Semua Bab THE GUARDIAN'S BRIDE: Bab 61 - Bab 70

CHAPTER 61: What you did broke meZachary’s hot gaze locked in me, but he made no move to come closer. Neither did he say anything.After a while, he continued.“The door swung open as I strode in, Mary trailing just behind me, her face already pale with dread. The air was heavy, suffocating. On the floor lay the man. His body was crumpled, lifeless. He was already dead, his throat ripped open.”His voice was cold and emotionless, making me take a longer look at him. I could imagine his sharp gaze scanning the scene, cataloging everything with brutal efficiency. I imagined he saw me, sprawled on the bed, my dress torn, my breathing shallow, unconscious.And Mary— Mary must have gasped, rushing to my side, as Zachary’s silent fury burned lethally. He had stepped forward, his hand curled into a fist at his side as his eyes fixed on the dead intruder.“I knew what he’d tried to do,” Zachary murmured, his voice strained now in the present. I snapped out of my reverie. I tried to meet his

CHAPTER 63: Silken desiresThat same evening, after Zachary had suddenly left me on the beach and I finally went back to my room smarting with disappointment, I showered until the water turned cold. Until the guilt had rinsed into the drain, though it never really left. I dried off with the fluffy white towel, then wrapped myself in another silk robe I had found in my packed suitcase. The one that clung too thinly to be decent, and stood in the mirror. My reflection trembled as much as my hands had been trembling all day. I was aching for something more than guilt and pain.And I knew what I wanted.The house was quiet when I left my room, robe brushing my calves as I padded barefoot down the polished hall. My pulse was erratic, too loud in my own ears, and yet I kept moving toward the one place I knew he would be.His office.I had never been in this house before but I knew that Zachary could never be in a house without an office to retreat to. Finally I located the room. I could see

CHAPTER 65: Forgiveness is a luxury. Survival isn’t.The first thing I heard was the sea. A steady, rhythmic crashing that somehow felt louder in this house made of glass and stone. I also felt the cool softness of the surface beneath me. For a moment, I was still half-awake, I let myself believe I was somewhere else entirely, alone, free, untouched and free of problems. But then I readjusted myself, and the faint ache in my body reminded me exactly where I was. Who I was with. And what happened last night. Then my eyes blinked open.The first thing I noticed was that I was no longer in his office. I was in a bedroom that certainly wasn't mine. I knew Zachary must have carried me there, sometime in between our marathon last night. The bed was rather too large to pretend he wasn't there. I dared to turn my head to the other side and he really wasn't there. It was empty on his side, though there was a dip that suggested that he had slept there. I pushed up on my elbows, clutching the

CHAPTER 67: Possibilities The tide rolled in and out in slow rhythm, licking at the hem of my dress. After some time in silence, I pressed further.“What about regrets?” I asked.His gaze remained straight ahead. “Useless emotion.”“That’s not an answer.”“It’s the only one that matters.” Classic Zachary. I sighed. “So, does that inadvertently mean that you’ve never done anything you wish you could undo? Not even once? Come on. There has to be something,” I pressed.He finally turned his head, pinning me with a look so sharp it felt like it sliced right through me. “If I start naming regrets, I won’t stop. We all have regrets. I just fail to see the point in dwelling on them… listing them.”The weight of it lodged in my throat. I almost wanted to press him, to peel back the layers, but his tone was final. Deep down, I knew what I was fishing for. I was hoping that maybe he regretted the way he had treated me that night in his office. Maybe he regretted always keeping me in the dar

CHAPTER 69: Vance“I'll only say this once to you, boy. I'll end you if you as much as breathe in my wife's direction. I guarantee it will be the last mistake you make.”Those were the cutting words I heard as I arrived at the door to Zachary’s office. After I saw who was calling him earlier, and then he abruptly left to take her call, I felt the searing, hot unwelcome hands of jealousy wrap around me. That woman was still squeezing and forcing her way into our lives even on this trip. I spent a few minutes burying and pulling my feet out of the sand while wondering what they were talking about. Finally curiosity won and I decided to find out what Julia was discussing with my husband. I didn't stumble upon the call I was expecting but another one that I had totally not envisaged. Vance. I lingered at the doorway, one hand braced against the polished oak frame, watching Zachary. He had already seen me, and from the look on his face, I was sure that he knew that I was aware of who w