Semua Bab When Love Crosses the Line: Bab 191 - Bab 200

The Manchester skyline glittered like a thousand diamonds scattered across the horizon, its reflections dancing on the glass façade of the grand hotel that hosted the city’s most anticipated business gala of the year. The building itself stood like a monument to power and wealth, a towering reminder of ambition realized. Its glass doors gleamed beneath golden spotlights, welcoming guests who slipped from sleek cars and limousines onto the red-carpeted entrance.Amara clutched Liam’s arm as they stepped forward, the cool evening air giving way to the warmth and heady fragrance of the grand ballroom. Inside, chandeliers cascaded from the ceiling like frozen waterfalls, their crystals scattering light across the polished marble floors. The air carried the mingled notes of expensive perfume, champagne bubbles, and the faint hum of anticipation. The sound of a string quartet, elegant, poised, and deliberate, wove through the air, creating an atmosphere that felt both refined and electric.

Liam didn’t rise to Darren’s cousin’s provocation. He didn’t square his shoulders or step forward with the kind of bravado men often used when pride was tested. Instead, he leaned closer to Amara, his voice pitched so low it was for her alone, his words meant to cut through the sting that still lingered in her chest.“You’re worth more than their opinions,” he whispered. His thumb brushed the delicate curve of her hand, and before she could respond, he lifted her fingers to his lips. The kiss was brief, chaste, but filled with intention, a small act of reverence that carried more weight than any public declaration.The warmth of his gesture seeped through her skin, grounding her in a way that no speech or defense could. It was Liam’s way: not to shield her from the world’s judgment, but to remind her that she was already enough.Amara exhaled slowly, the tension in her shoulders loosening by a fraction. She hadn’t realized how tightly she had been holding herself, braced against the s

The morning after Darren’s last attempt lingered in Amara’s chest like smoke after a fire, acrid, suffocating, impossible to ignore. She had hardly slept, her mind haunted by the envelope Darren had left behind, by the message that had felt less like closure and more like a storm warning. She had tucked it into her drawer, hidden from sight but not from thought.When her phone rang, the sharp sound sliced through the stillness of her flat. She frowned at the unfamiliar number flashing across the screen. Something about it prickled at her, strange, yet oddly familiar, like an old melody tugging at the corners of her memory.“Hello?” Her voice was cautious, guarded.“Amara.” The reply was immediate, low, and laced with urgency. For a second, she froze, the name barely carried by a voice she hadn’t heard in years.“Aunt Folake?”“Yes, it’s me,” came the gentle but strained answer. “Your uncle’s health is failing. He wants to see you.”The world seemed to tilt beneath Amara’s feet.Her un

The Lagos sun was relentless that afternoon, casting its golden glare over the bustling streets as Amara and Liam navigated the familiar yet distant cityscape. The air was thick with humidity, carrying the scent of street food and the faint tang of the lagoon nearby. Amara’s heart thudded unevenly in her chest, a mix of anticipation and anxiety twisting together like storm clouds. She hadn’t seen her uncle in over a decade, not since childhood memories had faded into fragmented images of laughter, discipline, and the unspoken rules of a family she’d once longed to belong to.The hospital’s sliding doors whooshed open, and a nurse guided them to a quiet, private room. Inside, the antiseptic smell mingled with the faint scent of her uncle’s cologne, a memory-triggering aroma she hadn’t realized she still carried with her. There he lay: frail, the weight of age and illness pressing against him like a tide, his once-commanding presence softened into something almost fragile, yet with an u

The diamond sparkled brilliantly on Amara’s finger, but her heart was caught between wonder and unease. Liam had slipped it on with so much hope, yet the shadow of Darren still lingered. Was this ring a promise of healing, or another chain of expectation?Amara stared at it, her hands trembling ever so slightly. The restaurant lights danced across the facets of the stone, sending fragments of silver and gold glinting onto the tablecloth, as though the ring itself was casting a spell she could neither embrace nor resist. She wanted to smile; Liam’s eyes were full of such sincerity, such quiet pleading, but her lips felt heavy, her throat dry.Why can’t I just say yes? Why can’t I let myself be happy?Liam reached across the table, his thumb brushing the back of her hand. “It looks perfect on you,” he whispered, his voice steady but edged with vulnerability. “Like it was always meant to be there.”Her chest tightened. He meant well, she knew that. Liam had never been anything but patien