جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 15

CULLEN’S POV While sitting on the sofa, my thoughts refused to settle. That man—whoever he was—his presence lingered in my mind like an unwelcome shadow. I didn’t like the way he looked at her, and I hated the way it made me feel. I stole a glance at Paige, quietly observing her as she moved around the kitchen. She looked... peaceful. Unbothered. But inside me, a storm was brewing. I wanted to ask her about him, demand to know who he was and why she was with him. But I had no right. I was the one who left. Still, my chest ached with questions I didn’t know how to ask. Words formed in my head only to die on my tongue. A few minutes passed. She began setting the table. The sight of her laying down the plates—so gentle, so ordinary—made my heart pound with a strange kind of urgency. Just the idea of sitting across from her again… it was overwhelming. “It’s time to eat,” she said softly, pulling me from my thoughts. I rose without a word and took my seat. The silence between us wa

The day felt longer than usual. The lights, the camera, the poses—everything seemed to blur together, and yet, I couldn’t stop checking my phone. Why do I feel like something is about to shift? Then, it buzzed. “My flight was canceled. Maybe I can pick you up from work?” I stared at the message, my heart skipping in that familiar, irritating way it does whenever it’s him. My fingers hovered over the screen, hesitating. Cullen. I should say no. I should keep it professional, distant. But I didn’t. “Okay, will be done in an hour maybe.” The second I hit send, warmth bloomed in my chest—and I hated that I loved it. I caught myself smiling, cheeks tingling from the flush of emotion. Gosh, I hoped no one noticed. He was supposed to be gone by now. I had convinced myself I was okay with that. So why did the idea of seeing him again make my heart race like this? I tried to focus for the rest of the shoot, but my mind wandered to him—his cold stares, his rare smiles, the way he loo

PAIGE’S POV I stood up slowly, my knees shaky—not from the cold, but from the weight of everything unsaid. Cullen didn’t move. He just sat there, eyes glued to me like he was silently begging me not to go. But I couldn’t stay. Not when the silence between us screamed louder than anything he could say. “I’m going to the room,” I said, keeping my voice steady even as it trembled inside. “I need… I just need time.” He nodded, barely. As if he knew pushing me right now would only drive me further away. I turned and walked away, each step down the long hallway echoing. The mansion was too quiet. Too big. Too unfamiliar. It made the loneliness settle deeper into my skin. By the time I reached the room, I shut the door behind me gently, then leaned against it for a moment—trying to breathe. I stared at the suitcase he packed for me. The warm clothes folded neatly. The scarf he remembered I liked. How could someone be so thoughtful and so frustrating at the same time? I slipped out o