جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 50

Widow and bother in law Lily’s POVEthan’s casket was too polished. That was the first thing I noticed when I looked up through the blur of my tears. It was smooth, sleek, an expensive mahogany box that didn’t belong in the dirt. It didn’t belong anywhere except in our home, where he should’ve been—where he was just a week ago.My hands trembled in my lap, clenching so tightly the nails dug into my palm. The priest’s voice droned on, but I barely heard him. I barely heard anything over the crushing pain in my chest.Someone touched my shoulder and I flinched.“It’s okay,” Adrian murmured beside me. “I’m right here.”I looked at him, really looked at him for the first time since this nightmare began. Ethan’s younger brother. His eyes were filled with pain.I swallowed the sob clawing up my throat and turned away. My fingers curled around the damp tissue in my lap.Nothing was okay.The burial passed in a blur of condolences and murmured apologies. People I barely knew whispered empty

3Lily’s POVI sighed exhaustedly as I walked down the stairs, ready to tell Adrian that I didn’t need him to stay for dinner when the scent hit me. Cedarwood and spice. No. I shouldn’t be smelling that unless I was now hallucinating. But I wasn’t. Someone was using Ethan’s scent. I looked around, my eyes searching until it landed on him.I gripped the railing, nausea rising in my throat as I stared at him, his sleeves rolled up and a familiar watch glinting on his wrist. Ethan’s wrist watch.Oh my God.I had barely been able to meet his eyes when he looked up at me, dark gaze steady, as if daring me to say something. To demand why he was slipping into the spaces Ethan had left behind.I said nothing, because if I said anything, then I’d have to acknowledge the fact that I have been loving his presence and his attention these past few days. That I was starting to crave his precense.That even when I told myself I hated it, I still exhaled in relief when I found him waiting for me at t

L5ily’s POVI wasn’t supposed to keep wanting him. In fact I should hate him with all I had.But the way Adrian looked at me—like I was precious, like he would never let me slip through his fingers—it undid me.I pressed a hand to my forehead, my thoughts a tangled mess.“I can’t do this,” I whispered. “I feel like I’m losing my mind.”Adrian didn’t move from his spot across the kitchen, leaning against the counter with that quiet, knowing gaze. He didn’t rush to comfort me. He let the silence stretch, let my thoughts settle until I couldn’t stand it anymore.I turned away, gripping the edge of the sink.“I miss him,” I admitted. My throat tightened. “But I also—” I swallowed hard. “I feel something for you. And I hate myself for it.”Adrian was behind me before I could take another breath, his hands sliding over my arms in a slow and careful manner.“You shouldn’t hate yourself for something you can’t control,” he murmured.I squeezed my eyes shut. “It’s wrong.”“Is it?” His voice w

7Adrian’s POVI watched Lily from the doorway as she sat on the floor, surrounded by boxes of Ethan’s things.She looked small like this. Fragile.Her fingers skimmed over the edges of an old photo frame, her eyes looking distant.I’ve been planning this moment. This final step. She needed to let go of this house.And I needed to make sure she never looked back.I leaned against the doorframe, keeping my voice gentle. “You’ve been sitting here for a while.”She looked up, startled. “I just… needed a moment.”I walked over, crouching beside her. “You don’t have to do this.”She gave a small, tired smile. “I know.”I reached for her hand, rubbing my thumb over her knuckles. “You’re not just sorting through old things, Lily. You’re holding onto a life that’s not here anymore.”Her jaw tightened, but she didn’t pull away. Good.I let out a quiet sigh. “I think it’s time to sell the house.”She stilled. “What?”I squeezed her hand. “This place is a shrine to the past. You’re drowning in i

Brother’s best friendAva’s POVThe house was quiet.It was that deep, late-night kind of eerie quiet. I should’ve been asleep. I’d planned on having a quiet summer—early nights, lazy mornings, and absolutely zero unnecessary stress.But apparently, fate had other plans.Because standing in my kitchen at one in the morning, half-naked and smirking like he owned the place, was Noah Carter.And damn him, he’d changed.Gone was the lanky kid who used to annoy the hell out of me with his stupid jokes and reckless charm. The Noah in front of me now was taller, broader, and dripping with the kind of confidence that came with knowing exactly how good he looked. His golden skin glowed and his abs were ridiculously defined as he leaned casually against the fridge, drinking straight from a water bottle like he was in a damn commercial.I was staring.Shit.I tore my eyes away, focusing on anything else—the countertop, the tiles, my own bare feet. But I could still feel his gaze, heavy and amuse