บททั้งหมดของ Dying Was Easier Than Loving Him: บทที่ 51 - บทที่ 60

Lucas’s POVThe basin on the wooden nightstand was filled with warm water, throwing soft, flickering reflections across the bedroom ceiling. I dipped a small white cloth into the water, wringing it out slowly while my eyes remained fixed on Amelia’s face.She sat on the edge of the mattress in her dark green dress, her shoulders slumping as the last lingering traces of adrenaline drained from her limbs. A faint red bruise was already turning purple along her jawline where Ronan had grabbed her throat and three shallow scratches lined her wrist.“Hold still,” I murmured, sitting down beside her on the bed and bringing the warm cloth gently against her cheek.Amelia winced slightly, her breath catching in her throat before she leaned her face into my hand, letting out a long, shuddering exhale. “I am fine, Lucas. They are just scratches.”“They aren’t just scratches to me,” I replied, my voice dropping into a rough rasp as my thumb traced the soft skin near her temple.The quiet of the

Amelia’s POVThe yellow candle wax flickered on the small wooden desk inside our private study, casting long, swaying shadows across the stone walls. I sat frozen in the high-backed chair, staring at the thick folder resting on the blotter while my hands hovered over the faded red ribbon.Lucas pulled a stool up beside me, resting his hand flat over mine and squeezing gently. “You don’t have to open it tonight if you aren’t ready, Amelia.”“If I don’t open it now, I will stare at this red string until my head explodes,” I replied, offering a shaky, breathless laugh as I untied the knot with trembling fingers. “Besides, I dragged you away from enforcer paperwork for this. The least I can do is give you a show.”“My enforcers can survive without me for an hour,” Lucas smiled, his thumb stroking the back of my wrist in a slow, steady rhythm. “Open it.”I broke the brittle wax seal, flipping back the heavy cover to reveal pages of yellowed parchment covered in dense, precise handwriting.

Amelia’s POVThe water of the mountain lake was cool and clear, shimmering under the bright afternoon sun. I kicked my legs lazily, floating on my back while tiny ripples washed over my shoulders, taking with them the heavy dust of underground archives and old family secrets.A sudden splash beside me sent a spray of cool water straight over my face.“Lucas!” I sputtered, wiping my eyes as I sat up in the water, glaring at my husband who was grinning like a rogue wolf ten feet away.“You were looking far too serious for a day off,” Lucas teased, his broad shoulders cutting through the blue water as he swam over to me. “Enforcer rule number one: no brooding allowed near the lake.”“You made that rule up two minutes ago,” I scoffed, though a smile betrayed my feigned anger before I could stop it.“Executive privilege,” he murmured, his arms slipping around my waist in the buoyant water and pulling me flush against his warm chest.For three full days, we had left Silverpine’s politics be

Lucas’s POVThe dawn air was freezing as I took the stone steps three at a time, my boots echoing off the narrow walls of the lower holding cells. The frantic message from the morning shift supervisor had reached my bedside ten minutes ago and my jaw was locked so tight my teeth ached.When I rounded the corner, Damien was already standing in the dim corridor, staring into the dark doorway of the central cell.The heavy iron door stood wide open, its latch resting uselessly against the stone wall. Inside, the heavy silver chains lay piled on the damp dirt floor like dead snakes, completely intact with no signs of saws or forced locks.“How long?” I demanded, my voice dropping into a harsh growl as I stepped into the empty cell.“The shift changed at five in the morning,” Damien said, his face a pale, furious mask as he turned to look at me. “The night guard didn’t notice anything wrong because the window monitor was looping old footage from midnight.”“Someone wiped the security feed,

Lucas’s POVI didn’t wait for the courtyard medics to fetch a stretcher. I scooped Amelia up into my arms, holding her pale, limp frame against my chest and ran through the main gates toward our safehouse as fast as my legs could carry us.“Clear the hall!” I roared to the two guards standing near our front porch, kicking open the double doors and carrying her straight into our quiet bedroom.I laid her down gently on the soft cotton sheets, my hands trembling as I unbuttoned her collar to help her breathe. Her face was dangerously pale, her eyes closed tight while small, shallow breaths rattled in her throat. My wolf was pacing wildly inside my chest, clawing at my ribs in a frantic, unyielding panic that made my vision blur around the edges.“Lucas...” Amelia whimpered softly, her eyelashes fluttering open as her fingers weakly reached out to clutch my sleeve. “The room... it was spinning.”“I have you, sweetheart,” I whispered, pressing a quick, fierce kiss to her forehead while my