Alle Kapitel von HIS ONE NIGHT MISTAKE: Kapitel 21 – Kapitel 30

Clara POV The kitchen door swung open at dawn. I counted the seconds between each entry, maids, the cook's assistant, a man carrying crates of vegetables that left trails of dirt across the threshold. Seven people. Six minutes. No one looked at me. I sat at the small table near the pantry, a cup of tea growing cold between my hands. The steam had stopped rising, but I kept my fingers wrapped around the ceramic, letting the warmth fade slowly. I started mapping the estate route three days ago, after the second failed escape. After I escaped the kidnapper, barefoot and shaking, into the arms of the man I was trying to leave. I won't run again, without proper planning. The north path saw the most foot traffic after lunch. Gardeners pushed wheelbarrows loaded with soil and pruning shears, their boots leaving impressions in the damp grass. The west gate opened every Thursday at seven in the morning, just long enough for the delivery truck to back in, unload, and pull away. A g

Lucien's POV Sarah was still talking when I left the sitting room, her voice following me into the hallway as she explained something about a business dinner next week. I nodded once without turning around, already moving toward the back doors before she could ask me another question. The mansion was busy around me, with two maids carrying fresh linens upstairs, Pete speaking quietly with one of the gardeners near the service entrance, and the faint sound of dishes being arranged in the kitchen. I had no reason to go outside, yet my feet carried me toward the garden anyway. The afternoon sun had settled over the grounds, warming the stone paths and turning the fountain water bright beneath the trees. Clara stood near the far flowerbeds, one hand resting against the wooden fence as she looked across the property. She had changed into a simple dress, her hair loose around her shoulders, and for once she didn't look like someone waiting for permission to breathe. I stopped near the d

Clara's POV The man standing in the doorway looked nothing like the kind of person who could make Lucien Hargrove afraid for a second. He was dressed in a dark suit without a wrinkle anywhere, his black hair neatly pushed back, and there was an easy smile on his face as if he had walked into a family dinner instead of a room that had gone completely silent.“Victor Hargrove,” he said, spreading his hands slightly. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”Nobody answered at first, and I watched Lucien. His hand was still beside his wineglass, but his fingers had tightened around the stem so hard that his knuckles had gone pale, and his eyes stayed fixed on the man in the doorway.Victor's smile widened when he saw him. “Lucien.”“Victor.”They said each other's names like neither one wanted to say anything more. Victor stepped into the dining room anyway, closing the distance with the confidence, and then he turned toward the rest of us as if the tension between them didn't exist.“Sarah.”Sar

Lucien's POV I stood outside Clara’s bedroom with my hand still curled around the doorknob, listening to Dante’s footsteps disappear down the corridor. His words kept circling back through my head, each one worse than the last: She wants to leave, Well this is normal and it is already feeling like I am caging her. Should I Marcus came around the corner and stopped when he saw me. “How is she?”“Asleep,” I said, releasing the doorknob. “Get Dr. Bennett back here.”Marcus glanced toward the closed door. “You think she needs a hospital?”“I think she needs to rest more.” I turned toward him. “And I think it is high time everyone knows she is carrying my child, especially Dante.”Marcus's expression tightened. “Sir, I don't know if now is the best time.”I pushed away from the door and walked toward the stairs, but stopped halfway down. “And Marcus?”He turned.Hence forth I want you to follow Clara everywhere.The dining room had been cleared, but Victor’s untouched glass was still si

Clara's POV The last thing I remembered before I woke up was seeing Dante at the bus station.My cheek was pressed against the pillow, and the bitter taste of medicine lingered at the back of my throat. For a few seconds, I stayed still, listening to the quiet hum of the air conditioner and the faint movement somewhere beyond my bedroom door. Then I tried to sit up, and the sudden pull in my lower stomach made me stop with one hand braced against the mattress.Then I looked around, seeing familiar cottons, familiar walls. I thought I had escaped this place. Then I heard, “Easy.”Lucien’s voice came from the chair near the window.I turned my head and found him sitting there with his sleeves rolled to his elbows, a file open across one knee. His tie was missing, the top button of his shirt was undone, and his hair looked as though he had been running his fingers through it for most of the night.“You are here?”He closed the file.“Where else would I be?”I pushed myself higher agains