All Chapters of Bound by Desire: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride : Chapter 11 - Chapter 16

CHAPTER ELEVEN — THE FIRST CRACK (Liana’s POV)I woke to the sound of rain against glass and the weight of Adrian’s arm locked around my waist.He had not moved all night. After I left him trembling against the mirror, he had followed me to bed like a shadow (silent, obedient). He had lain exactly where I told him, on his side of the invisible line, hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles were white. At some point in the dark he had rolled over and wrapped himself around me from behind, face buried between my shoulder blades, breathing me in like oxygen. I had pretended to be asleep.Now morning light bled grey through the windows, and his grip had only tightened.I tried to slide free.His arm locked harder.“Liana,” he mumbled, voice rough with sleep and something darker. Not a plea this time. A warning.I turned in the circle of his arms until we were face-to-face.His eyes were open (black, sharp, no trace of the broken man from last night). For one heartbeat

CHAPTER THIRTEEN — THE FIRST CRACKS IN MEMORY (Liana’s POV)Three days after the hospital visit, the first crack appeared.I came back from a modeling meeting (my first in this life, a small test shoot that felt like reclaiming a piece of myself) to find Adrian in the penthouse study, phone pressed to his ear, voice low and sharp.“—I don’t care what my mother said. Transfer the funds now. The account is in my name. If you delay, you’re fired. Understood?”He ended the call and turned, the tension in his shoulders melting the instant he saw me.“Liana.”I stopped in the doorway.The desk was covered in papers (financial statements, medical trials, a list of doctors’ names I didn’t recognise).“What is this?”He hesitated (just a fraction, but enough to make my pulse spike).“For Liam,” he said. “I… made some calls.”I stepped closer, picking up the top sheet.A wire transfer confirmation for two million dollars to a Swiss clinic. Another for a private jet. Emails from his assist

CHAPTER FIFTEEN — CHARLOTTE’S ARRIVAL (Liana’s POV)The morning light filtered through the heavy curtains of the guest suite like it was afraid to wake us.I opened my eyes to find Adrian already dressed (or half-dressed): black trousers, white shirt unbuttoned, tie loose around his neck. He stood at the wardrobe, staring at his reflection in the mirror, fingers frozen on the top button.I sat up slowly, sheet pooling around my waist.“Adrian?”He turned, the cold mask cracking just a little when he saw me.“Just glimpses,” he said, voice rough. “The wedding. A dinner where I… left you sitting alone. Nothing more.”I nodded, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed.“Get dressed,” I said. “Liam’s waiting, and Eleanor won’t let us forget we’re under her roof.”He finished buttoning his shirt with mechanical precision, the old Adrian’s habits bleeding through.I slipped into a black dress (simple, severe, armor), tied my hair back, and slid on heels that clicked like warnings on th