All Chapters of Tastes Like Damn Chocolate : Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

CHAPTER 112The private elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, depositing Nikolai and Indy directly into the penthouse’s open-plan living room. The space was dark at first, only the city lights beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows provided illumination, painting the room in shifting blues and golds. Indy flicked on a few recessed lamps as she stepped inside.Indy set her overnight bag by the island, shrugged off her coat, and walked straight to the bar cart. She poured two fingers of scotch into each of two heavy tumblers, no ice for him, rocks for her, and handed one over without asking if he wanted it.“Drink,” she said quietly. “You look like you’re about to snap.”Nikolai took the glass but didn’t sip. He walked to the windows, staring out at Velmore’s glittering skyline. The city looked peaceful from up here. Untouched. Nothing like the chaos inside his head.Indy came up beside him, close but not touching. “Talk to me, Nik. Please.”He exhaled through his nose. “There’s noth

CHAPTER 114 Tiana sat alone in the conservatory of the Toriaga residence. The wheelchair felt foreign beneath her. It was too rigid, and strange, even though Dr. Ramirez had promised it was temporary. Her left leg rested elevated on the footrest, the ankle-foot orthosis already fitted beneath her loose pants, a stiff reminder of the peroneal nerve damage that had stolen her ability to walk for now. The right leg was weaker but responsive; she could wiggle her toes, flex her knee a little, but standing was still impossible without support. She had refused the nurse’s offer to help her move around the house. Not yet. She needed to do this alone, to prove to herself more than anyone that she was still in control of something. Footsteps approached from the foyer. Maryann appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Pascal’s bus just turned onto the street,” she said gently. “He’ll be here any minute.” Tiana straightened in the chair, smoothing the blanket over he

CHAPTER 116 Sandy’s headlights cut through the dark as she turned off the main ridge road onto the narrow gravel track leading to the old pier. The tires crunched over loose stones, the sound sharp in the winter night. She slowed as the path opened up, the river coming into view. The pier hadn’t changed since their father used to bring them here as kids. She killed the engine but left the headlights on, the beams painting pale stripes across the water. The dashboard clock glowed 6:52 p.m. Nikolai wasn’t here yet. She exhaled slowly, breath fogging the windshield, and leaned back in the seat. The pier looked smaller than she remembered, smaller than the place it had occupied in her memory all these years. Back then it had felt vast, endless, a secret kingdom where George Toriaga had been just Dad: patient, laughing, teaching them how to tie knots and read the river’s current. Now it felt exposed, vulnerable, like everything else in their family. She reached into the glove compartme

CHAPTER 118 He searched for her phone and saw it concealed in her coat pocket like she was deliberately hiding it. He picked it up and put in her password. It was wrong. He tried it again, this time slowly and carefully. It was still incorrect. He was short of words. He was very sure he knew her password. When did she change it? He didn’t know which of her fingerprints could unlock it so he dropped the phone. He poured himself a glass of scotch whiskey as he stood looking at the city outside. The amber liquid burned going down, sharp and familiar. Nikolai stared out at Velmore’s skyline from the penthouse windows. The towers were glittering, and the streets were alive with late-night traffic far below. The city looked calm, and indifferent. He felt anything but numb. The screenshot of Jaden Cole’s message still sat in his gallery like a ticking bomb. He hadn’t confronted Indy yet. He wouldn’t. Not until he had more than a preview line and a name. He needed the full thread, the conte

CHAPTER 120 Ryan woke before the sky over Velmore had even begun to lighten. He lay on his back for several minutes, staring at the ceiling, Tiana’s face refusing to leave his mind. The wheelchair. The way she rubbed her stomach when she thought no one was looking. The quiet determination in her eyes when she talked about walking again. Since his last visit, he hadn’t been able to shake her off his mind; he hadn’t wanted to. He thought the wedding announcement would finally force the issue: Nikolai marrying Indy, Tiana free to divorce, free to breathe, maybe even free to look at Ryan the way he’d been dreaming she might. But the pregnancy had changed everything. Nikolai who had spent years distant, controlling, pushing her away, was suddenly attentive. Ryan’s stride faltered in memory. He growled under his breath, threw off the covers, and pulled on running shorts, a hoodie, and sneakers. The cold air hit him the moment he stepped outside. The air was sharp, clean, and woke every ne