LOGINCHAPTER TWENTY-NINELARA’S POVThe moment Adrian’s car stopped in front of my apartment building, my heartbeat slowed reluctantly.I did not want the night to end.And that alone said too much.The city lights reflected softly against the tinted windows while silence settled between us again. Not awkward silence. Heavy silence. The kind that made you aware of every little thing.His scent. His breathing. His presence beside you.I turned slightly toward him.“Thank you for dinner.”Adrian’s green eyes lingered on my face for a second longer than necessary.The corner of his lips tilted faintly.That tiny almost-smile did dangerous things to me.“You should go inside, little lamb.”My stomach fluttered instantly at the nickname.God. If he had kissed me then, I knew I would have kissed him back without hesitation.I opened the car door slowly before stepping outside. The cold night breeze touched my skin immediately. I heard Adrian's start his engine and moved after I entered the build
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHTADRIAN’S POVI still could not believe he had asked Lara out. Not indirectly. Not professionally.Actually asked her out.The realization had followed me the entire evening like an irritating shadow.Because i did not do dates.I barely tolerated people for longer than necessary.Yet somehow, I found myself waiting impatiently for Lara outside the restaurant earlier tonight.And the worst part?The moment i stepped out of the car—every coherent thought in my head disappeared.She looked breathtaking.That fitted dark emerald dress hugged her body perfectly without trying too hard. Elegant. Sophisticated. Dangerous.The soft material clung to her waist before falling smoothly around her legs, and when she walked toward me in black heels with her curled hair resting over one shoulder—I genuinely forgot how to breathe for a second.Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.But all i could think about in that moment was how badly i wanted to touch her.To pull her against m
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN LARA’S POV It was 6:35 a.m., and I was supposed to be getting ready for work. Instead, I had been standing by my window for almost ten minutes, staring at the sunrise slowly stretching across the city skyline. The sky looked beautiful. Soft orange melting into pale pink. Calm. Peaceful. Very unlike my current emotional state. I wrapped both hands around my cup of tea absentmindedly, smiling faintly to myself. As days passed, my relationship with Adrian kept changing naturally. Slowly. Dangerously. We talked more now. Not through texts anymore, but also in his office. Sometimes he would randomly ask if I had eaten. Sometimes he’d send dry one-word replies that somehow still made me laugh. And somehow, without realizing it—i had become comfortable with him. Yoo comfortable. The scary part?I liked it. A lot. Chris had also become less persistent lately. No more random appearances outside my apartment. No more endless calls. No more emotional apology par
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXADRIAN’S POVI finally admitted something to myself two weeks after Lara broke up with Chris.I liked her.Not love. Definitely not love.Love was dangerous. Messy. Destructive.I had seen firsthand what love did to people.What it did to my mother.So no— whatever this thing with Lara was, it was not love.But I liked her. More than I should. More than i intended to. And somehow, that realization did not irritate me as much as before.I stood inside my office late Tuesday evening while the city lights glowed through the massive windows behind me. My tie hung loose around my neck while Vincent reviewed tomorrow’s schedule nearby.“You only have one meeting tomorrow morning,” Vincent said calmly while scrolling through the tablet. “The remaining appointments were postponed.”“Mhm.”Vincent glanced up briefly.“Miss Finn also submitted the revised operations report.”He also knew I liked her. How observative.My eyes lifted slightly from the document in his hand.Of c
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE LARA'S POVGoing back to work felt strangely normal.Almost too normal.Like my world hadn't cracked open just two days ago.People still typed away at their desks.Phones still rang.Meetings still happened.The city outside still moved forward like heartbreak wasn't a catastrophic event.Maybe that was the scary part.Life didn't stop for anyone.The moment I walked into the office, Amelia looked up from her desk sharply."There she is."I smiled faintly."Good morning."Her eyes narrowed immediately."You look better today.""Do I?""A little less like a ghost."I laughed softly as I settled into my chair.Amelia watched me carefully for a few seconds before her expression softened."You wanna talk about it?"And strangely...I did.Not all of it.Definitely not the cheating part.I wasn't ready to say those words out loud yet.But I still needed to let some of the heaviness out.So I told her the simpler version.Chris and I broke up.The moment the words left
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURLARA'S POVI was beginning to feel human again.Not completely okay.Not healed.But at least I could breathe without feeling like my chest was collapsing in on itself.Chris still wouldn't stop.He called constantly.Texted constantly.Showed up constantly.It was honestly beginning to feel ridiculous.That morning alone, he had knocked on my apartment door three different times.The first time, I ignored him.The second time, I told him to leave.The third time, he stayed outside long enough for my irritation to outweigh my sadness."Lara, please talk to me."I opened the door just enough to glare at him.Chris looked terrible.Wrinkled shirt. Exhausted eyes. Unshaven jaw.Good."You need to stop coming here.""I just want to explain.""You already did," I replied coldly. "Apparently your affair 'wasn't serious.'"His face tightened immediately."Lara—""Go home, Chris."Before he could say anything else, I shut the door in his face.My hands trembled afterward.







