All Chapters of BLOOD AND PETALS: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The Florist’s HavenThe bell above the shop door chimed softly, its delicate ring blending with the fragrance of roses, lilies, and freshly cut lavender.Elena knelt behind the counter, arranging a bouquet of ivory tulips with the steady hands of someone who had turned flowers into an art form. Her little shop on the corner was her pride a place where beauty lived untouched by the chaos of the world.Outside, Lagos buzzed with impatient horns and hurried footsteps, but inside Bloom & Grace, time slowed. The world here was soft, fragrant, and safe.She hummed as she tied a ribbon, her mind wandering to her wedding dress, tucked away in her closet at home. In just two weeks, she would marry Daniel. The thought made her lips curve into a quiet smile. He was steady, charming, and successful. Everything she thought she wanted.The bell chimed again.She glanced up, expecting another familiar customer. Instead, the air itself seemed to still.A tall man stepped in, dressed in an immaculatel

The days passed in a blur of wedding fittings, floral orders, and endless checklists. Elena tried to drown herself in preparations, convincing herself that doubt was only nerves. Daniel was steady, Daniel was safe. He had given her love, a future, and promises wrapped in pearls.And yet… Adrian’s words clung to her like shadows.On a quiet afternoon, when the shop smelled of roses and lavender, the bell above the door chimed again.Her heart dropped.Adrian stood in the doorway, dark and composed, as if he belonged to the silence more than the world outside.Elena’s voice caught in her throat. “You can’t keep coming here.”He ignored the protest, stepping closer, his gaze sweeping the bouquets before resting on her. “How’s the fiancé?”Her chest tightened. “Happy. Busy. Preparing for our wedding.”Adrian tilted his head, a faint smile ghosting his lips. “A wedding built on lies doesn’t last long.”Her hands balled into fists. “Why do you keep saying that?”“Because it’s true.” His voi

Elena told herself she wouldn’t think about him.Not his voice, low and dangerous.Not his hand brushing hers with the ease of ownership.Not the way his words had carved into her skin like truth: Ask about Sophia.She tried to bury herself in wedding details. Invitations. Flowers. Dresses. All the things that should have been her joy. But everything was tainted now, as if Adrian had smeared his shadow across the edges of her life.That evening, Daniel took her to dinner with friends. A lively restaurant, laughter clinking off the glasses, everything bright and ordinary. Elena forced her smile, forced her laughter, but when Daniel excused himself to take a call, she watched him through the glass door.His smile vanished the moment he thought no one was looking. His voice hardened, sharp with urgency.And then she heard it—faint but clear.Sophia.Her heart twisted. She felt the ground slipping beneath her feet.“Elena.”The voice wasn’t Daniel’s. It was deeper. Smoother.Her blood wen

The first night in Adrian’s mansion was endless. Elena sat on the edge of the massive bed, her wedding gown discarded on the floor like a corpse of the life she lost.Sleep never came. She listened to the silence, broken only by the distant tick of a clock and the whisper of roses brushing against the window in the wind.By dawn, her decision was made. She would not be his prisoner.When the guards changed shifts, she slipped down the marble stairs barefoot, her heart hammering in her chest. The mansion was vast, but she had memorized the way Adrian had driven in—the front gates, the narrow road beyond.She darted through the kitchen, past startled staff who dared not intervene, and flung open the side door. The cool morning air kissed her skin as she ran across the lawn, the gravel biting her feet.The gates loomed ahead. Freedom.She nearly reached them when a shadow stepped into her path.Adrian.He stood there in his black shirt, sleeves rolled to his forearms, watching her with c

The mansion was too quiet when they returned.Elena sat stiffly in her room, staring at her trembling hands. Blood still stained her thoughts—the echo of the gunshot, the lifeless body at Adrian’s feet. She couldn’t unsee it. Couldn’t unhear it.And yet, beneath the horror, another memory pressed against her chest: Adrian’s body shielding hers, his hand steady on her waist, his voice sharp and protective.It tore her in two.The door opened without a knock. Adrian entered, jacket discarded, shirt sleeves rolled back. His presence filled the room, heavy as smoke.“You’re still shaking,” he said simply, crossing to her.“Stay away,” Elena whispered, pulling back.He stopped, head tilting, dry humor curving his mouth. “After everything? You think distance will save you?”Her eyes burned. “I saw you kill a man.”His gaze darkened, but his voice stayed calm. “And I saved you. Do you think they would’ve spared you if they got to me first? My world doesn’t forgive weakness, Elena. It devours