Semua Bab Is this Love or Obsession : Bab 11 - Bab 20

She reached for her phone, then stopped. Timothy had just told her there was no one. If this lawyer was suggesting otherwise...Victoria closed her laptop without responding to the email. Whatever game this M. Thompson was playing, she wouldn't be drawn into it based on cryptic messages from strangers.But as she tried to return to her dissertation, she couldn't shake the feeling that her carefully planned future was about to come crashing down.---Seattle - The Fairmont Olympic Hotel*The hotel was everything Timothy had described-elegant, historic, perfectly positioned in Seattle's heart. Nicole found herself in awe of the marble floors and crystal chandeliers as they walked through the lobby toward the elevator."The penthouse suite," Timothy told the elevator operator, his hand possessively placed on Nicole's lower back.Their suite was breathtaking, with panoramic views of Elliott Bay and furnishings that spoke of old-world luxury. Nicole wandered to the windows, taking in the c

"Yes, I do." His hands cupped her face, forcing her to meet his gaze. "You want to know the truth? The real truth? I'm terrified. I'm terrified because for the first time in six years, I'm questioning everything. When I hold you, when I see you smile, when you're in my bed and in my arms-I forget about waiting. I forget about plans and promises and the life I thought I wanted."Nicole's breath caught. "What are you saying?""I'm saying that what I feel for you is consuming me in ways I never expected. Ways that make me question whether what I felt for Victoria was love or just... habit. Comfort. The safety of a predetermined future."Timothy leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. "You terrify me, Nicole, because you make me want things I never knew I was missing. You make me feel alive in ways I forgot were possible.""But she's still coming back," Nicole whispered. "In five months, she's coming back, and you'll have to choose.""I know," Timothy admitted. "And I don't kno

Three days passed in a strange limbo for Nicole. She hadn't heard from Timothy since he'd dropped her at her apartment like excess baggage, and his silence spoke volumes about where his priorities lay. She spent her time reading, cleaning her already spotless apartment, and trying not to check her phone every five minutes.On Thursday morning, her forced isolation was broken by an unexpected visitor.The knock on her door was sharp, demanding. Nicole opened it to find a woman who looked like she'd stepped out of Vogue-tall, elegant, with auburn hair swept into a perfect chignon and wearing a designer coat that probably cost more than Nicole's rent."Nicole Xander?" The woman's accent was crisp, British, and carried the authority of someone used to being obeyed."Yes," Nicole replied, though her heart was already sinking with the certainty of who this had to be."I'm Victoria Ashford." The name was delivered like a declaration of war. "We need to talk. Now."Nicole's first instinct was

Nicole stared at the check on her coffee table for hours after Victoria left. Five million dollars. Enough to disappear completely, to start over somewhere Timothy Cole's world couldn't touch her. As the evening shadows lengthened across her apartment, the silence from Timothy became deafening.By midnight, she'd made her decision.Nicole pulled out her laptop and began searching for flights. Remote destinations. Places where she could blend in, where no one would think to look for Timothy Cole's former mistress. She settled on a small coastal town in New Zealand-far enough from civilization to be forgotten, beautiful enough to maybe, someday, heal her broken heart.The flight left tomorrow night. She could be gone before Timothy even realized she'd accepted Victoria's offer.As she clicked "purchase," Nicole felt something inside her chest crack. She was running away from the first real love of her life, but what choice did she have? Victoria was right about one thing-when faced with

The Auckland airport buzzed with the energy of travelers, but Nicole felt disconnected from it all as she sat in the first-class lounge, staring out at the runway through floor-to-ceiling windows. The weight of Victoria's black card in her purse felt heavier than any burden she'd ever carried. Five million dollars. Enough to disappear forever, to build a new life where Timothy Cole's obsession couldn't reach her. She'd chosen a small coastal town called Raglan, known for its black sand beaches and laid-back surfing culture. It was the opposite of New York's concrete jungle, the antithesis of Timothy's world of power and control. Here, she could breathe again. The rental cottage sat perched on a cliff overlooking the Tasman Sea, its weathered wooden walls and tin roof a far cry from Timothy's marble mansion. Nicole spent her first week in a daze, walking the endless beaches, letting the salt air sting her face as she tried to wash away the memory of Timothy's touch, the way he'd look