ログインWe sat at a small, candlelit table near the edge of the terrace. The waiter approached, handing us the menus. I opened mine, scanning the French options, but before I could decide, Killian closed his menu and smoothly ordered my absolute favorite dish, along with the exact dessert I loved.When the food arrived, the nervous tension between us began to melt into something warm and personal. We didn't talk about the past or the trauma. We just talked like two people on a date.At one point, he reached across the table with his fork. Without saying a word, he carefully moved a piece of garnish off my plate that he knew I didn't like, and quietly placed a perfectly cooked piece of prawn onto my dish instead. It was such a small, instinctual gesture, but it made my chest ache with how much he still remembered."What is your favorite part of the day?" Killian asked, resting his arm on the table, his gray eyes completely focused on me.I smiled, tracing the edge of my wine glass. "Opening th
"May I have this dance?" he asked.I smiled. "Yes."I stood up, and he led me to a quiet, open spot on the terrace. He offered his hand, and I placed mine into his palm. Then, he moved his other hand, placing it incredibly carefully on my waist. He held me with a gentle reverence, so delicately that it felt as if he was afraid I would break if he held too tight.We started to sway to the slow rhythm of the music.Neither of us spoke. We didn't need to. His hand remained steady against my waist while our joined hands rested comfortably between us. We moved slowly, almost cautiously, as though we were both afraid that moving too quickly might shatter the fragile peace we had finally found.Every now and then our eyes met before I looked away again with a shy smile. The silence wasn't awkward. It was comforting. After everything we had survived, simply standing in each other's arms felt like a dream neither of us wanted to wake from.Little by little, without either of us realizing it, t
LUNA POVMy bedroom looked like a disaster zone.I stood in front of my full-length mirror, letting out a heavy breath. My bed was covered in at least four different outfits, discarded after I put them on and immediately took them off again. My heart beat in a frantic, nervous rhythm against my ribs.It was our first date. After three years, after everything we survived, this was our actual first date.I was so excited, but the butterflies in my stomach refused to settle down. I wanted everything to be perfect. After staring at the closet for another five minutes, I finally pulled out a beautiful, flowing white dress. It was simple, elegant, and moved softly around my ankles. I kept my makeup very light and let my dark hair fall naturally in loose waves over my shoulders.I grabbed my small purse, took one last deep breath to calm my racing heart, and walked downstairs.When I pushed the heavy front doors of my apartment building open, the cool evening air hit my face. Killian was alr
The evening shadows stretched across the quiet New York penthouse. Killian stood bare-chested in front of the large bathroom mirror. He reached up with a towel, wiping away the condensation from the hot glass. He stared at his own reflection. His face was sharp, the hard lines of his jaw set, but the cold, empty void that used to live in his gray eyes was gone. He slowly lowered the towel. His fingers brushed against his own chest, lightly tracing the dark ink resting directly over his heart. Luna. He stared at the letters. Over the last three years, this single name was the only thing that kept him going. When he walked away from her that day at the hospital, he knew forgiving himself was only half the battle. He couldn't just fix his own mind and walk back into her life. He needed to make sure the world was completely safe for her first. And that started with the man who gave her the deepest scars. His mind drifted back to a few weeks ago, to the damp, freezing basement of one
LUNA POV A full week passed since Killian first walked through the glass doors of Café Calista. Every single morning since then, right around the end of the first rush, the little bell above the door chimed. And every single morning, Killian walked in holding a fresh bouquet of white roses. He would hand them to me, take his usual seat at the small wooden table by the window, and I would join him with his coffee. We would sit together for twenty minutes. The conversations were simple, quiet, and peaceful. Sometimes we didn't even talk much. We just sat in the comfortable silence, watching the busy New York street outside the window. It felt completely surreal, like we were two entirely different people navigating a fragile, brand-new world. But not everyone was oblivious to what was happening. My mind wandered back to yesterday afternoon. Killian had just walked out the door, leaving another massive bouquet resting on the counter. I had been arranging the flowers in the vase when
Killian slowly lowered the mug. The corners of his mouth tilted up. He gave me a small, genuine smile.My heart skipped a beat. That smile again. I stared at him, completely captivated. In all the time I knew him in the past, I rarely ever saw him smile. It used to be a rare, fleeting thing. But seeing it now, reaching his eyes and softening his features, I realized just how incredibly beautiful it was."It is good," Killian answered simply. His voice was a low, comforting rumble. "And yours?"That simple question opened a floodgate. The nervous tension in my chest broke, and I started talking. I told him about the café, about how busy the morning rushes were, and how much I loved the smell of roasted coffee. I told him about Maya, and I found myself naturally telling him about Aria and her little girl.I babbled. I let the words flow out of me without a filter, just pouring out pieces of the life I built over the last three years.Killian didn't interrupt. He just sat there, listenin
Soft. Like silk. Just like Mama always said."You were vain," he murmured to my reflection. "You thought your beauty was currency. Thought if you looked pretty enough, someone would save you."Carmina cut the last long piece from the back.It fell.I was shorn.My hair stuck out in jagged uneven spi
The morning began with hands that weren't mine pulling me from sleep.I opened my eyes to find three women already in my room, moving with efficient silence. One carried a garment bag. One held a case of cosmetics that looked more like surgical instruments. The third was setting up lights around my
The knock wasn't Volkov's.His knock was heavy. Controlled. A single firm rap that made the door vibrate.This was different. Sharp. Hollow. The knock of someone afraid to deliver bad news.I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the empty armchair in the corner.It was past midnight.Volkov had lef
[Third-Person POV]Don Dario Vitiello sat behind his mahogany desk, looking every inch the weary king burdened by duty.The study was dim. Just the green banker's lamp and dying embers in the fireplace providing light.Dante stood by the door, hand resting on the brass handle."Go to her room," Dari







