Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 81 - Chapitre 90

The first morning of her marriage was the first morning Avaline Hart had ever woken up without a plan for escape.She opened her eyes slowly.Sunlight stretched across the bedroom, touching the white curtains, the scattered petals still caught beneath the furniture, and the wedding ring on her finger.For a moment, panic tightened her chest.Then she remembered.The wedding.The vows.Eliam.Her husband.Avaline stared at the ring.She had once worn a wedding band as part of an assignment. That ring had been a weapon disguised as jewelry, a reminder that every smile she gave Eliam had once been part of a lie.This one was different.No threats.No conditions.No eighteen-month clause.No Dante Moretti waiting for her to fail.She had chosen this.And somehow, that frightened her more than the contract ever had.Because choice meant there was something real to lose.She turned her head.Eliam was asleep beside her, his face softer without the usual lines of concentration between his br

For three seconds, Avaline forgot how to breathe.She knew that face.She had seen it in photographs from her childhood. She remembered the shape of his eyes, the slight bend in his nose, the way his mouth curved when he smiled.She remembered those things because they were some of the last pieces of her childhood she had managed to keep.The man standing beside Elena Blackwood was Daniel Hart.Her father.“No,” she whispered.Eliam turned toward her.“Avaline?”She stepped closer to the screen.The photograph was old, but there was no mistaking him.Her father’s dark hair.His narrow jaw.The small scar above his eyebrow.She knew that scar.She had once asked him about it when she was eight.He had laughed and told her he had been careless with a kitchen knife.Now she knew that had been a lie.“That’s my father.”Nobody spoke.Marcus slowly lowered his hands from the keyboard.“Your father?”Avaline nodded.“He died when I was twelve.”The words sounded strange coming out of her mo

The first thing Avaline heard the next morning was the sound of something crashing downstairs. She sat upright so quickly that her heart began racing before she was fully awake, and for one terrifying second, every instinct she had spent years training took over. Her eyes moved across the bedroom, searching for danger, while her hand reached toward the empty space beside her.Then she heard Gabriella shout his name from downstairs, followed by another crash and Eliam’s frustrated voice. Avaline threw the blanket aside and hurried out of bed, grabbing the first piece of clothing she could find before making her way down the stairs. When she reached the kitchen, she stopped at the doorway and stared at the scene in front of her.Eliam Blackwood, billionaire CEO, ruthless businessman and a man who could silence an entire boardroom with one look, was standing barefoot in front of the stove wearing grey sweatpants and a black T-shirt. His dark hair was messy, there was flour across one che

Eliam remained silent for several seconds after Avaline spoke, and the longer he said nothing, the more she felt the familiar tension building between them. She had expected resistance because she knew how protective he could become when it came to her, but she hadn’t expected the quiet look in his eyes as he studied her across the room. Gabriella sat between them, watching their faces with the seriousness of a child who knew something important was happening even if she didn’t understand what it was.“What kind of work?” Eliam finally asked. “Teaching.”“You want to go back to the school?” “Yes.”“When?”“As soon as they’ll have me.”His eyes narrowed slightly. “You’ve already decided?”“I’ve been thinking about it for a while.”“Why didn’t you tell me?”Avaline lowered her eyes for a moment. “Because I wasn’t sure how you’d react.”“You’re a billionaire who thinks every problem can be solved by throwing money at it.”“I don’t throw money at everything.”“You tried to buy the restaur

The next morning, Avaline woke before the alarm and found Eliam already awake, lying beside her with his eyes fixed on the ceiling. For several seconds, neither of them spoke, but Avaline knew exactly what he was thinking because Gabriella’s innocent question from the night before had followed them into bed.“You’re thinking about it,” she whispered. Eliam turned his head toward her. “So are you.”She smiled faintly. “Maybe.”He reached for her hand beneath the blanket. “I don’t want Gabriella’s question to make us feel like we have to decide anything.”“Neither do I.”“I want children with you,” he admitted quietly. “Someday. But only when we both want that future.”Her heart softened. “I want that too.”Eliam lifted her hand to his lips. “Then we wait until it’s our choice.” Avaline smiled. “Our choice.”Downstairs, Gabriella was already waiting for them at the breakfast table, her stuffed rabbit sitting in the chair beside her.“Did you decide?” she asked immediately.Eliam stopped