LOGINCHAPTER FIFTY-ONE: I MISS MY WIFECASPIAN'S POVI had decided earlier that day that I needed to do something for her.The distance between us had grown too wide. I hated it. I hated admitting that I hated it even more. After the panic attack, after the way she had stayed and helped me breathe, the house had felt different. It was quiet and we were careful around each other. Too careful. I did not know how to step back into normal conversation with her, so the silence had kept stretching.Then the woman in my office tried to seduce me.Elena Voss had smiled and leaned too close and offered things that had nothing to do with real business. She had expected me to be interested.. Instead I only felt annoyed. The more she tried, the clearer one thought became in my head:I missed Serena.Not just her body. I missed her presence in the house. I missed the way she looked at me when she was not angry or afraid. I missed the soft voice she had used when she was explaining things to me.She had
CHAPTER FIFTY: THE MOVIE DATESERENA'S POVI was already in my night t clothes getting ready for bed when he knocked on my door.It was late. My hair was loose. I had washed my face and was ready to sleep. The day had been long, and my body felt very tired. All I wanted to do was crash into bed and sleep. I opened the door expecting a short message or a question about the house.Caspian stood there in a dark shirt and simple pants. He looked calmer than he had in days.“We’re going out,” he said with a small smile.I stared at him in confusion. “What?”“Get dressed. And wear something casual.”I blinked. “Now? It’s late. I was about to sleep.”“I know. But you'd love this. So please, get dressed.”His voice was quiet but firm. There was no sharp edge in it. No cold order. Just a simple request that did not sound like a request. I waited for more explanation. He gave me none. He only stood there with a smile and waited.I let out a small breath and closed the door. For a moment I jus
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: THE OFFICE TEMPTRESS CASPIAN'S POVI left the house early the next morning.I needed to work. I needed the cold focus of the office. After what Serena had seen the day before, I could not stay in the mansion and look her in the eye without feeling exposed. The memory of her kneeling in front of me, telling me to breathe, calling me baby, still left me unsettled. I hated how much it affected me. I hated that she had seen the weak part I kept locked away.The drive to Laurent International was quiet. I kept my mind on the company, the stock was finally stable but we still need to find the source of the leak. Those problems were solid. Those problems I could fight. Soft voices and gentle hands had no place in that fight.When I reached my office, Nathan was already waiting with new reports. We went through them for almost an hour.“The new trail is cleaner than we thought,” Nathan said. “It still doesn’t point anywhere near Mrs. Laurent. If anything, it pulls further
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT: AFTER THE STORMSERENA'S POV“It's okay, it's okay.” I repeated as his breathing evened out.And the room became quiet againCaspian’s breathing finally slowed down. The tight, panicked look in his eyes began to fade. His hand, which had been pressed hard against his chest, slowly dropped to his knee. I stayed kneeling in front of him, one of my hands still resting lightly on his wrist. I could feel his pulse. It was still fast, but no longer racing out of control.I stared at him and for a long moment, neither of us spoke.Then I saw the change on his face.He blinked a few times and looked at me properly. The realization of the situation coming to him. And a look flashed acriss his eyes. And right behind it came something else, maybe embarrassment. Strong embarrassment. His shoulders stiffened. He pulled his hand away from mine as if the touch suddenly burned him. He sat up straighter in the chair and looked away toward the window.I stayed very still so I woul
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN: STAY WITH MESERENA'S POVI came home from the hospital with a quiet heart.Talking to Lucas had left me softer and better than when I left. His questions about divorce and about how Caspian treated me stayed in my mind, but so did the way he held my hand and told me I did not have to carry everything alone. I felt tired, but I also felt better and I have clarity. The drive back had been quiet. I had watched the city pass outside the window and tried to hold on to the small peace my brother had given me.The mansion was silent when I stepped inside. I thanked the driver and walked up the stairs slowly. My body felt heavy from the long day. All I wanted was to change clothes, wash my face, and rest for a while. The hallway lights were on and the usual sounds of the house felt distant.I was passing the study when my feet stopped.I did not know why.Maybe it was the way Lucas had looked at me when he asked if I was truly okay. Maybe it was the memory of Caspian sta
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX: THE WEIGHT OF HIS SANITYCASPIAN'S POVI found out she had gone to the hospital from Mrs. Ellis.The housekeeper said it simply while she set a cup of coffee on my desk in the study. “Mrs. Laurent left earlier to visit her brother. She cooked for him herself.”I only nodded. I did not ask any more questions. But the information stayed in my head long after Mrs. Ellis left the room. The coffee sat untouched. The papers in front of me stayed unread.She had cooked for him. She had left the house without telling me. She had gone to the one person who still felt safe to her.I sat in the quiet study and stared at the papers in front of me without reading them. Ever since Helena’s visit, something between Serena and me had changed.It was easier to be cold than to admit that the distance bothered me. Easier to keep the walls up than to look too closely at the way she had stood behind me while Helena threw those ugly words into the room. Easier to focus on the compa







