Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 51 - Chapitre 56

The Next Morning Arianna woke up bright and early, just before the birds began chirping outside the house. Soft morning light filtered through the curtains, brushing her face as she sat up in bed. A quiet hum escaped her lips—her favorite tune—one she hadn’t sung freely in a very long time. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and moved to the rhythm, almost dancing as she crossed the room, her steps light and unburdened. She was unusually cheerful this morning, and that alone felt like a miracle. For months—no, years—fear had been her constant companion. Fear of harsh words, of cruel glances, of punishments disguised as discipline. Though she wasn’t completely free from her stepmother’s grasp yet, this morning offered her something precious: a few stolen seconds of peace. For the first time in a long while, she could breathe without her chest tightening in dread. She ate her breakfast quickly, not because she was in a hurry, but because excitement made it impossible to sit

The car door could not open fast enough.Arianna stepped out, her eyes shining, her smile wide and unrestrained—like a twelve-year-old on Christmas morning. The grand house before her stood tall and elegant, bathed in the soft glow of the afternoon sun.She was completely captivated.So captivated, in fact, that she momentarily forgot the presence of her newly wedded husband standing beside her.Aiden watched her quietly, his hands tucked into his pockets, a faint smile curving his lips. Her reaction pleased him more than he cared to admit.Unknown to Arianna, after their night together, he had ordered this entire place renovated. Every room. Every detail. Every touch of elegance had been chosen with her in mind, long before she had agreed to marry him.Just beside the entrance, the staff stood neatly arranged in two straight lines, uniforms crisp and immaculate.The moment Arianna reached the doorway, they bowed slightly.“Welcome, ma’am. Congratulations on your marriage.”The maids,

I can’t get it out of my head.It had been two days since he left, yet I couldn’t stop replaying it—the steamy kiss we had shared before his departure. The kisses had been getting more frequent, more intense, more deliberate. He was planting dangerous thoughts in my head, and he knew it.“Ahhh!” I screamed in frustration, pacing the length of my bedroom.How could this be?He did it on purpose. There was absolutely no way I was calling him. The phone he had placed in my hand was some sort of advanced technology—encrypted, secure, filled with features I barely understood. And it had only one saved contact.His.As for his so-called surprise, it had been an envelope. Inside were pictures of my sister in a rather unexpected setting—compromising enough to raise questions, but not enough to destroy her outright. I concluded it was either a weapon against them or a bargaining chip to get what he wanted. Honestly, where was the fun in choosing one? With careful planning, I could get both.I