All Chapters of Love and deceit : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

🌹Aurora 🌹I turned to leave.I barely took a step before a strong hand wrapped around my wrist, yanking me back with enough force that I stumbled. A gasp escaped my lips as I collided with Damien’s chest—hard, warm, and unyielding. His grip tightened around my waist, pulling me flush against him, his presence overpowering."You keep trying to run," he murmured, his voice deep, smooth, and far too amused. "Yet you know you can’t escape me, Aurora."I swallowed hard, trying to push away, pressing my palms against his solid chest. He didn’t move. Instead, his fingers splayed possessively against my lower back, trapping me in place. The heat of his body seeped through my clothes, making it impossible to ignore just how close we were."Let me go," I bit out, willing my voice to sound strong.His lips curved into that maddening smirk. "Say it like you mean it."I shoved against him again, my fingers curling into fists. "I mean it."His grip remained firm, his body an unmovable force. "No,

🌹Damien🌹I sat alone in my study, the silence of the vast room pressing in like a weight. Outside, the city was alive with lights and distant hums of traffic, but inside, every tick of the clock reminded me of the mistakes I had just made. Mistakes that I could ill afford. I’d just left Aurora’s suite, her defiance still echoing in my mind. Every word exchanged, every touch shared—it was all too much, too revealing. I had let my guard slip, and in that moment, I allowed vulnerability to seep through the cracks of my carefully constructed walls.I poured myself another drink, watching the amber liquid swirl in the glass as if trying to wash away the memory. But no amount of whiskey could numb the sting of regret. I remembered her eyes—so fiercely determined, so raw with emotion—and it pained me to realize that I had, even briefly, exposed a side of myself I had always fought to keep hidden. I had always prided myself on being impenetrable, on having complete control over my emotions.

🌹Aurora🌹I set my phone aside, the echo of Ethan’s desperate plea still ringing in my ears. The silence that followed felt too heavy, as if the room itself was waiting for something to break it. I paced slowly around the suite, each step measured and reluctant. My mind replayed the conversation over and over—the raw pain in his voice, his insistence that I wasn’t meant to be with Damien, the bitter memories of a past lost to my father’s merciless choices. I closed my eyes, willing the voices to fade, but the silence only deepened, wrapping around me like a shroud.I tried to steady my thoughts by retracing my steps from earlier that evening. I recalled the moment Damien had left, his parting words echoing in the space between us. I remembered the cold determination in his tone, and yet, something in his expression had hinted at regret—a fleeting moment when his control had faltered. The thought made my heart twist. Was there more to him than the steely facade he so carefully maintai

🌹Damien 🌹The early morning light seeped through the towering windows of the estate, casting elongated shadows across the polished floors. I barely got any sleep, my mind refusing to settle even after downing two glasses of whiskey the night before.Aurora was everywhere in my thoughts, and it infuriated me. I wasn’t the kind of man to lose control over a woman. I had vowed to keep her at a distance, to remind myself that she was nothing more than a tool in my plans. But no matter how much I tried, she found ways to slip past my defenses.I needed to shut this down.Pushing aside my frustration, I walked down the hall, my steps measured and purposeful. I had business to attend to today—real business, not the constant distractions Aurora kept throwing my way.But as I turned the corner, Ronan was already waiting for me, arms crossed over his chest. His expression was unreadable, but I could tell he had something to say."You have a visitor," he said simply.I stopped walking. "Who?"

🌹Ethan 🌹I sat frozen in the booth, my fingers curled around the warmth of my coffee cup, though I barely felt it anymore. My entire body was numb, my mind struggling to process what had just happened.Aurora had walked away.Again.Just like that night.The memory clawed at me, refusing to stay buried. I had stood there, waiting in the cold, heart pounding, gripping my old leather bag with white-knuckled hands. I had rehearsed everything I would say to her—how we would run away, how we would start over, how love would be enough.But she never came.I had been a fool back then, naive enough to believe that love alone could fight against the weight of expectation, duty, and wealth. I had convinced myself that she would choose me. That she would fight.But she hadn’t.And now, she had done it again.The soft chime of the café door closing behind her felt like a gunshot, shattering the last illusion I had clung to.She still loved me.I saw it in her eyes, in the way her breath caught