All Chapters of Savage Love: Chapter 31 - Chapter 38

The next morning, I woke before Zane.That had already become a quiet habit.Not because I had to.Because I wanted to.His bedroom was still dim, early sunlight barely beginning to slip through the curtains. Zane lay beside me, one arm stretched across the empty side of the bed where I had been moments earlier. Even in sleep, he looked composed — controlled — like the world never truly caught him off guard.I studied him for a moment longer than necessary.The man who commanded boardrooms with a single sentence.The man whose world ran on loyalty tests and quiet threats behind glass doors.The man who had said he trusted me.And who had kissed me like trust meant something dangerous.A strange warmth spread through my chest.Not just desire.Something deeper.Something steadier.Love.The realization didn’t arrive with fireworks or panic.It arrived quietly.Like a truth that had been building piece by piece until it could no longer be ignored.I loved him.And if I was going to exis

The drive back felt shorter than it should have.Amanda had hugged me tightly before I left, her earlier questions still lingering between us like unfinished sentences.Are you his woman?I had laughed it off then. Deflected. Changed the subject.But now, alone in the backseat as the city blurred past the window, the question kept replaying in my mind.Not loud.Not urgent.Just… persistent.By the time the car turned into Zane’s estate, my thoughts were tangled.I told myself I was overthinking.That what we had didn’t need labels.That actions mattered more than words.Still… something felt unsettled.The gates opened.The car rolled in.And that’s when I saw it.Zane’s car was already parked.My brows pulled together slightly.He wasn’t supposed to be home this early.He had meetings scheduled into the evening.“Plans changed,” I murmured to myself as I stepped out.A small, unexpected warmth flickered in my chest.Maybe I’d get to see him earlier.Maybe we’d have wine together.Ma

Moments later, I found myself standing in front of Amanda’s apartment door, my hand hovering just inches from the bell.I didn’t remember leaving Zane’s house.Didn’t remember how I got into the Uber.Didn’t remember the route.Everything between the moment I tore myself from his grip and now felt like a blur of motion and noise and something sharp tearing through my chest.But the pain?That was crystal clear.It sat heavy in my lungs, making it hard to breathe. It pressed against my ribs like something alive, something angry, something broken.I swallowed hard and finally pressed the bell.A few seconds passed.Then the door swung open.Amanda stood there, dressed in soft home clothes, her hair tied up loosely, a glass of wine in her hand.Her brows furrowed instantly.“Vivian?”Her eyes swept over me — my disheveled hair, my trembling h

Home.The word settled deep in my chest.I hesitated.Just for a second.But in that second…I remembered everything.The way he looked at me.The way he touched me.The way he trusted me.The way he said he needed me.And just like that—My resistance collapsed.“Okay,” I said quietly.His breath hitched slightly.“Okay?” he repeated.I nodded.“Yes.”Relief flickered across his face.Subtle.But real.I glanced back toward Amanda’s building briefly.She was still standing at the door.Watching.Concern etched into her expression.I knew she wouldn’t approve.I knew she thought I was making a mistake.Maybe I was.But it didn’t matter.Because this wasn’t logic.This was love.And love didn’t alway