Ava's POV The first faint rays of dawn, pale and tentative, crept through the gaps in the heavy velvet curtains, casting a faint, ghostly golden light across the opulent room. It was a sterile, unforgiving glow, illuminating every imperfection, every stain. I opened my eyes slowly, my lashes sticky, heavy, whether from the remnants of sleep or the salt of countless tears, I couldn't tell. For a moment, a fleeting, blessed instant, I didn’t remember where I was, or how I had come to be in this unfamiliar, grandiose bed. My mind was a blank slate, offering a brief reprieve. Then, with the dull, pervasive ache in my body, it all came rushing back. The floodgates opened, and the horrifying memories of the night before, of him, crashed over me with relentless force. I lay still, rigid beneath the rumpled sheets, staring blankly at the ornate ceiling, listening intently. The steady, measured sound of his breathing beside me, deep and even, filled the silence. He was still asleep. Tha
Last Updated : 2025-07-13 Read more