CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3.

I couldn’t speak. My mouth felt as if it had turned to stone, my tongue glued to the roof of my

mouth. My heart was hammering like a drum in my chest, and every instinct in me was

screaming to run, hide, do anything but stand there.

And yet, I was frozen.

He was there. Right in front of me. The man I had slept with five years ago. The man who had

unknowingly changed my life forever. Same as I remember, extremely attractive, tall, and

impossibly poised.

Standing before him brings back memories I had tried to bury, even though it was impossible.

The night five years ago.

The red hotel room. The way he had looked at me, as if he had a lethal appetite, and wanted

to devour my soul. The feel of his hands, his lips, the heat, the way my pulse had thrummed

against his own. The intimacy we had shared, fleeting yet unforgettable.

I blinked, trying to steady myself. My knees wobbled beneath me. My hands tightened around

my bag like it was a lifeline, even though my arms were trembling.

“Miss Savanli?His voice cut through, sending me back into reality. My heart jumped. He was still there, in front

of me.

I tried to pull myself together.

“Uh… h..hi, g…good day ” I finally managed, my voice barely a whisper. My cheeks burned.

My brain felt like it had short-circuited.

He gave a small, polite smile. Not the smouldering intensity I remembered, but still… there was

something familiar, almost magnetic. “I’m Mr. Trevane. Your boss, but you can just call me

Louis.”

I nodded, forcing myself to look at him, forcing my mind to focus on the professional side of

this, the salary, the opportunity, the chance to finally take care of Katie. But inside, my body was

betraying me. My chest felt tight. My stomach twisted into knots. And my heart… my heart

refused to stop leaping at the sight of him.

He gestured toward the house. “Come on. I’ll show you around. Let’s start with the kitchen,

your ‘office’.”

I followed, each step heavy with anticipation and fear. My mind was a storm. What if he

recognizes me? What if he remembers? What if he hates me? What if he doesn’t even like me?

The foyer of the house swallowed me whole. High ceilings, marble floors, sunlight spilling in

through floor-to-ceiling windows. Everything screamed wealth“This will be your space,” he said as he pushed open a door. “You’ll have everything you need.

I live alone, so you’ll be the only staff in the main house.”

I stopped dead in my tracks.

The only staff… in the main house… with him?

I felt my chest tighten, my knees threatening to buckle, and my mind spin out of control. A

thousand thoughts collided at once. Living with him? The man who had fathered my child? Even

if he didn’t know it yet?

I forced a nod, trying to act professional, trying not to show the whirlwind inside me. My hands

were clammy, my heart racing, my pulse hammering in my ears.

We continued walking through the house. He showed me the living room, the dining space,

and the guest rooms. Every step I took felt surreal. I could barely comprehend that I was about

to enter this life, a life so far removed from my tiny apartment, my struggling bakery, and the

quiet, ordinary existence I’d carved out for Katie and me.

And then it hit me fully.

I would be living with him.

Every morning, I would wake up knowing he was upstairs. Every night, I would cook for him,

clean for him, and exist in the same space as the man that was supposed to be nothing but a

memory. The man who had changed everything without ever knowingMy hands shook slightly as I adjusted my bag again. I forced myself to breathe.

But a small, terrified part of me couldn’t deny it. A part of me was excited. Curious. Maybe

even a little….hopeful.

I swallowed hard and nodded again, trying to steady my thoughts.

I was about to start the most unexpected chapter of my life.

And I would be living with him.

HIM.