingering shadows of Victor’s lies.Just us.I woke on the third morning to warm sunlight streaming through the open terrace doors and the distant sound of church bells drifting up from the village below. Daniel was already awake, propped on one elbow beside me, watching me with that quiet intensity that still made my heart skip.“You’re staring again,” I murmured, voice thick with sleep.“Can’t help it.” His fingers traced a slow line down my bare chest. “You look good in Greek light. Relaxed. Like you
Edwin’s POVThe weeks had started to melt into something that felt almost dangerously close to normal. Not the fragile, cautious kind of normal I had known in the old apartment, where every good day felt borrowed and every quiet moment carried the threat of collapse. This was different. Deeper. The kind of normal that came from waking up beside the same man every morning, knowing he chose you even when the world tried to tear you apart.I woke to the familiar weight of Daniel’s arm draped across my chest, his breath warm against the nape of my neck. The windows were open, letting in the soft morning breeze and the steady rhythm of waves breaking on the shore below the house. For several long minutes I simply lay there, letting myself feel it all the warmth of his skin, the steady beat of his heart against my back, the quiet certainty that this was my life now.No more waiting for the next email. No more hiding in copy rooms. No more burning cash in the middle of the night because
Edwin’s POVThe house had become more than just walls and windows overlooking the water. It had become ours.I woke to the familiar weight of Daniel’s arm across my waist and the soft sound of waves rolling onto the shore below. Sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains, painting the room in warm gold. For a moment I simply breathed it in the steady rise and fall of his chest against my back, the faint scent of his skin, the quiet certainty that this was real and not some fleeting dream I would wake from.I turned slowly in his arms. Daniel’s eyes were still closed, but the corner of his mouth twitched like he knew I was watching him. I traced a finger along his jaw, feeling the light stubble. His eyes fluttered open, dark and warm, immediately softening when they met mine.“Morning,” he murmured, voice rough and intimate.“Morning.”He pulled me closer without hesitation, sliding one thigh between mine as he kissed me. The kiss started slow and deep, tongues gliding lazily togeth
Edwin’s POVThe morning light felt different now.Softer. Warmer. Like the house by the water had decided to conspire with the sun to make every new day feel like a gift instead of something I had to survive. I woke up slowly, Daniel’s body curled protectively around mine, his chest pressed to my back, one arm slung heavily over my waist. His breath was warm against the nape of my neck, steady and deep. I stayed still for a long moment, just listening to him breathe, letting the reality of where I was sink in.This was real.He was real.We were real.I turned carefully in his arms so I could face him. Daniel’s eyes were still closed, lashes dark against his cheeks, lips slightly parted. The faint morning stubble on his jaw caught the light, and I couldn’t resist reaching up to trace it with my fingertips. He stirred, a low hum vibrating in his chest before his eyes fluttered open dark, warm, and immediately soft when they focused on me.“Morning,” he murmured, voice gravelly with sl
Edwin’s POVThe sky was painted in soft pinks and oranges when I woke up. Daniel’s arm was heavy across my chest, his breath warm against the back of my neck. For a long moment I just lay there, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing and the distant crash of waves below the house. These quiet mornings had become my favorite part of the day the time before the world intruded, when it was just us and the peace we had fought so hard to earn.I turned slowly in his arms so I could face him. Even in sleep, Daniel looked strong and protective. The lines of stress that had once been etched permanently between his brows had softened over the past weeks. His hair was messy, lips slightly parted, one hand still curled possessively around my waist as if he couldn’t bear to let go even while unconscious.I traced a finger along his jaw, feeling the faint stubble. He stirred, eyes fluttering open, dark and warm the instant they focused on me.“Morning,” he murmured, voice rough and low i
Edwin’s POVThe key turned in the lock at 2:17 a.m., and the apartment door opened with a soft click that sounded louder than it should have in the silence. I stepped inside, shoes in hand, trying not to wake Ruby. The hallway light was off, but the faint glow from the streetlamp outside painted ev
Edwin’s POVThe morning after felt like waking up inside someone else’s skin.I lay in my own bed, staring at the ceiling cracks I’d memorized as a kid, the same ones I used to count when Mom’s coughing kept me awake. The apartment smelled like burnt toast from Ruby’s attempt at breakfast and the
Edwin’s POVThe envelope burned a hole in my pocket all the way up to the forty-fifth floor.I hadn’t opened it again after tearing the business card inside. I didn’t need to. Victor’s words were already branded behind my eyes: *A clean slate. A job where your past stays buried.* The way he’d said
Edwin’s POVThe cemetery was smaller than I remembered.It sat on the edge of the city, tucked behind a row of old oak trees that had stood longer than most of the buildings around it. The grass was too green for the season, the kind of artificial green that came from sprinklers and money. Rows of







