LOGINDean, however, stayed perfectly composed, a faint smile even touching his face. "Francesco, your ex-wife's missing, and you come looking for me? Last I checked, the Slater estate isn't a police station."Francesco's hands clenched into fists. "You'd better hope I don't find Chris."Before the words had fully left his mouth, a small, timid voice sounded from the doorway."Dad."Dean waved his son over hurriedly, his voice suddenly unsteady. "Why are you back already?"Edward glanced at Francesco, then quickly looked away, murmuring, "Chess class let out early."Dean pulled his son close against him, then turned back to Francesco, his expression icing over. "Please leave, Francesco. I won't see you out."Francesco stared at the boy for two seconds, said nothing more, and turned to walk out with his men.Once outside the gate, he didn't break stride, giving low, firm instructions to Mars beside him. "Have someone grab that brat."Mars glanced back at the Slater estate, hesitating
Adriana woke when the sky had already gone fully bright. The moment she opened her eyes and saw she was still lying in that all-too-familiar cabin, despair washed over her like seawater, swallowing her whole, making even breathing difficult."You're awake? How are you feeling?"Chris's voice suddenly came from beside the bed. Adriana pulled the blanket up over her face, unwilling to look at him.Chris kept talking anyway. "Adriana, I could die alongside you. But I can't let you go back to Francesco."Adriana yanked the blanket back down and turned to look at him. The instant her eyes landed on that face, pale as paper, something sharp seemed to stab into her chest, and the question slipped out before she could stop it."What's wrong with you?"Chris tugged his sleeve down and lowered his eyes. "I'm fine."Getting a flicker of concern out of Adriana brought him no joy at all, only deeper pain.Adriana sat up, grabbed his wrist, and pushed the sleeve back up. A row of needle mark
And yet, to Adriana Adler, the days felt even harder to endure now that Chris had arrived."Are you planning to keep us drifting out here on the ocean for the rest of our lives?"Chris didn't answer right away. He pulled a photograph out of the bag he'd brought and held it out to her."Once some time has passed, we'll go live on this little island."Adriana didn't look at the photo. She turned her head toward the sealed glass window instead.She could never go to that island.But Chris trailed after her like a lingering ghost, day and night, his breathing always somewhere close by, never quite far enough away. She couldn't do a thing.For a while she'd managed to hold herself together, but in the few short days since Chris had arrived, her emotional state had started to crack. Her mind felt empty of everything; even her children's faces were starting to blur.She suddenly lost every last shred of hope, and with it, the will to keep fighting.One night, she walked alone into th
Adriana slept fitfully all night. Nightmares clung to her like thick, tangled seaweed, dragging her again and again into some darker depth. Each time she jolted awake, she'd see Chris sitting in the shadows at the foot of the bed. She couldn't make out his expression, but she could feel his eyes on her, just like in the dream, clinging to her skin, cold and dark.Morning finally came. Outside the window, the sky was a blinding blue, and sunlight spread across the sea.She stared into that brightness and said coldly, "I want to go up on deck for some air."Chris sat at the edge of the bed, his face blank in the morning light. "You can leave this room. Just not the deck. Not yet."He got up and knocked three unhurried times on the door. It opened from the outside.This was the first time Adriana had seen any other part of the ship since she'd been taken aboard. Outside was a corridor lined with bright windows on both sides. The sunlight poured in, making the wooden floor look even
Adriana's patience finally ran out. A blaze of anger rose up from her chest, her voice thick with fury she could no longer hold back."I never once thought about getting back with Francesco! All I wanted was to live my own life, and besides..."She stood beside the bed, looking down at Chris, her eyes as sharp as icicles in the dead of winter."Who I choose to be with has nothing to do with you, Chris. We had a five-year marriage once, and you were the one who destroyed it. The one you should be punishing is yourself, not me!"Chris lay flat on his back, listening to her rage without a flicker of expression crossing his face. He'd braced himself for this before he ever came here.Dean had been right. If he wanted Adriana, he had to accept her hatred along with her, and this was exactly what he deserved."Adriana, this state I'm in now, neither fully human nor fully ghost, that is me punishing myself."Adriana froze for a moment, then sank back down into her chair. Her temples th
"Adriana. It's been a while."Chris stepped in from outside and pulled the door shut behind him, as if afraid she might slip out."Why?"She hadn't spoken in so long that her words came out stiff, dragged up from somewhere deep in her throat, hoarse and rough."To protect you."Chris reached out a hand, wanting to touch her pale cheek.Adriana turned her head away, the line of her neck drawn tight, like a swan on alert."This isn't protection. This is harm. Please, let me go."His hand hung in the air for a moment, fingers curling in, before he slowly drew it back and clenched it into a fist at his side. He sat down at the foot of the bed and looked around the room, at the drawn curtains, the few books on the table that had been flipped through. Finally, his gaze settled back on her face.Seeing the disgust and fury in her eyes, something in him twisted, sharp and painful. That look shouldn't belong to his Adriana."Don't worry. I'll let you go someday. Just not now."Adrian
Until the end of the next workday, Adriana hadn't received a reply from Chris.She had dinner with Oliver, and on the way home, she saw Joan and her son on a video call in the living room."Chris, I want a toy.""Alright. Tell your mom what New Year's gift you want."Chris's voice was clear, tho
Francesco rose and sank into the sofa. "Sit."Adriana took the seat across from him. "May I ask what kind of meeting this is?"The clock pointed to eleven. Most of the office staff had already left. She suspected his intentions weren't about the meeting at all, but about cornering her.Francesco'
Francesco was supremely confident, moving without a shred of protective gear.Adriana tightened her grip on her sword, testing him with two tentative thrusts—both easily dodged by Francesco.His reflexes were lightning-fast, and soon he returned a strike of his own. Adriana couldn't evade it in ti
Daisy studied Edward, a flicker of something unusual passing through her eyes. The boy looked far too much like a member of the Slater family."Mhm, I gave birth overseas," Joan said.She gently nudged Edward toward Daisy. "Edward, hurry up and say hello to Daisy.""Hello, Daisy.""So adorable,"







