Chapter 13 - Learning to Believe AgainHealing was not romantic.
It was slow.
There were nights when Elena woke screaming.
There were mornings when she could not enter a staircase.
Sometimes Adrian reached for her hand and she instinctively pulled away.
He never became angry.
He waited.
He learned her fears.
He learned when to speak.
And when to remain silent.
He moved out of the mansion temporarily.
They rented a quiet house near the coast.
For the first time, Elena woke up without hearing security guards outside her door.
She could hear birds.
Ocean waves.
And Adrian making terrible coffee.
She laughed one morning.
It was the first genuine laugh he had heard from her in months.
He smiled.
“Was the coffee really that bad?”
She nodded.
May you like
“Criminally bad.”
And for the first time, their future felt possible.
Related Stories
Chapter 14 - The NurseryAdrian wanted to build the most beautiful nursery money could buy.
Chapter 15 - The Wedding She Never ExpectedAdrian did not propose with a diamond the first time.
Chapter 16 - The BirthMonths later, Elena went into labor during a thunderstorm.
Chapter 17 - A Different Kind of WealthOne year later, the Blackwood mansion had changed.
Chapter 18 - The LetterOn their son's first birthday, Elena found an envelope waiting on the doorstep.
Chapter 19 - The Secret Behind the SecretThe second envelope contained a document.
