Lahat ng Kabanata ng Beneath His Cold Vows: Kabanata 181 - Kabanata 190

The escalator reached the bottom and my foot caught the edge. Daniel's hand was there before I stumbled. Fingers around my elbow. Anchoring me as I stepped off onto solid ground. I was still staring at him. Couldn't stop. Like if I looked away for even a second he'd dissolve into whoever I'd ima

The words settled between us. Substantial. He'd crossed an ocean. For me. "Tell me about the campaign." His voice shifted. Lighter. "What you've built." I hesitated. Then started talking. Slowly at first. Testing how much he actually wanted to know. Government-backed initiative. Cultural tou

Alicia's POV "Daniel." Elena stared at me from across the couch. Wine glass frozen halfway to her mouth. "Daniel. The guy from London two years ago, right? That Daniel." "Yes." "He sent the email." "He sent the email." She set her glass down on the coffee table with a soft clink. "Oh… wow."

While I'd been trying to figure out how to get her to come back to a life she'd already decided wasn't worth staying for. She'd been building this. Something that didn’t need a single thing from me. I kept scrolling. Found photos from a site visit. Alicia standing with two regional coordinators.

This morning, the Riverside Convention Center felt different. Alive. I stood in the back corridor leading to the main exhibition hall, listening to voices filter through the walls. Press setting up equipment. Staff doing final checks on lighting and sound. Ten minutes until the briefing. Elena a