Todos los capítulos de STUCK WITH MR. BILLIONAIRE FOR CHRISTMAS : Capítulo 111 - Capítulo 120

DANTE.The front door felt heavier than usual. Or perhaps it was just me. As I stepped into the house, the first thing that struck me was the silence. Not a peaceful quiet, but troublesome and uncomfortable. The hallway lights were on, yet the atmosphere felt off, empty."Cinnamon." My voice echoed against the walls, but returned to me alone.I moved deeper inside, loosening my tie with two fingers and glancing left and right as if she might suddenly appear from one of the doorways. "Cinnamon?"Nothing.The kitchen was tidy; all the dining chairs were pushed in. A single glass sat on the counter, half-filled with water.I checked the living room, then the study, calling her name up the staircase while gripping the banister and leaning forward, waiting. The house simply breathed back at me.I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone; the screen nearly stopped my heart. A hundred missed calls from Cinnamon.My thumb hovered over the screen.One call—okay. Two—perhaps urgent.But t

CINNAMON.The bags had been ready since my return. Two suitcases and Oliver's little dinosaur backpack, filled with his favorite things, all sat in the guest room upstairs, where Dante wouldn't pass by and notice them.I had packed everything and stood in the doorway too long, fingers curled into the frame, wishing it could delay what was coming. Risa's words replayed in my mind throughout it all: "Leave him, Cinnamon, if he can't see reason. You're young, you have a son, and you don't deserve this."Maybe she was right. I had been so focused on keeping everything together that I hadn’t taken a moment to consider if I was harming myself in the process.I paced the living room, checking my phone repeatedly. Dove wasn’t answering. I had called four times since I made the payment and left two messages, but nothing came back. Dante had called several times, but always at inconvenient moments—either when I was handling the payment or when I was picking Oliver up from school. By the time I

CINNAMON:I wore black to the cemetery. I didn’t plan to wear black. My hand just reached for it and I didn’t stop it. I had pulled the dress from the back of the wardrobe and slipped it on. I haven’t worn black since my mother died.The flowers were white lilies for my mother and sunflowers for my father because he always said that lilies at a grave felt too mournful, and he had spent enough of his life feeling that way.As I drove through Meadowbrook, I took in every corner. This was my first time out since returning. Yes, I was part of the project that contributed to the success of this place and had received updates through the town's group. But seeing it for myself after almost a year truly warmed my heart. So much has changed, and my mother would be proud. There was development, improved housing, and new companies had established themselves here, obviously creating jobs. Tears of joy streamed down my cheeks as I sobbed, wiping them away with the back of my hand. "I did it," I w

CINNAMON.The whole flight, my knee wouldn't stop bouncing.'Did he miss me? Was he okay?' The questions looped repeatedly, and I placed my forehead against the cold oval window, watching clouds dissolve into nothing beneath me. I told myself the tightness in my chest was just the altitude. I told myself a lot of things.Even if he didn't want me, he should allow me to see Dove. That was the whole reason I came. Not to make up with him. At least not for now.Nothing, not one prayer, not one gut feeling, not one nightmare, prepared me for what was on the other side of that door.Risa was naked, standing next to Dante.I stood in the doorway and the world just... stopped.My bag slipped from my shoulder. I didn't pick it up.I could hear the air conditioner humming somewhere in the suite, absurdly normal against the sight in front of me.For one horrible second, my brain tried to rearrange what I was seeing into something harmless. It didn't workI don't know how long I stood there, eye

CINNAMON.Thessa fell asleep somewhere over the Atlantic with her cheek against my arm and her little mouth slightly open. I sat very still so I wouldn't wake her.Outside, there was nothing but dark sky and the distant blink of the wing lights going from red, then nothing, red, then nothing. I stared at them until my eyes ached.I wasn't crying because I was tired of it."When is Mommy coming home?"Thessa had asked it four separate times since we left the hospital."She's on a business trip, darling." I'd kissed her forehead, smoothed her curls, and given a fake smile. "Soon."She'd accepted my lie, going back to her iPad. I watched a cartoon hippo dance across the screen and thought about how uncomplicated it looked.My head was against the seat as I let the engine noise fill up all the space where thoughts tried to form.'Just don't think. You can fall apart later, in a room with a locked door,' I told myself.***Khole was already at arrivals before I had even cleared the gate, O