LOGINTen years went by in a blink.At a high-end classical concert in Vienza, Cleo and Rory showed up as invited guests.Time had been good to her. It sharpened her into something calmer, more refined. Next to her, Rory still had that roguish edge—just quieter now. Together, they were the kind of couple people couldn't help but notice.At intermission, Cleo slipped away to the restroom while Rory got pulled into a conversation with someone from the music scene.She walked alone down a thick, carpeted hall.At the corner, she ran into someone.A man in a wheelchair, pushed by a caregiver.A dark coat, a blanket over his knees. His hair had gone almost white. His face was thin, lined with age. Only his eyes held on—deep, quiet, worn from everything he'd been through.Damian.Cleo stopped.He saw her too. Their eyes met, just for a second.Nothing hit. No surge. Not even a flicker.Her heart was still, like calm water.She looked at him like he was a stranger—someone who had nothi
No fancy lines. No empty promises. Just Rory—straight up.And it hit Cleo harder than anything else ever had.She looked at him—the man who took all of her and gave her freedom. Her eyes softened. A bright, happy smile spread across her face.She held out her hand and nodded. "Yes. I'll marry you."Rory froze, then shot up, grinning like crazy. Hands shaking, he slid the ring onto her finger. Perfect fit.He pulled her in and spun her over and over, like a kid who'd just hit the jackpot."Hell yes! I got myself a wife!" he shouted into the lavender fields, his voice carrying into the dusk.Cleo wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing until tears slipped out.The last light of sunset washed over them in warm gold, like a still painting.***The wedding was on a private island in the Mediterranean.No media. Just Rory's closest friends and the few people Cleo picked.Romantic. Free. Nothing like that suffocating mess before.Cleo skipped the big gown. She wore a sleek whi
The doctor finally came out, drained. "The surgery worked, but he's not out of danger. Recovery will be long. There'll be serious aftereffects."Cleo's knees gave out. Rory caught her.Damian stayed unconscious in the ICU for half a month.With him down, the Joubert Group spiraled. Stock crashed. Chaos spread inside.Through Rory's contacts, Cleo quietly tipped off a reliable elder in the Joubert family about Damian's condition—just enough to keep things from falling apart.When Damian finally pulled through and opened his eyes, all he saw was white.Pain ripped through his body—sharpest in his chest. Every breath dragged.His dry eyes shifted. His vision cleared.Cleo stood by the bed, pale, worn out.Their eyes met.The air went still.Her eyes held concern and relief—but mostly calm. No love. No hate.Damian parted his lips, trying to speak. Only a rough rasp came out.He saw it in her eyes.Then he saw Rory behind her—silent, steady, protective.That last fragile hop
He'd been watching Cleo from the shadows the whole time. When he heard she was on the island, he only meant to see her from a distance.Then he spotted Nora and her crew acting off—and followed them here."Let her go!"Damian's eyes were bloodshot, feral, locked on Nora."Damian?" Nora froze, then cracked into manic laughter. "You're here too? Perfect. I'll send all of you to hell together!""What do you want? Take me." He stepped forward, voice rough. "Let her go. You can have my life.""Your life?" Nora sneered. "I don't want anything anymore. I just want her to suffer. I want you to watch while I tear her apart."To push him, Nora and her crew spat the nastiest insults at Cleo and slammed sticks into Rory.Damian's eyes went red. His fists clenched, knuckles cracking.He didn't move."If you want her alive, kneel! Beg me!" Nora shrieked, the gun pressed to Cleo's head.Damian looked at Cleo's pale face.No hesitation.He dropped to his knees on the rough concrete.The
Damian stepped out, looking down at Nora sprawled at his feet like dirt. His eyes were empty."Everything you felt for me?" A cold laugh slipped out. "I know exactly how you and your mom went after Cleo, step by step. I didn't touch you because you weren't worth it. And... I was leaving you for Cleo."He paused, disgust cutting through his voice. "Now she has. I'm satisfied."He turned, tossing three words over his shoulder."Get her out."The gates slammed shut.Nora crumpled onto the cold ground, like she'd just dropped into a bottomless pit.Desperate, she tracked down Cleo's place.She looked half-dead, eyes sharp with venom. She screamed, "Cleo! You bitch! You won't die well! You took everything from me! You'll get what's coming to you! I curse you!"Cleo looked at her, calm, like she was nothing.She bent down, leaning close to Nora's ear. Her voice stayed low, each word sharp."Do you know why I let you live this long?"Nora's pupils shrank."Because..." Cleo's lips
Joubert Tower, Northvale.The top-floor office sat dead quiet. Curtains sealed out every bit of light.Damian slumped in his chair. Empty bottles littered the floor.He looked wrecked. Hollow eyes. That sharp silver hair just made him seem thinner, more off.His phone glowed in the dark.A blurry paparazzi shot filled the screen—An outdoor café in a small town in southern Fransia. Cleo, in a bright yellow dress, tipped her head back, laughing, feeding Rory a spoonful of ice cream.Rory looked at her like she was everything. He reached out, lightly tapping her nose. Sunlight spilled over them, bright and blinding.Blood suddenly burst from Damian's mouth, splattering across the screen and the expensive wool carpet below in a harsh bloom of red.He doubled over, coughing hard, his chest ripping with pain."Cleo..." He clutched his chest, folding in on himself, tears mixing with the blood at his mouth.She was smiling. Bright. Easy.At another man.'That should've been me...







