Lyra: the Billionaire's stolen wife

both men had trie

-

small-bare walls, old wooden floors, and no more than two rooms stacked atop a baker

rtains. No Darian. No Rafael. Just the sound of rain against the glass, the s

me-Clara Bellamy-something she'd once read in an old English sonnet. It felt safe. Distant

estions. She was a woman of war and wine, with sharp cheekbones and even sharper silences. When Elise off

ulars who knew her only as Clara. No one here cared about billionaires or mafia legends. They cared

pened and the lights di

or Ra

or Da

or he

Others were unfinished. Some were furious, others gentle, longing, co

ved bo

e hate

issed

e fear

he burn to be worthy. She remembered the way he'd whispered her name like it was a

ed her a hand instead of a leash. Who kissed her like she was alre

also watche

made h

hed her heal-then

o she

sion she was too afr

find her crying at the desk,

y, placing a hand on her shoulder. "The real pow

idn't

t wrote

that love alone could save her. Or that it wo

ked away fr

adn't left

re

l dreame

es on her lips and

g something that had once felt like a ho

-

it candles around the apartment, wrapped herself in a wool shawl, and

a knock at

o

sur

fr

here. No one

for a long tim

door, Darian stood

His hair was wet, falling into his eyes. His jaw was uns

s... they w

Hungry

he word had been lodged

idn't

hing," he continued, voice l

ter from his coat pock

he tu

d down th

a long time before closing

hook as she

Ly

mpire to protect

p me safe. Power. Money. Ru

ne of that prot

bare hands. And when you burned me, I blamed th

forgiveness. I'm no

w that you were never

re my

ver loved a

Da

er carefully and st

en she

se she mi

time, he hadn't tried to

y handed h

wrote him back-b

nside the box beneath he

-

urned from the shop to fin

she opened

uquet of wildflowers clutched in

ur letter

t it," she r

I read it

sed an

me. She said if I didn't re

Lyra muttered, steppi

her table like an apolog

. "I came to tell you I still l

torn open and stitc

hed me before

kno

secret before I had

kno

hould I tru

" he said. "I'm asking you to c

ared a

er laugh when the world t

cross the room, opened a drawe

h Daria

th Raf

r," she said, voice calm. "And I d

out the

it with sh

ned it

re

afa

me feel

r a woman who nee

to grow, no

out someone waiting a

ove

choo

Ly

breath

etter. Pressed

no

er stop l

" she wh

walke

-

d the door

e floor i

ed a thir

'd written

ad it

are

ade for leash

nd silence and mornings that

are

not his.

are

for

Ly

she

ed to th

first time

sm