All Chapters of Married to My Stalker: Chapter 11 - Chapter 14

The storm rolled in sometime after midnight, thunder rumbling like a slow, angry drum over the hills. Nova sat curled on the velvet chaise in the sunroom, watching raindrops pattern the glass like Morse code. She hadn't been able to sleep, not after the dinner, not after hearing Damian's other name spoken aloud like a warning.Dacian Drăghici. It sounded like an omen in a silk suit. Nova hadn't asked for him to follow her. But she wasn't surprised when he did. Damian entered the room barefoot, in dark slacks and an unbuttoned black shirt. His hair was tousled, damp at the edges, as if he'd walked out into the storm on purpose. Even in this state, unmade and unsmiling, he looked dangerous, like the kind of man born of whispered legends and foreign wars. He didn't speak. Just sat down across from Nova in the wingback chair and let the silence stretch."You were a boy once," Nova said finally, voice soft. "Before all of this."Damian exhaled through his nose. A ghost of a laugh.

Nova closed the door with more force than she meant to. The sound echoed through the quiet house like a judgment. She dropped her keys on the entryway table. Didn't bother taking off her shoes. The silence pressed in around her, too thick, too knowing. Like the house itself had learned to breathe with her. The air still smelled like him. Sandalwood and rain, and something darker. Nova climbed the stairs slowly, one hand trailing the carved banister. Her pulse hadn't settled since Sweetgum & Spine. Since the wildflower. Since Sadie-Rae said she hadn't put it there. But someone had. And Nova knew who. Inside her bedroom, she peeled off her jacket, letting it slide to the floor. Her fingers went to the hem of her dress, but they paused. Because she could still feel Damian. His mouth on her shoulder. His hands in her hair. The way he'd whispered and heavy breathing in her ear. Nova closed her eyes and undressed slowly, each layer a memory, each memory a flame. Her fingertips brush