Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 141 - Chapitre 150

~CELINE POV~The silence in the penthouse was suffocating after Hunter left. I sat on the couch where he had trapped me with his words, his threats still echoing in my mind like a death sentence."You've just given me another reason to never let you go."Caesar appeared from the bedroom, his little face scrunched with confusion. "Mama, why did Papa leave? He looked angry."I pulled him onto my lap, trying to keep my voice steady. "Papa had to go to work, baby.""But he didn't say goodbye to me." Caesar's bottom lip trembled. "Did I do something wrong?""No, sweetheart. You didn't do anything wrong." I kissed the top of his head, breathing in his innocent scent. "Papa loves you very much."‘Even if he sees me as nothing more than a breeding mare.’The next morning, I woke to the sound of the doorbell. My heart leaped….Hunter?—but when I opened the door, I found a woman in scrubs holding a medical bag."Miss Brown? I'm Nurse Patricia Williams. Mr. Reid has arranged for me to provide yo

~CELINE POV~Vincent's presence in the penthouse felt like adding fuel to a fire that was already burning out of control. He was polite, even charming with Caesar, but I could see the strain in his shoulders, the way his eyes constantly scanned the windows."What is Hunter so afraid of?" I asked after Caesar had gone to bed."He's just being careful," Vincent replied, but his smile didn't reach his eyes."Careful about what? Vincent, please. I'm going insane not knowing what's happening."He was quiet for a long moment, clearly debating how much to tell me. "There have been some... inquiries. About you. About Caesar."My blood turned to ice. "What kind of inquiries?""People asking questions. Trying to find out where you live, what your routines are.""Oh God." I sank onto the couch, my hands automatically moving to my stomach. "Do you think it's Eleanor? Hunter's mother?""I honestly don't know. But Hunter's not taking any chances.""So he's going to keep me locked up forever?"Vin

~HUNTER~The lake cabin is too quiet.I hate quiet. It gives me too much time to think, and thinking leads to places I don't want to go. Like how three days away from them feels like three years. Like how I'm standing outside this door with my arms full of packages, trying to work up the courage to knock.Courage. What a joke. I have closed billion-dollar deals without breaking a sweat, but the thought of facing Celine makes my hands shake.I use my key instead."Hunter?" Her voice hits me like a punch to the chest. She appears from the kitchen wearing one of the sweaters I had delivered, her hair in a messy bun that makes her look younger. Softer. The way she used to look when she would wake up in my bed after many countless sex”"What are you doing here?""I brought some things." I set the packages down, keeping my face blank. Professional. Like this is just another business transaction. "Art supplies for you. Educational toys for Caesar."But it's not just another transacti

~HUNTER~The numbers on my laptop screen swim together like tears I refuse to shed. Quarterly reports. Profit margins. Growth predictions. All of it meaningless when the only thing that matters is forty-three floors below me, locked away in a penthouse that's become more prison than home.My chest constricts with that constant, crushing weight. The coffee in my cup has gone cold hours ago, untouched.Two months since I brought Celine home. Two months since I made the decision that's slowly killing us both.The door to my office doesn't knock. It never does when Vincent has reached his breaking point."We need to talk."I don't look up. If I meet his eyes, I'll see the disappointment written there. My fingers hover over the keyboard, frozen."Make an appointment with Sarah. I'm busy.""Cut the shit, Hunt." His voice slices through me like glass. "You know exactly why I'm here."That tone—I know that tone. It's the same one he used in college when he'd find me three days deep in a bend

~CELINE POV~The afternoon is perfect.Warm sun. Gentle breeze. The kind of day that makes you believe in second chances and fresh starts and all the things that seem impossible when you're lying awake at 2:47 AM.We walk along the lake shore, Caesar running ahead to collect stones while Hunter and I maintain our careful distance. Always careful. Always walking on eggshells around each other."He's happy here," Hunter says, watching Caesar chase a butterfly."He's happy everywhere. That's who he is.""He gets that from you."I glance at him, surprised. "What do you mean?""The way you find joy in small things. The way you make everything feel..." He pauses, searching for the word. "Warmer."My chest tightens. This is the Hunter I fell in love with. The one who made me feel special just by existing. The one who saw beauty in ordinary moments.The one who made me believe I was worth loving."Don't.""Don't what?""Don't do this. Don't be sweet and thoughtful and make me remember.""Rem