บททั้งหมดของ Marrying the Tyrant: You Will Regret Killing Me, Ex-Husband!: บทที่ 21 - บทที่ 30

Diego's POV.By midnight, the table between us had disappeared under paper.Medical intake forms. Discharge summaries. A treatment history I'd built for a private facility outside Palermo — one that actually existed, whose director actually owed me a debt large enough to guarantee his silence for the rest of his life. If anyone with real subpoena power ever went looking, they'd find exactly enough truth to stop looking further, and that was my plan."If anyone asks about the facility director," I said, sliding the folder across to her, "his name is Dr. Enzo. He retired eighteen months ago. Convenient, but also true, which is why we picked him.""And if they want to reach him directly?""They won't. But if it ever comes to that, his retirement includes a standing arrangement to confirm you existed."Lily rubbed her eyes and reached for the next stack, and I let myself watch her do it a second longer than required.Two years. I was writing a version of the worst stretch of her life onto

Lily's POV.Eleanor Whitfield's office smelled like old books and coffee.She didn't stand when her assistant showed us in,  she just looked up over a pair of reading glasses, taking her time assessing or profiling both of us before she said a word."Lily Vance," she said finally, setting down her pen. "Or is it Rookwood now. I confess I've lost track of which name the papers have settled on this week.""Rookwood," I said as I took the seat across from her without waiting to be offered it. "Thank you for seeing us on short notice, Mrs

Lily's POV.“Diego, no,” I whispered as he offered me his hand.The orchestra chose that exact moment to shift into something slower, the crowd around us thinning toward the dance floor."One dance," Diego said. "You've earned a break from terrifying people for five minutes.""Only five?""I know you. Six, and you'll find someone else to dismantle."I let him lead me out, laughing despite myself, the adrenaline from Bell still coursing through my veins.His hand settled at my waist, and I was aware of it in a way I hadn't let myself be all this while. The warmth of his palm through the dress. The careful, deliberate space he left between us that wasn't really space at all, just enough room for the illusion of space.I knew this dance. I knew exactly how he moved. It was unhurried, certain, like the rest of the room had agreed to slow down for him rather than the other way around. I knew the particular way his jaw tightened when he was holding something back, and I could see it now,

Lily's POV.The studio felt different this time.Maybe it was the eight-day countdown sitting heavier in my chest than it had during the last broadcast, or maybe it was simply that I remembered every detail of the last time I'd sat on this exact sofa — the weight of Diego's hand at the back of my neck, the words he'd said that neither of us had circled back to since, it all came crashing down at once.Celia greeted us with the same warmth as before, though I felt her eyes linger on us a beat longer than required. I ignored her completely, even though it was quite obvious that she was profiling us, trying to see if what we had was true or fake.Not that she would find out, of course. We didn’t spend two years off the grid simply to get rattled out by anyone."You two have had quite the week," she said, leading us toward the set."We try to keep things interesting," Diego said dryly. Celia laughed although she looked like she couldn’t tell if Diego was joking. He was. I found myself ch

Lily's POV.Sleep wasn't coming, no matter how long I stared at the ceiling.The day was finally here. I’ve spent days with Diego, working tirelessly, moving from office to office, stacking papers upon papers for what laid ahead. Now, it was finally here, and I felt…bare.Tomorrow, the board would sit across a table from us and decide whether everything we'd built was real enough to survive. I'd crammed and rehearsed the paperwork in my head so many times the numbers had stopped meaning anything.I gave up around midnight and wandered out into the dark of the penthouse, following the faint city glow toward the l