All Chapters of BRIDE FOR A YEAR : Chapter 81 - Chapter 85

LOUIS'S POVI watched Flavia like a man standing on thin ice, listening for cracks.The basket hit my desk with a soft thud, not angry, not gentle either... It was just … placed carefully but she didn’t look at me right away, she didn’t sigh and she didn’t even bother to accuse me like I expected, she just stood there, her fingers were still curled around the handle of the basket for a second longer than necessary, her face was calm in a way that made my chest tighten...I was desperate for her to say something, anything ... Yell at me, question me, smile or curse me, anything as long as she just don’t stay quiet because silence had always been the most dangerous sound between us.My mind raced, replaying the last few minutes on a brutal loop. I was practically confessing to Tommy a while ago, then there's the call and it was on speaker which means Emily’s voice was echoing loudly in my office just before Flavia walked in and honestly, the way I had panicked and cut the call short the

FLAVIA'S POVI was still sitting on his lap when I got the pass...My heart was pounding and my breath was trapped somewhere between my lungs and my throat, my fingers curled lightly into his shirt like if I let go, I might lose my nerve... or worse, lose him...He wanted one question but honestly... I had too many. A whole lot of questions.I have had too many sleepless nights, too many half-answers and too many moments where his eyes drifted somewhere else while his body stayed with me.. .I wanted to know everything, every single thing from who had been calling him nonstop? What happened at the beach? Why did he start acting like he was carrying something heavy he wouldn’t share? Why had he been truly late to our date the other day? Why did he smile at his phone like that when we were on our date? Why did it feel like there was a version of him I wasn’t allowed into anymore?I wanted to know every lie, every omission and every truth he swallowed before it reached his lips but I cou

FLAVIA'S POVI smiled... genuinely at him.“That’s amazing,” I said, leaning forward slightly... “You have come to the right place. We are going to make sure your mother has the best and most memorable birthday ever.”Desmond’s smile widened, slow and satisfied. “I love the sound of that. That’s exactly what I was hoping for...”“Great,” I said. “Then let’s start planning.”I reached for my notebook... flipping it open like muscle memory had taken over. Work mode always grounded me... structured, predictable, and safe. It was the only place where things made sense.“So,” I continued, pen poised. “Do you have a theme in mind? Or a location?”Desmond blinked... He actually blinked like he had no idea what I was talking about...Then frowned slightly. “Do I really need to get involved in the planning and decide the theme? What does that even mean?”Jaz and I burst out laughing.I shook my head. “Not really. Usually, someone close to the celebrant helps with that. Your wife or girlfriend,