All Chapters of ALMS TO LOVE: Chapter 111 - Chapter 118

The evening dragged on, with the whisper of far-off thoughts and choices yet to be made. Before morning light seeped through the drapes, the day had come. The day of their flight, their second chance, their momentary bit of peace. Fiona was in front of the mirror, gazing at herself, looking for the strength that she knew she required but had not yet discovered. She could hear Charles coming down the stairs, the light but definite steps that were always his. He was prepared for this new chapter in their lives, but she was not so certain. The gentle tap on the door interrupted her thoughts, and she turned to see the doorway. "Fiona?" Charles's voice sounded outside the door. "Are you ready?" She drew in a breath, closed her eyes for an instant, and breathed out before she replied. "I'm ready." But when she opened the door, she noticed the tension in his eyes..the same tension she had been shouldering for days. He was just as lost as she was, for all the brave face he attempted to put fo

In the quiet buzz of the Paris airport, Valeria caught the look of relief on Charles's face, but it was mixed with something else something exhausted, as though he'd just entered a fight he wasn't certain he could fight. The world continued to converge on him, but in this terminal, at least, the only thing that really mattered was his daughter and the woman who stayed in his life, even though strings of suspicion and fear wrapped themselves around every move they made."Yeah, I know," Charles answered softly now, nearly apologetically. "I just want you to understand how much this means to me.how much it means to Fiona that you're here. We both owe you a lot, especially now."His words hung there, genuine but heavy with an unvoiced weight that Valeria couldn't quite pinpoint. She had always known Charles to be a man of action, down-to-earth to the extent of being ruthless, one who cared only for the larger scheme of things. But today, there was something different in hi

Side by side, they walked, neither of them saying a word. There was a shared understanding between them the silent awareness that the road ahead would be one of uncertainty and possibility. But it was theirs to take together, for better or for worse.Fiona looked up at him, her heart overflowing with questions, her mind still snarled around the departure from Liza. "Do you actually think we will be able to find peace in Paris?" she asked, her tone low but adamant.Charles looked down at her, his face relaxing for an instant. "I hope so," he replied briefly. "But whatever does or doesn't happen, we're doing this together."For the first time in a very long time, Fiona did believe him.As they navigated through the terminal, the chaos of the crowd simply fell into the background. The weight of the world lifted, ever so slightly, from Fiona's shoulders. The worry, the unspoken terrors, and the nagging pressure that had borne so much weight on her shoulders app

The evening lay open to them, promising, yet heavy with the weight of uncertainty. As the gentle Paris lights streamed through the window, golden illuminating the space within, Fiona experienced a quiet that came over her that she had not expected. No urgency, no anticipation—only them, in harmony, here.Charles stood before her, his face gentle, but his eyes betrayed an intensity that reflected Fiona's nervous tension. He reached forward cautiously, his fingers tracing across her cheek, as if feeling the temperature, holding off for her permission.Fiona could feel her own breathing catch in her throat as she looked at him, her own heart racing faster than she could keep pace with. The world outside just sort of disappeared as he leaned in toward her, closing the distance between them in a way that made everything feel close, intimate, and visceral."Do you trust me?" he whispered, his voice barely audible, as if the very words carried weight.Fiona's breast contracted beneath the si