All Chapters of OFF LIMIT: FOURTEEN NIGHTS WITH MY HUSBAND'S BEST FRIENDS : Chapter 201 - Chapter 210

Chapter 199Elowen "I need to take this," he'd said, his voice tight."Go," I'd told him. "Kian and I can get her settled."He'd nodded and left the room, phone already to his ear.I'd turned back to Giuliana, adjusting her blankets, making sure she was comfortable.Kian had been helping me, handing me an extra pillow when I felt him pause.I'd glanced over and his face had looked strange—worried, confused, like he'd just thought of something troubling.But then before I could ask what was wrong, he'd continued what he was doing like nothing had happened.Had I imagined it?Was I so on edge that I was seeing things that weren't there?Once Giuliana was settled, I'd sat down in the chair beside her bed, just watching her sleep, her face peaceful and young."I need to do something," Kian had said suddenly. "I'll be back.""Okay," I'd replied, not thinking much of it.But then twenty minutes had passed.Then thirty.Neither Kian nor Matteo had returned.Giuliana was still sleeping sound

Chapter 201Elowen"I know," Matteo said again, and I could feel his tears falling into my hair. "I know. She deserves everything. And instead she gets two weeks."We stood there holding each other, both of us crying, both of us breaking apart under the weight of what we couldn't change.Eventually, my sobs quieted to hiccups and I pulled back slightly to look at him.His face was wet with tears, his eyes red and swollen, and he'd never looked more human, more vulnerable, more real."How do you do it?" I asked. "How do you stay strong for her?""I don't," he admitted. "I fall apart every night after she goes to sleep. I cry in the shower. I scream into my pillow. I break things in my office that no one will miss. And then I put myself back together before she wakes up because she needs me to be strong. Because if I fall apart in front of her, she'll know. She'll know how scared I am. How hopeless this all is.""You're a good father," I whispered."I'm a father who couldn't save his da

Chapter 203ElowenI woke up to sunlight streaming through my window, far brighter than it should have been.I reached for my phone groggily and my eyes went wide when I saw the time.11:23 AM.I never slept this late. Not since coming to Italy. Not since becoming Giuliana's "mama."Every other morning I'd been up by seven at the latest, ready to spend every possible moment with her.But today I'd slept past eleven.And the strangest part? I didn't feel guilty about what had happened last night.I should have. I knew I should have.I'd slept with Matteo. In the garden. Under the stars. While pretending to be married to Kian.That should have filled me with shame, with regret, with self-loathing.But it didn't.Instead, I felt... alive. Awake. More myself than I'd been in months.And the fact that I didn't feel guilty made me feel guilty.It was a strange circular logic that made my head hurt.I dragged myself out of bed and headed for the shower, letting the hot water wash away the re

Chapter 205 ElowenThe word hung in the air between us like something fragile, something that could shatter if any of us breathed too hard."A medication," I repeated slowly. "What kind of medication?"Matteo turned away. He walked to the window and stood there with his back to us, one hand pressed flat against the glass, staring out at the garden like he couldn't bring himself to look at me.Kian was the one who answered."It's experimental," he said carefully. "Still in trials. Her doctor called this morning. There's a new drug being tested on children with her condition. The results so far..." He paused. "They're not guaranteed. Nothing is guaranteed. But they're showing promise."I stood very still.My brain was trying to process what he was saying, trying to find the catch, because there was always a catch."What kind of promise?" I asked."Slowing the progression," Kian said. "In some cases, reversing it. In others..." He stopped again."In others, nothing," Matteo said from

Chapter 207ElowenI couldn't hold it in anymore.I pulled Giuliana into my arms and held her against my chest like I could shield her from the whole world, like I could pour every ounce of strength I had into her small body and make her invincible."You're so brave," I whispered into her hair. My voice was barely there. "You're the bravest person I've ever known.""I'm scared though," she said against my shoulder, so quietly I almost didn't hear it.My heart cracked wide open."I know, baby," I said. "I know. Being brave doesn't mean you're not scared. It means you're scared and you do it anyway."Her thin arms wrapped around my neck and held on tight.Behind me, I heard Matteo make a sound that might have been a sob or might have been something else entirely.Then I felt movement, and suddenly his arms were around both of us, his large frame curving around his daughter and me, holding us together like he could keep us safe through sheer force of will.And then Kian was there too.He