LOGINVICTORIAFour years laterThe air feels different today — softer, lighter, almost unreal.The sun pours gently over the gardens of Valemont estate, painting the marble white and the grass gold.Children run barefoot across the lawn, their laughter spilling through the breeze like music.I am standin
******************************************************************************************CHASEThe music floats across the beach, slow and warm, the kind that makes the night feel softer than it is.Fairy lights sway in the ocean breeze, and laughter ripples through the guests as I stand near the
VICTORIAThe sand is warm under my heels as we walk down the narrow path leading to the beach, the faint hum of waves mixing with distant laughter.My hand rests lightly on my belly, the other laced tightly with Chase’s because I still can’t believe this is real — that he’s this happy, that we are.
I pretend not to notice, but something cracks quietly inside me.On the jet, she wasn’t exaggerating about sleeping. The moment she sits down, she curls up, adjusts the blanket, and shuts her eyes without a word. I sit across from her and just… stare as the engines hum softly, clouds drift past the
CHASE“That’s it. Close that laptop; we’ll be late,” I say, standing from the couch at House of Valemont, telling her for the tenth time, pretending she didn’t hear me.Victoria doesn’t even flinch. Her eyes stay fixed on the screen, the faint light tracing her sharp cheekbones as she scrolls. “One
The entire ride to House of Valemont, I can’t calm down. I keep rehearsing my steps, my greetings, my smile. My mind runs wild with what-ifs—what if nothing’s the same, what if I walk in and everyone stares? What if I can’t do this? but I try to remain strong until we get there.Once we finally arr
VICTORIAMorning creeps in like an uninvited guest, too bright, too quiet. I have no idea when sleep finally claimed me. One moment, I was bawling my eyes out until they stung, the pillow muffling the ugly sounds, the next—Chase’s voice at my door, knocking, demanding I open the door for him.I pull
“I really am back home,” I mutter, the words dripping more like poison than relief.By the time the car pulls into the underground entrance of the Sterling building, I’m clawing to get out. I don’t wait for the driver to circle around—I throw the door open, leaving my luggage behind, desperate to es
CHASEI couldn’t go back to New York. That’s why I specifically instructed Eli not to buy me the ticket. I didn’t want him to know where I was heading, so I let him believe New York.The moment he left me at the airport, I bought a seat to D.C. instead. It wasn’t planned, but I needed the space—away
VICTORIAThe jet wheels screech against the icy New York runway, and the jolt rattles me to my core.Outside the oval window, everything is a blur of white—snow piled on the tarmac, flakes swirling in the floodlights. My throat tightens until it feels like a rope is tied around my neck, the air beco







