جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 30

~~~Soraya~~~The words hung between us like a blade."Declan Shaw," I said again, louder this time, my voice slicing through the pounding bass that rattled the walls of the club. "If you leave this club with her, then it's over. I'm done pretending."The music never stopped.People kept dancing around us like they couldn't feel the tension crackling in the air, like they couldn't see the way my entire world had narrowed down to one man standing a few feet away.Riley's arm was still wrapped around his waist.She leaned into him with a confidence that made my stomach twist, her manicured fingers resting against his stomach while a smug smile spread across her glossy lips. She looked at me like she'd already won.Like Declan belonged to her.She tipped her head toward him and whispered something into his ear.I couldn't hear a single word.But I saw the way his shoulders stiffened.My heartbeat slammed against my ribs so violently it hurt.Declan didn't move.He just stared at me.The f

~~~Soraya~~~The penthouse was quiet in a way it rarely was. No cameras. No teammates. No sponsors watching our every move. Just the soft hum of the city far below and the two of us sitting on the couch, closer than we’d been in weeks without an audience.I could still feel the ghost of Declan’s hand in mine from the walk back to the car. The way he’d held on like he was afraid the world might try to pull us apart again. Now we sat with only a few inches between us, the silence thick and heavy with everything we hadn’t said.He was watching me closely. Not in the usual arrogant, challenging way. This was different. His stormy gray eyes traced my face slowly, like he was seeing me for the first time. The tension that had been building between us for weeks, the fights, the kisses, the forced proximity felt like it was finally reaching its breaking point.“Soraya,” he said softly.The sound of my name in his voice did something dangerous to my chest. I turned to face him fully. His expr

~~~Soraya~~~The morning light felt too bright, it almost blind me. I lay in bed, staring at nothing, Declan’s arm draped heavily across my waist and the other on my boobs. His breathing was deep and even, the steady rise and fall of his chest a quiet reminder that last night had been real. My body still hummed with the memory of his touch, he had been gentle, patient, careful in ways I hadn’t expected from someone I’d spent years hating, I couldn't focus too much on the ache in my lower body, my mind wouldn’t stop spinning.How did his father not know?The great Dinnaro Shaw, renowned world winning hockey player, and Ex National Sports President.The contract had been arranged through the university and the sponsor. It was supposed to be a private arrangement to save both our futures. But Declan’s family was wealthy. Influential. His father had always been a looming figure in his life the man who expected perfection, who had shaped Declan into the captain he was today. How had somet

Soraya’s POVI stood by the windows, staring out at the city below, my arms wrapped tightly around myself. Declan’s father’s words still echoed in my head, sharp, cutting, impossible to ignore. The way he had looked at me like I was nothing more than a gold digger who had trapped his son. The way he had demanded Declan choose between his future and me. I heard Declan’s footsteps behind me, slow and deliberate. He stopped a few feet away, giving me space but not leaving me alone. That was something I was starting to appreciate about him, he knew when to push and when to wait.“Soraya,” he said softly.I turned to face him.He looked exhausted, the weight of the morning pressing down on his shoulders, but his eyes were steady. Determined.He stepped closer, slow enough that I could have moved away if I wanted to.I didn’t.“I meant what I said,” he continued, voice low. “I’m not letting you go. Not because of my dad. Not because of the contract. Not because of any of it.”I searched hi

~~~Soraya~~~The penthouse felt too big. I paced the living room in slow circles, my bare feet silent on the cool marble floor. The city lights twinkled far below the windows, indifferent to the storm raging inside me. My phone was clutched tightly in my hand, the screen already dim from how many times I had checked it. I dialed Declan’s number again.It rang. Once.Twice.Three times.Then it went to voicemail. The same generic message I had heard four times already tonight.“Hey, it’s Declan. Leave a message.”I hung up without speaking. My thumb hovered over the screen, debating whether to try one more time. The text from the unknown number still burned in my mind.“Declan just boarded a flight. He’s gone to Australia. I guess he choose his future over a temporary fake marriage. Good luck explaining that to everyone.”I wanted to believe it was a lie. Another cruel game from whoever was still pulling strings behind the scenes.But the silence from Declan made doubt creep in like co