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Chapter 10: I Don’t Owe Him Anything

Author: Winter
last update Huling Na-update: 2025-07-15 17:11:39

Alessia

I left the gala before dessert. Before the second wine pour. Before I had to pretend for one more second that I belonged in that glittering room with people who wore masks better than I ever could.

My heels clicked too loud against the marble as I walked out. My fingers were cold, my throat tight. But I kept walking. Didn’t look back.

Adrian didn’t follow.

Of course he didn’t.

The car dropped me off at the hotel around ten. I didn’t even wait for the doorman to open the door—I just climbed out, pulled my coat tighter around me, and headed straight for the elevator.

I unlocked the door to our suite with a shaking hand.

Caleb was already asleep.

I stood there for a second, watching him—his small body curled sideways on the bed, one sock barely clinging to his foot, the other lost in the sheets. His fist was still wrapped around the faded green dinosaur I gave him last Christmas. The one he refused to sleep without. His chest rose and fell in slow, even breaths, a
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  • The Deal in a Wedding Dress   Chapter 10: I Don’t Owe Him Anything

    Alessia I left the gala before dessert. Before the second wine pour. Before I had to pretend for one more second that I belonged in that glittering room with people who wore masks better than I ever could. My heels clicked too loud against the marble as I walked out. My fingers were cold, my throat tight. But I kept walking. Didn’t look back. Adrian didn’t follow. Of course he didn’t. The car dropped me off at the hotel around ten. I didn’t even wait for the doorman to open the door—I just climbed out, pulled my coat tighter around me, and headed straight for the elevator. I unlocked the door to our suite with a shaking hand. Caleb was already asleep. I stood there for a second, watching him—his small body curled sideways on the bed, one sock barely clinging to his foot, the other lost in the sheets. His fist was still wrapped around the faded green dinosaur I gave him last Christmas. The one he refused to sleep without. His chest rose and fell in slow, even breaths, a

  • The Deal in a Wedding Dress   Chapter 9: All the Wrong Memories

    AdrianI didn’t sleep.Not because of deadlines or board meetings, not even because of the gala that’s meant to host a dozen international investors.No. I didn’t sleep because I couldn’t stop seeing that little boy’s face.Caleb.His name kept echoing in my head like something I was supposed to remember but couldn’t. Like a song I’d only heard once but couldn’t stop humming. He smiled like me. Asked questions like me. Looked… far too much like me.And she lied.She looked me dead in the eye and said he was a client’s son. Like that meant anything. Like I didn’t already feel the truth gnawing at the edges of me.But it didn’t make sense.It couldn’t.If he were mine, she would’ve said something. Would’ve come back. Would’ve told me.Unless…Unless she didn’t want me to know.Unless she left because she already had someone else. Maybe that’s who he belongs to. Some faceless man who stepped in after I pushed her too far. Maybe that’s why she disappeared five years ago—because she was al

  • The Deal in a Wedding Dress   Chapter 8: The Space Between Us

    Alessia“Do you even understand what you just did?” I snapped as soon as we got inside the hotel room. The door slammed harder than I meant it to, but I didn’t care. “You scared me, Caleb.”Caleb’s shoulders curled in, and he looked down at his shoes. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.“No, don’t ‘sorry’ me right now. You left the room without me. Alone. In a different city. You didn’t even wake me up.”“I just wanted to see the art again,” he said softly, “and the van door was open—”“You snuck into a catering van,” I cut in, my voice sharper than I wanted. “Do you know how dangerous that was? Anything could’ve happened.”He blinked fast. His chin wobbled. “But I remembered the stairs. I came back.”“That’s not the point, Caleb!” My voice cracked. “You don’t disappear on me. You don’t wander off. Not ever.”“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he whispered, his voice trembling now. “I just… I saw the man. He was nice.”“The man?” I breathed out, rubbing my temples even though I already knew the answe

  • The Deal in a Wedding Dress   Chapter 7: His Eyes, My Son’s Eyes

    AdrianThe pen in my hand barely moved.I had stared at the same paragraph for nearly ten minutes, the words flattening into meaningless lines. My assistant had flown in with the draft this morning—urgent, time-sensitive, “absolutely top priority”—but I couldn’t focus. Not today.The air felt... tight.Not heavy, exactly. Just off.Paris did that to me. It always had. Too ornate, too sentimental. A city built for people who believed in second chances.And I didn’t.I stood from the bench near the private lounge of the gallery, watching as the early access team rearranged placements for the exhibit. My exhibit. Or more like an exhibit for all the artists. Volkov International was sponsoring the entire thing—high-profile art show, luxury networking, brand alignment. All buzzwords that used to mean something.Now? Just noise.I adjusted my cuff, checked the time, and turned back toward my seat.Then I heard a voice.“Mister, is that real gold?”The voice was small but clear. Curious. Con

  • The Deal in a Wedding Dress   Chapter 6: The Man I Tried to Forget

    AlessiaThe plane touched down with a quiet thud, and I felt my breath catch in my chest.Caleb was fast asleep, his cheek resting on my shoulder, one arm draped across my lap like he was still holding on even in sleep. I brushed a hand through his curls, trying not to let the chaos outside the window get to me.Paris.I told myself it was just another city.Another gallery. Another room filled with strangers admiring fabric they’d never wear but liked to look at. Another chance to prove I existed beyond someone’s discarded wife.But the moment the wheels hit the ground, I knew I was lying to myself.Paris wasn’t just another city.It was the last city I’d been in where my name still meant Alessia Volkov.We made it through customs with little fuss, and I held Caleb’s hand tightly as we stepped out into the crisp air beyond the terminal. The sky was pale, like it hadn’t decided whether to rain or shine, and the city felt heavier than I remembered. Like it had been holding its breath,

  • The Deal in a Wedding Dress   Chapter 5: Five Years Later

    AlessiaIt’s been five years since I walked away from Adrian Volkov—and I haven’t looked back.Not really.Not in ways that count.Sure, sometimes I catch myself staring at my reflection longer than necessary, wondering if the shadows under my eyes were always there. If the quiet in my voice was born before him or because of him.But I don’t speak his name. Not even in my thoughts. Not anymore.The version of me that loved him—that waited for him—is gone.She died in silence, on a cold bathroom floor, clutching a pregnancy test and trying not to scream.Now… I’m someone else entirely.Alessia Roman.A name I chose myself. Not bought. Not inherited. Not gifted through contract.I live in a two-bedroom flat above a flower shop in Nice, France. The kind of place where the window lets in too much sun in the morning and the old heater makes strange clanking noises in winter. But it’s mine. And it’s warm. God, it’s warm.I run a small design studio not far from the water. Custom textiles, h

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