LOST IN THE BILLIONAIRE'S SCANDAL のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 41 - チャプター 50

Maya PovThe silence of the night wrapped around me like a thick blanket, but I couldn't sleep. I turned, tossed and turned again. My body was restless, my skin humming, my heart aching for something I couldn’t name….no, I could. Him. He wasn't in, probably working again. I crept out of bed, barefoot, my silk robe brushing my thighs as I padded softly down the hallway. A light glowed from the kitchen. I moved toward it like a moth to flame. And there he was.Adam stood by the sink, shirtless, a glass of water in hand, his sweatpants hanging low on his hips. Moonlight spilled in from the window, highlighting the sharp lines of his body, the curve of his muscles, the broad strength of his shoulders. His hair was scattered like he’d been dragging his hands through it just like he was doing now.I didn't know what to do so I looked up. He didn’t speak. Something shifted between us, something unspoken but undeniable. My chest rose and fell too quickly as I stepped forward. He didn’t move

Maya's PovThe morning began with heavy rain pounding against the windows. It started as a light patter but soon deepened into steady, firm taps. It should have been comforting to curl up with a throw blanket and a mug of hot, sweet something. But inside, something was off.I had only just sliced apples for Sami's lunch when I heard Adam's voice. Sudden. Brief. Strained.“No. We must pull logs for the last three months. Don't waste your time with anything prior to that."I stopped cutting mid-air. Lee set aside her drawing pad on the dining room table. Even Sami grew quiet, saying no more bout some new puzzle he was building."What is the matter with Daddy?" he inquired.Lee closed her pushed her tab gently. "He's working. Maybe he's tired.” She responded. But it didn't sound like he was just being busy, It was different. The kind of different that makes air tighten around you. I cleaned discreetly and distracted Sami as the undertone of crisis pulsed through the house.During lunch,

Maya POV.I felt rigid and stiff on the bed. Every muscle had hardened like stone, as if the air around me had frozen into a suffocating shell. The silence of the room felt heavier than usual, like a weight pressing against my chest. My heart skipped a beat, then began to pound in my ears, the ‘thump, thump, thump,’ growing louder with every second that passed.Did he just say what I thought he said? No… I had to be imagining it. I was hearing things, hallucinating, maybe. My sleep deprived fantasies were conjured by my mind desperate for something it wasn’t sure it could have."What did you say?" I whispered, the sound barely escaping my throat. It didn’t even sound like me. The voice was too soft, too breathless, like it belonged to someone else entirely. Someone more fragile.But there was no answer.I turned my head slowly, cautiously, like I was afraid I might disturb something sacred and my eyes landed on him. His lashes rested against his cheeks and his breathing was soft and s

Adam's PovI couldn’t sleep. I hadn’t moved since she left the room. Not because I was giving her space but because I was too afraid that if I did, I’d break something sacred. Something that needed to breathe on its own.I pulled on a hoodie and wandered out to the back porch with a blanket, settling onto the loveseat. The stars were clear tonight and too many to count. Their stillness should’ve comforted me but all I felt was the chaos inside.I loved her. God help me, I loved her.It hit me like an unexpected punch. Not all at once, but slowly. The first time I watched her talk to Sami even though he didn't respond. Her calmness, her patience, it all made me marvel. The night she sat up with him when he had a fever, humming under her breath. The way she stood her ground even when I pushed, even when I didn’t know I was pushing.The door creaked behind me.I didn’t need to turn to know who was there. I felt her before I saw her. The smelt her and the warmth of her body nearby.She ca

Maya's PovThe house wasn't the same.Not like the way it happens when you change furnitures or lighting to a different colour. It was deeper and quieter. A change in the air that buzzed just beneath the surface, unseen but impossible to escape. Like someone had opened a window I hadn't seen, and now everything warm and sure was seeping slowly away.It started the day after Lena’s visit. I was folding laundry in the hallway, separating socks in silence, when I caught Adam's voice in the study. The door wasn't wide open but not completely closed. He hadn't even se me walk by. I paused… I shouldn't have done it, but I did."You can't hold visitation over my head, Lena," he said. His voice was annoyed and strained. "Sami's not something we bargain for."My heart stumbled. I edged closer, holding a set of small pajama bottoms against my chest. He sigh heavely. "No one's replacing her. Maya isn't trying to be anyone. She's…she's just here. And Sami's happy. That's all that should matter t