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The handover

Author: YoursTruly
last update Last Updated: 2026-01-10 21:03:16

Author POV

The wind moves softly through the buckwheat field, turning the pale stalks into waves of gold. White silk ribbons are tied to the wooden chairs, fluttering gently. Somewhere far away, music fades into quiet as June and Hermes stand facing each other beneath a simple arch of wildflowers.

There is no palace or cathedral. Only sky, earth, and a love that survived fire.

June’s dress glows against the field — soft, flowing, intimate, resting over the small curve of her stomach like a promise. Hermes stands opposite her in a dark tailored suit, his hands trembling just enough to betray how much this means to him.

For a man who once believed love was a weakness, he has never been more exposed.

The officiant’s voice fades into the background as Hermes lifts his eyes to June.

He has stared down boardrooms, scandals, enemies, and his own father — but nothing has ever frightened him the way loving her does.

“June,” he begins, voice low and steady, “I spent most of my life believing co
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  • The Night Before I Knew Him   The handover

    Author POVThe wind moves softly through the buckwheat field, turning the pale stalks into waves of gold. White silk ribbons are tied to the wooden chairs, fluttering gently. Somewhere far away, music fades into quiet as June and Hermes stand facing each other beneath a simple arch of wildflowers.There is no palace or cathedral. Only sky, earth, and a love that survived fire.June’s dress glows against the field — soft, flowing, intimate, resting over the small curve of her stomach like a promise. Hermes stands opposite her in a dark tailored suit, his hands trembling just enough to betray how much this means to him.For a man who once believed love was a weakness, he has never been more exposed.The officiant’s voice fades into the background as Hermes lifts his eyes to June.He has stared down boardrooms, scandals, enemies, and his own father — but nothing has ever frightened him the way loving her does.“June,” he begins, voice low and steady, “I spent most of my life believing co

  • The Night Before I Knew Him   Are you nervous?

    Song Recommendation: Young and Beautiful by Lana del Ray [Violin version] JuneI’m sitting in front of the mirror when Kayla asks it, her fingers gently pinning a loose curl into place.“Are you nervous?”I let out a slow breath and look at my own reflection.The woman staring back at me almost doesn’t feel real.The gown is simple, soft, and perfect, hugging my body in a way that makes my little bump look like a promise instead of a flaw. My hair is a bit longer now, styled in loose waves that fall over my shoulders. I look… happy. Fragile. Real.“I am,” I admit with a small laugh. “I’m getting married, Kayla. Of course I’m nervous. But I’m happy too.”The word happy tastes strange in my mouth—sweet, but edged with something deeper. Heavier. This is the moment. The one I never really allowed myself to dream of.I think of Natalya’s wedding dress, how I stood there pretending to be fine while my heart was breaking. I think of how Hermes had looked at me that day when he finally said

  • The Night Before I Knew Him   Dinner

    JuneI exhale slowly as I place the plate in front of Lucien.For half a second, our eyes meet.Then I look away.It’s automatic—like touching something that once burned me and yanking my hand back before the pain can return. I don’t trust my face to stay neutral if I look at him too long.I turn—and Hermes is coming toward the table with a bottle of wine in his hand.His jaw is tight, too tight.He’s calm on the surface, but I know that look. I’ve seen it before. That is the look of a man holding back a storm because someone he loves asked him to.I asked him to.And somehow, that makes my chest ache.Because I was the one Lucien hurt. I was the one who ended up on a hospital floor, begging. I was the one who almost lost our baby because of him.But Hermes is angry for me.Fiercely. Possessively. Like my pain lives inside his ribs too.And as good as it feels to be defended that way… I don’t want him to destroy himself for my sake.Not even for me.A few hours ago, when I suggested w

  • The Night Before I Knew Him   Rain and Ares

    ~Hermes~I thought the worst thing I’d ever done to her was leave.I was wrong.I stand in front of June—my woman, my fiancée, the mother of my child—and for the first time in my life, I realize something that makes my chest ache worse than the bullet ever did.I didn’t just lie to her.I trained her to doubt her own reality.Every time she asked what was wrong and I said nothing.Every time she felt something was off and I kissed it away.Every time she loved me harder while I was quietly preparing to disappear.I taught her that her instincts were wrong.That her fear was imaginary.That the distance she felt between us wasn’t real.And now she stands here shaking, pregnant, wounded by my father—but part of that wound… started with me.I see it in her eyes.Not anger.Not hatred.Something far worse.A woman who doesn’t feel safe trusting what she feels.Because the man she loved once looked into her eyes and lied while he was dying.I swallow.I had told myself I was protecting he

  • The Night Before I Knew Him   Unresolved Conflict 2

    Song recommendation: Cardigan by Taylor SwiftJuneI grab his hand before he can take another step.“Don’t go, love. Don’t go to him.”Hermes freezes. I can feel his pulse through his skin—fast, scared, ready to explode.My fingers tremble around his sleeve.I tell myself it’s because of Lucien. Because of the way his voice still crawls under my skin.Because of the things he said.Because of the way he looked at me when I was begging him not to take Hermes from me.But that’s not the whole truth.My meeting with Lucien had gone well. I saw fear in his eyes when I told him I could take Hermes away from him. I felt powerful for the first time since everything shattered. I thought that would make me feel better.It didn’t.Something was still missing.And then I had walked back into the villa…and seen Hermes on the floor, pale, shaking, gasping like he was dying—My chest tightens.Flashes slam into me:Hermes bleeding.Hermes unconscious.Hermes on a hospital bed, machines screaming.

  • The Night Before I Knew Him   Unresolved Conflict

    JuneMy hand twitches across the mattress.It's empty.June isn’t there.My eyes snap open.She said she was going to pee. Why wasn't she back?Cold crawls up my spine.Did something happen to her. Did she collapse in the bathroom?I’m out of bed before I even think, heart hammering like it knows something I don’t.“June. June, June—” I knock once, then shove the bathroom door open.Nothing.“June.”The room is empty. Sink dry. No light. No sound.Fuck.Calm down. Just—calm down.I stagger back into the bedroom, grab my phone off the table. Maybe she stepped outside. Maybe she told me and I slept through it.Why did I sleep that deep?I drag my hands down my face. My chest feels too tight.I haven’t slept like that in months. Not since I lost her. Not since everything broke. And now that she’s here again—now that she’s finally mine—she’s gone.I call her.No connection.We’re supposed to get married today.The thought hits me like a blow.Did she run?Does she not want this?Was I too

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