MasukChapter 97.Skye laughed without feeling guilty about it.She didn't spend the evening checking her surroundings every few minutes or keep her phone in her hand in case something happened. There were moments when a small knot of unease still tightened in her chest, but the warmth around the table helped her settle back into herself.These people had seen her at her worst. They'd watched her fall apart, fight back, make mistakes, and try again, and none of them expected her to become a different person just because she'd survived something terrible. They let her be Skye, and maybe that was what she needed most.Eventually, as the plates were cleared and Axel started another joke that Lena threatened to report to the authorities, Kai returned to the subject he'd been avoiding for most of the evening. "So," he began, looking directly at Skye. "Have you made a decision?"She sighed. "You really can't help yourself, can you?""No." an
Chapter 96.Skye Hart had never imagined that one day, people would wait for her opinion before making decisions. Months ago she'd been the girl at the bottom of the ladder, struggling to protect her scholarship, her reputation, and the little photography career she'd barely begun building.Yet somehow she was still standing. The Anna project had changed everything. Her photographs had reached people who'd never cared about her name before, and the story behind them had earned her respect beyond VISION. Her evidence had dismantled Adrian Keller's accusations, exposing the weakness of his position in front of the very people he'd tried to turn against her.Then Jonas had kidnapped her. That had left marks she couldn't yet explain, and there were mornings when a sudden noise made her heart race before she could reason with herself. She was still healing, and the nights were still hard, but she was no longer the girl who believed every attack against her proved she wasn't good enough. S
Chapter 95.Mara's name entered the headlines soon after Jonas’ downfall. Her role in helping locate Skye hadn't stayed private, and details of her communication with Lena, the information she'd supplied, and the coordinates that connected the search to the remote property began circulating online. The public didn't receive her story in one clean piece, though. Some people praised her for stepping forward when it mattered most, while others pointed out that she'd played a part in the scandal that damaged Skye's reputation in the first place and that her help didn't erase it. Both sides had evidence to support their arguments, and Mara understood that better than anyone.She sat in her apartment scrolling through the comments beneath a post announcing her cooperation with the rescue effort. Some people called her brave, others called her a hypocrite, and a few accused her of helping only to rebuild her image. She couldn't honestly claim that none of it hurt. Once, her social media h
Chapter 94.By the time the news broke, Jonas's name had already become a warning.Three days had passed since his arrest, and the story had spread far beyond the football community. What began as a shocking report about the disappearance of a young photographer had turned into a criminal investigation involving kidnapping, unlawful confinement, assault, and threats against the victim.The details were worse than anything the public had imagined, and every new revelation made it harder for anyone to defend him.The first headline appeared early Monday morning.FAMOUS FOOTBALLER JONAS ARRESTED FOR KIDN
Chapter 93.She studied him. There was no pity in the way he looked at her, and he wasn't treating her like something broken; he was simply offering to stay.So, she nodded.He helped her out of her clothes with painstaking care, turning away whenever she needed privacy and asking before he touched anywhere that hurt. When she finally settled into the water she let out a long, shaky breath, and the warmth eased some of the ache in her muscles. Kai sat beside the tub with his sleeves rolled to his elbows and gently washed the dirt from her arms with a soft cloth, avoiding the bruises and moving slowly whenever she winced.The quiet between them had changed. Skye watched him
Chapter 92.The drive to Düsseldorf passed in the steady warmth of Kai's hand wrapped around Skye's.He hadn't let go of her since they left the warehouse. Even when the police arrived, even when Konstantin's men took over the scene, even when Axel tried to get him to answer a question about the statement he'd need to give, Kai kept one hand on Skye, and sometimes he held hers. Sometimes his palm rested against her back.Once, when she flinched at a sudden movement behind her, he pulled her against his chest and held her there until her breathing settled.He'd barely spoken, and neither had she.







