ANMELDENVICTORIAFour 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
“I don’t need your help, Chase. I’ll do it myself.” I twist my wrist free, but he catches it again, pressing it back up beside my head, the air between us disappearing.“You asked for my help, Ivy...,” he murmurs. “I’m not letting you ruin it because you can’t keep your emotions in check.”I tilt my
She’s calm now. A far cry from the storm she was in a few moments ago. I feel a flicker of satisfaction in my chest, which has nothing to do with the documents on her screen—but because I’m the one who pulled her back from the edge.She tilts her head up suddenly, like she can feel my eyes on her, a
IVYThirty minutes later, I’m still at the window, eyes scanning the empty street like it’s going to confess its secrets if I just stare long enough. My fingers are cold from pressing against the glass, my heartbeat a steady drum in my ears. I keep asking myself the same question over and over — Did
CHASEThe jet hums steadily, a soft vibration under my shoes. Everything in here is custom: matte-black leather seats stitched with my initials, polished walnut panels that hide more tech than most governments, champagne chilling in a glass case, and a wide screen at the far end currently muted on t







