All Chapters of First and Second chances: Chapter 21 - Chapter 27

Shit!! What on earth was I thinking. How could I so carelessly decide that Erik should bring him a Guinness instead of whisky? As if I had the right to decide something for him, as if I knew what was best for him. I sigh, my fingers sliding over the damp glass in front of me as I slowly turn it. The ring of foam sinks lower and lower, just like my confidence. Of course, he shouldn’t drink expensive whisky in a pub like this, not when he doesn’t want anyone to find out about his true identity. The Guinness made sense. Discreet. But it wasn’t up to me to make that choice.“You meant well,” says Luna, her voice cautious, almost apologetic. “Yeah? Because it mostly felt stupid,” I snap back. “Erik could’ve refused, he agreed with you.” Luna said it with a certainty and warmth that brought me back to that evening in the forest. He had had exactly the same warmth in his voice. The image of the look he gave me when he raised his glass crept back into my thoughts. There was something in that

It was as if the days had crept by in silence. A week had passed since Cassy and Ethan had discovered who I truly worked for. We were supposed to continue the conversation the next day, but Ethan had called that morning. They wanted to take some distance — let everything sink in — and didn’t know whether they still wished to continue their help with the gala. An entire week without a single message from Cassy. I had never thought that possible.Mike had been conspicuously present those days, almost too present. As if the silence between us had never existed. The hours with him felt calmer, even predictable. And yet something pulled at me — a vague unease that settled in my chest whenever I stood still for too long. He had tried to find the woman from whom he had bought my bracelet, but without success. Perhaps that wasn’t strange: his duties at the Council seemed to expand by the day. I was already grateful that, despite everything, he still made time to be with me. Yet it felt differ

I wake slowly to the sunlight spilling across the room. My eyes feel heavy; I hadn’t really wanted to wake yet. I turn over, tug gently at the blanket — and then I feel it. The fabric beneath my hand is different, softer and smoother than usual. It feels like the kind of expensive material I always let my hand glide over in shops, just to catch a glimpse of a world I’ll never truly belong to.Carefully, I pull my hand back under the blanket, my eyes still closed. The scent around me isn’t right. I’d expected lavender — the soft, homely smell of my laundry detergent that always lingered in my room. Instead, something else fills the air: the scent of pine trees and a damp forest after rain, followed by a hint of leather mingled with cocoa. It isn’t the smell of my bedroom, and yet something about it feels strangely familiar.I breathe in again, this time more deeply. The scent calms me — oddly enough. Then the realisation hits me like a blow: I know this scent.My breath catches, my hea

Sam moved across the mat with full concentration. His small feet found their rhythm, his arms forming short, precise movements, each one followed by a deep breath. I sat on the bench along the wall, watching. I was so focused that I let out a small startled yelp when the door suddenly opened.“Well, well,” said Erik, looking at me with a grin before his gaze shifted to Sam, who was still practising his defensive technique with full concentration. “You’re not giving away all our secret strategies, are you?” Sam looked up but stayed in position. “Uncle Erik! Look! I’m showing Lizzy what I can do!” Erik strolled in with his usual easy manner, hands in his pockets, and came to sit beside me. “I thought so,” he said dryly. “Showing what you can’t do would be a lot harder.” He gave Sam a smug grin, and Sam stuck out his tongue at him. Erik chuckled softly. “Aha, a rebel. That’s promising.”Sam closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before shifting into a new stance. His eyes