All Chapters of Forbidden To Touch, Fated To Love: Chapter 11

♥ RAYMOND'S POV ♥The taxi pulls up to the lodge and I step out, suitcase in hand, the sea air hitting me like a cold slap.I stand there for a moment, looking up at the building. It's smaller than I expected—weathered grey wood, a sagging porch, windows that have seen better decades. The sea stretches out beyond it, grey and restless, the sky the same colour as the water."This is it," I mutter to myself, dragging my suitcase toward the entrance.The lodge is simple inside. A narrow bed. A desk. A kitchenette that looks like it's been used maybe twice in the last ten years. I drop my suitcase by the door, stretch my arms over my head, and decide I need to move. Stretch my legs. Clear my head.I've been thinking about this moment for weeks—the transfer, the proximity, the chance to see her again. I told myself it was strategic. Practical. She needed someone watching out for her, and I happened to be in a position to do it.I'm a terrible liar.The path behind the lodge winds along the