Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 51 - Chapitre 55

MIKHAIL’S POVAfter we finish, we lie still in silence next to each other before I stand up and head into the bathroom, grab a bowl of water and a washcloth, and head back into the bedroom to clean her up.Slowly and reverently, I glide the warm cloth over her skin, erasing the remnants of us both. She’s still trembling slightly, body soft and pliant, eyes half-lidded in the low light. I wipe in between her thighs, her stomach, the gentle curve between her breasts, causing her to sigh slighty but she avoids my gaze…like she’s ashamed of herself. The thought causes a slight pang in my chest, but I say nothing.When I finish, I set the bowl aside, pull the sheets away, and slide back into the bed, lying on her side so I can see her face.She turns away immediately, turning her back to me and clutching the duvet tighter. She curls into herself on the far edge of the bed when I touch her slightly. The rejection lands like a quiet blow, but I don’t push.After a long, unbearable silence, I

‎Mikhail's POV‎We leave the fairgrounds faster than I planned.‎The fireworks are still popping overhead when Aleksei’s call comes through—short, clipped, furious.‎“She’s gone.”‎Two words.‎That’s all it takes to turn the night from magic back to ash.‎I hang up without a word.‎Nora’s hand is still in mine, cotton candy sugar sticking to her fingers, stuffed panda tucked under her arm. She’s laughing at something I said thirty seconds ago, cheeks flushed from the cold air and the adrenaline of bumper cars. The sound dies when she sees my face.‎“Mikhail?”‎I don’t answer.‎I just pull her toward the parking lot, stride long, grip tight.‎She stumbles to keep up.‎“What’s wrong?”‎I don’t answer that either.‎The Maybach is waiting where we left it. Dmitri is already behind the wheel, engine running. He knows. They all know. The second Aleksei called, every man in my network snapped to attention.‎I open the passenger door for Nora.‎“Get in.”‎She hesitates.‎“Mikhail—”‎“Now.”‎S

‎Nora's POV‎‎I wake up to a pounding headache, the kind that throbs behind my eyes like a drumbeat I can’t escape. The room swims into focus slowly—the massive king-sized bed with its black sheets, the high ceilings, the balcony doors letting in slivers of morning light. My body feels heavy, like I’ve been running a marathon in my sleep, and as I shift, the memories flood back: the confrontation at the hospital, Elena’s tears, Caleb’s face when Mikhail revealed the truth about him being Lucien’s son, the way everything shattered in that moment. I remember backing away from Caleb, the betrayal hitting me like a physical blow, and then the world tilting, darkness swallowing me whole.‎I sit up slowly, propping myself on my elbows, and that’s when I see him—Elias, sitting in the chair beside the bed, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. He looks dejected, defeated, like the weight of the world has crushed him. His hair is messy, eyes red-rimmed from crying or lack of sleep or both. H