MasukHe lowered himself to one knee, right there on the gala stage, in front of five hundred people and a live stream audience of thousands."Taylor Jones," he said. "Will you let me stay?"The tears I'd been holding back broke free. I looked down at this man—this impossible, stubborn, fiercely loving ma
"Then what do we do?"I thought of Leanne on my doorstep, hollow-eyed and armorless. I thought of the envelope still sitting on our counter, her silent offering. I thought of every headline that had called me fraud, gold-digger, social climber, liar."Trust me," I said.The gallery ballroom was a se
Taylor's POVMy mother stood on the doorstep and told me she'd told Eleanor Sterling to go to hell.I didn't invite her in.Not because I was cruel. Because I was frozen—twenty-two years of abandonment, resentment, and carefully buried longing crashing together in the space between one heartbeat and
"No," I agreed. "But she's fighting on our terms now. That's all we needed."The next morning, the call came from a different hospital.Not Dylan's. I'd almost forgotten there was another battlefield.It was his mother's lawyer. Formal, brief, stripped of emotion: "Mr. Kade's medical team has determ
Taylor's POVFor three weeks, Eleanor Sterling circled its edges—making calls, probing weaknesses, testing the weight of her restraints. But she didn't step over the line. The agreement held. The silence stretched.And in that silence, something unexpected grew.Peace.It wasn't announced or celebra
He leaned forward slightly."The decision about Mr. Kade's care rests with his doctors and his legal next of kin. Taylor Jones has no role in that process—and it is a testament to her character that she has never sought one. She has not spoken, because there is nothing she can say that would not be
Taylor povThe ball arcs toward me before I even realize he’s thrown it.Aiden doesn’t shout my name or give me a second to prepare. He just sends it sailing in a clean, perfect spiral, the kind that slices through the bright midday air with a soft hiss.Instinct kicks in before thought does.my finge
Taylor povBright banners ripple in the wind like they are alive casting flickers of red and blue over the concrete walkway as we step out of the car.Aiden walks ahead of me posture straight steps steady every inch of him pulling attention without trying.the community center doors are propped open
his shoulders arent knotted.his jaw isnt clenched.his movements arent sharp and tactical they are fluid unguarded free.he isnt watching the cameras. He isn’t thinking about reputation or headlines.he is just… here.Present.Human.I don't realize I'm smiling until he glances my way mid pass.his g
Taylor —POVSleep refuses to touch me.i lie on my side in Aiden’s penthouse watching shadows crawl across the ceiling like slow moving tides.the streetlamp outside throws pale stripes of light through the blinds cutting the darkness into uneven pieces.each time a car passes below the lines shift r







