Mara
Lucian made love to me that morning with a depth I hadn’t felt in weeks—tender but needy, as though he was clinging to this moment of peace after surviving a storm.
I could feel the weight lifting off his shoulders, the unspoken relief that Richard was finally in good hands… and that Tina was no longer a threat to what we’d built.
She was gone.
And with her departure came a quiet kind of freedom.
While I stood in front of the mirror, pulling on my dress, I found myself thinking back to the day I packed up my things and left this very mansion.
Back then, I truly believed Lucian was still in love with Tina. That he hadn’t chosen me fully. I was so sure, I ran—and nearly lost everything. It felt like a lifetime ago.
I giggled at the memory, soft and low.
Lucian glanced up from
