LOGINFive years ago, Sierra Savalini made the biggest mistake of her life, falling into bed with a stranger who turned out to be everything she’d sworn to avoid: powerful, and untouchable. She left that hotel room before sunrise, vowing to forget the man and the night that changed her forever. Now, she’s a single mother fighting to keep her struggling bakery alive. When she is presented with a dream opportunity, a job as a private chef to a reclusive billionaire, she can't say no. The pay is life-changing, and the position promises stability for her and her child. But on her first day, the man she’s hired to work for, stands in front of his luxurious mansion to welcome her. Louis Trevejo. The stranger from that night. The man who got her pregnant. Trapped under the same roof, Sierra tries to keep her distance, pretending their past never happened. Louis, however, can’t shake the feeling that he’s seen her before. Unfortunately, they both have an irresistible magnet that pulls them together, no matter how hard they try to ignore it. When Louis discovers the secret she’s been hiding, he’s not just fighting for answers. He’s fighting for the family he never knew he had. Can Sierra trust him this time… or will the past consume them both?
View MoreSierra’s POVThe car ride back from the lake house was quiet. Not a calm quiet. A shaky, scared quiet. Louis drove with both hands gripping the wheel. His knuckles were white. I stared out the window at the dark trees rushing by.My whole body was humming. Like a plucked guitar string. I could still feel the *thwack* of the flashlight hitting Lyle’s head in my hand. I’d never hit anyone before.“Does your head hurt?” Louis asked. His voice was rough.“No. Does your neck?”“A little.”We didn’t talk anymore after that. What was there to say? We found the ghost. He was real. And he was crazier than we thought.We got to Vivienne’s house when the sky was starting to get light. Grey, like dirty milk. We got Katie, who was sleepy and confused. We thanked Vivienne. She just looked at our dirty clothes and Louis’s bruised neck and nodded. She knew.We drove home. Our real home. It didn’t feel real anymore.We put Katie to bed. It was morning, but she was tired from the weird night. She fell
Sierra’s POVThe lake house was a skeleton. Big and dark with empty windows like eye sockets. The wind made a moaning sound as it blew through broken glass. I grabbed Louis’s hand. His fingers were cold.“We shouldn’t be here,” I whispered.“We have to be,” he whispered back. But he didn’t let go of my hand.We walked up the creaky steps to the big front door. It was hanging open, like someone left in a hurry a long time ago. Louis pulled a flashlight from his pocket. The beam cut through the dark, showing a big room full of shadows and dust.Everything was broken. Chairs tipped over. A rug ripped up. It smelled like wet wood and memories.“This is where we played,” Louis said quietly. His voice echoed. “Over there was the big table for puzzles. The fireplace… we roasted marshmallows.”I tried to picture it. Little Louis, running around with other rich kids. A quiet boy named Lyle watching from the corner.We walked through the room. Our feet kicked up dust. It made me want to sneeze.
Sierra’s POVThe morning after felt different. Not safe. Never safe. But… closer. Louis was still next to me when I woke up. His arm was heavy over my waist. For a second, I forgot about the ghost. I just felt warm.Then I remembered. Lyle. The toy soldier. The lake house.Louis’s eyes opened. He looked at me and for one second, he smiled a real, sleepy smile. Then he remembered too. The smile vanished.“Today we find him,” he said, his voice morning-rough.He got up and started making calls. I made breakfast. Katie was extra cuddly. She could feel the weird mood. She sat on my lap while I stirred the oatmeal.“Mommy, is the bad man gone?” she asked, playing with my bracelet.My heart stopped. “What bad man, baby?”“The one who makes you and Daddy whisper.” She looked up at me with her big, serious eyes. “The one who makes you scared.”I hugged her tight. “We’re not scared,” I lied. “We’re just… being careful. Like looking both ways before you cross the street.”“Oh,” she said. She se
Louis’s POVWe stayed in the safe room until the sun came up. The screens showed nothing. No ghosts. Just our empty, quiet house.Katie woke up confused. “Why are we in the TV room?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.“Just a little adventure,” I said, my voice sounding fake and cheerful.“A boring adventure,” she said, and she was right.Sierra and I looked at each other. We couldn’t live in this little room. We had to go out. We had to be normal. Or try.We opened the door. The house felt different. It smelled like our home—cleaners and flowers and coffee—but it felt like a stranger’s place. Every shadow looked wrong.We made breakfast. We acted normal for Katie. Pancakes. Syrup. Cartoons on the kitchen TV. But my eyes kept checking the doors. The windows. Sierra jumped every time the toaster popped.After breakfast, Sierra took Katie upstairs for a bath. I went to my office. I had to do something. I couldn’t just wait.I looked at the black notebook again. The old notes about me. *The w






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