Chapter 8: Not Just Once
584 Words
The knock at the door didn’t come again.
Whoever left the package was gone, and Adrian wasn’t taking chances. Security swept the hallway, confirmed it was clear, and only then did the tension in his shoulders ease a fraction.
Leo was asleep again on the couch, dinosaur blanket pulled up to his chin.
Lilia leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed, trying to stop her hands from shaking.
“You were right,” she said quietly. “We can’t stay here.”
Adrian stood across from her, tie loosened, jacket off. For the first time in years, he didn’t look like a CEO. He looked like the man she married.
“So you’ll come to the penthouse?”
Lilia exhaled. “For Leo’s sake. Yes.”
Relief flashed across his face, gone as quickly as it came.
“I’ll have the car ready in 20 minutes. Security will pack your things.”
She nodded. She should feel safer. She did.
But there was something else in the air now. Something she hadn’t felt in 5 years.
Adrian stepped closer.
“Thank you,” he said. “For letting me be here. For letting me meet him.”
Lilia looked up at him. “Don’t make me regret it.”
“I won’t.”
The space between them disappeared slowly, like both of them were afraid that if they moved too fast, the moment would break.
Adrian’s hand came up, brushing her cheek with his thumb, the same way he did under the umbrella earlier.
“You’re still beautiful, Lila,” he whispered. “Still infuriating. Still mine.”
Lilia’s breath caught. “I’m not yours, Adrian.”
“Aren’t you?” His voice was low, rough. “Leo says otherwise. My body says otherwise.”
Her heart was pounding. She should step back. She should say no.
She didn’t.
“Adrian—”
He didn’t let her finish. He kissed her.
It wasn’t hesitant. It wasn’t careful.
It was 5 years of anger, longing, and regret crashing into one moment.
Lilia kissed him back before she could think about why she shouldn’t. Her hands gripped his shirt, pulling him closer, as if letting go meant losing him again.
“Bedroom,” she whispered against his mouth.
Adrian didn’t need to be told twice.
---
_Fade to black._
The rest of the night belonged to them.
No stalker, no board meetings, no 5-year-old questions.
Just two people finding their way back to each other in the dark, letting themselves be a couple again, if only for a few hours.
---
*One week later*
Lilia stood in the bathroom of Adrian’s penthouse, staring at the small plastic stick in her hand.
Two lines.
Her hands trembled.
The door opened behind her.
Adrian stepped in, still in a towel from the shower, his hair damp.
“What’s wrong?” he asked immediately.
Lilia turned, holding out the test.
Adrian looked at it, then at her.
For a long second, he didn’t move.
Then he crossed the room in two strides and pulled her into his arms.
“You’re sure?” he murmured into her hair.
Lilia nodded, tears pricking her eyes.
“Positive.”
Adrian pulled back just enough to look at her. His eyes were shining.
“Another baby,” he said softly. “Lila… we’re having another baby.”
Outside, London glittered under the night sky.
Inside, for the first time in years, it felt like they had a future.
*The End of Book 1
- Writer
