All Chapters of In the name of vows: Chapter 101 - Chapter 105

Chapter 101Christine’s povChristine Kellerham stared at the message on her phone until the screen became dimmed.She tapped it once, bringing the light back on. The words were still there, unchanged. Simple. Careful.“Thank you for letting me come by yesterday.”She didn’t realize she was holding her breath until she finally let it go. The release was slow and measured, like she wasn’t sure she was allowed to feel relief yet. Her chest tightened anyway, not from pain, but from the weight of everything that hadn’t been said.Adrian hadn’t asked for anything. No follow up. No invitation. No pressure wrapped inside polite words. That, more than the message itself, unsettled her. It felt unfamiliar. And unfamiliar had always made her cautious.Christine locked her phone and leaned back against the counter, staring at the wall across from her. The quiet around her felt earned, not empty. For once, the world wasn’t pulling at her from every direction. It was simply waiting. But how long c

Chapter 103Christine’s POVChristine knew the calm wouldn’t last.It never did.She was halfway through a meeting when Angela slipped into the room and leaned close to her ear.“There’s a situation,” Angela murmured.Christine didn’t look up from the table. “Define situation.”Angela hesitated. That alone was enough.“Adrian’s top executives,” she said quietly. “They’re here. Unannounced. And they’re asking for you.”That got Christine’s attention.She closed the folder in front of her slowly and looked up at the people seated around the table. “Give me five minutes,” she said, voice steady. “We’ll continue after.”No one argued. No one questioned her.That part still surprised her sometimes.Outside the conference room, she stopped walking.“Why are they here?” Christine asked.Angela shook her head. “They said it was about collaboration. But they’re quite aggressive.”Christine exhaled once through her nose.Of course they were.“Where is Adrian?”“He doesn’t know yet.”That made h

Chapter 105Christine’s povChristine sat on the edge of her bed, phone in hand, heart hammering. She stared at the blank screen, unsure if she had the courage to type.Coffee. Just to talk. Public place.Her thumb hovered over the keyboard. She swallowed hard. “You can do this,” she whispered to herself. “It’s just coffee. No expectations. Just to talk.”She typed the message, erased it, typed it again. Each time she tried to press send, her nerves flared. The thought of seeing Adrian again while they are alone, quiet, really made her chest tighten.Finally, she hit send. Her phone buzzed almost immediately with a response from him.“Where and when”She responded quickly. Ten minutes Corner cafe on Linden.Her stomach lurched. She had sent ten minutes but it was not enough to fully prepare herself, but enough to remind her that she couldn’t back down now. She grabbed her coat, tried to steady her breathing, and left.At the cafe, Adrian was already there. He sat with his hands folded