Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

There were exactly three hundred and twenty-eight lights inside Adrian Cole’s penthouse. He knew because he had counted them. Not once. Not twice. But on enough sleepless nights that the number had become impossible to forget. Three hundred and twenty-eight lights. Six bedrooms. A wine cellar that could rival a restaurant’s. A grand piano no one had played in years. A dining table that seated fourteen. One toothbrush. One coffee cup. One man. The silence was always the loudest part. Outside, Manhattan glittered beneath the first snowfall of December, every skyscraper dressed in gold and white. Inside, the only sound came from the ticking grandfather clock Eleanor had insisted on buying during their first year of marriage. “A home should sound alive,” she had said. Now every tick felt like a reminder that it wasn’t. Adrian loosened his tie and dropped his briefcase beside the marble staircase. His jacket landed on the same chair it always did. No one complained. No

Six Months later New York City Adrian Cole — 27 Marcus Bennett — 28 Sarah Bennett — 26 Kai Bennett — 8 Eleanor Hayes — 26 Adrian Cole had always believed love was something dramatic. A grand declaration. A perfect moment. A lightning strike. He was wrong. Love, it turned out, arrived quietly. It looked like coffee waiting on his desk because Eleanor had stopped by before work. It sounded like a phone call that lasted three hours when it was only supposed to last ten minutes. It felt like smiling before he’d even read her name on the screen. And sometime during those six months… Adrian stopped referring to his apartment as home. Because home was wherever Eleanor happened to be. ⸻ Marcus noticed first. He always did. One Thursday afternoon, Adrian walked into the office carrying two coffees instead of one. Marcus looked up from his laptop. “You hate carrying things.” “I know.” “You made a second stop.” “I did.” Marcus folded his ar

Two Months Later The Cole Estate New York City Adrian Cole — 27 Marcus Bennett — 28 Sarah Bennett — 26 Kai Bennett — 8 Eleanor Cole — 26 ⸻ People often said weddings were chaotic. They were wrong. Chaos implied there was some sort of order trying to exist. This… This was complete madness. “Where are the rings?” “I had them!” “No, you gave them to Sarah.” “I absolutely did not!” “I watched you!” Marcus rubbed both hands over his face. “It is eight o’clock in the morning.” “Why is everyone shouting already?” ⸻ Upstairs… Eleanor stood in front of the mirror. The room buzzed around her. Bridesmaids adjusted her veil. Someone fixed the train of her dress. Someone else searched for a missing earring. Yet Eleanor barely noticed any of it. She simply stared at her reflection. Sarah appeared behind her. “Nervous?” “A little.” Sarah smiled. “Good.” Eleanor frowned. “Good?” “It means this matters.” Sarah stepped beside her. “You know…” “The first time Adr

Six Months Later New York City Adrian Cole — 30 Eleanor Cole — 29 Marcus Bennett — 31 Sarah Bennett — 29 Kai Bennett — 11 ⸻ There was a time Adrian Cole believed happiness was fragile. Now… He believed it was growing inside his wife. Six months into Eleanor’s pregnancy, life had settled into a rhythm Adrian never wanted to end. Every morning began the same way. He would wake before dawn. Not because of work. But because Eleanor had somehow managed to steal every inch of the blanket again. He would sigh dramatically. She would pretend to be asleep. He would tug gently at the blanket. She would smile without opening her eyes. “You’ve done this on purpose.” “No…” “You’re smiling.” “I’m asleep.” “Liar.” She would finally open one eye. “I learned from the best negotiator in New York.” Adrian kissed her forehead. “I created a monster.” “You married one.” “And I’d do it again.” Every single time. Without hesitation. ⸻ Adrian had become insufferable. At leas

One Year Later New York City Adrian Cole — 31 Marcus Bennett — 32 Sarah Bennett — 30 Kai Bennett — 12 ⸻ The silence in Adrian’s apartment had become familiar. Too familiar. There were mornings he woke up expecting to hear another heartbeat beside him. Instead… There was only the hum of the air conditioner. He no longer reached for Eleanor. He had taught himself not to. Some habits died slower than others. ⸻ Work became his language. He arrived before sunrise. He left long after midnight. The employees at Aiden Corp joked that the CEO didn’t have a home. They weren’t entirely wrong. ⸻ One Friday evening… Adrian was halfway through reviewing another acquisition report when someone knocked once before walking into his office. Marcus. Without looking up, Adrian sighed. “I’m busy.” Marcus dropped a paper bag onto the desk. “I brought burgers.” “I’m still busy.” “I know.” “I’m not leaving.” “I know.” Marcus pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down. “I