Chapter 94

Bianca’s POV

I let the hot water flow down my body, tingling in my nipples, and down drops, slipping into my entrance.

After a long day like today, a warm shower was always the perfect way to calm my nerves a little.

The steam still clung to my skin when I stepped out of the bathroom.

I tied my robe tighter and padded barefoot across the marble floor, the cold biting against my skin, grounding me.

The house was quiet… the kind of quiet that made you aware of your own heartbeat.

I poured myself a cup of coffee, the smell curling through the air, a bitter, yet familiar smell.

My life had been like this for months now, the peace th, the quiet… and to be honest, I liked it.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

The sharp sound sliced through the silence.

“Alex,” I called out, my tone sharp.

My butler appeared almost instantly from the hallway, keeping his posture straight and firm and his expression neutral.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Check who it is,” I said, setting my cup down.

He nodded and disappeared toward the door while I stood still, my fingers brushing absently against the rim of my mug.

It was unusual for someone to be at my door, especially back here in the city.

I hadn't told anyone my location and I didn't plan on it anytime soon.

A few moments later, Alex reappeared back in the diner.

“There’s a man waiting for you in the living room, ma’am.”

I barely looked up. “And his name?”

He hesitated for a moment and that pause was enough to make my chest tighten.

“His name is Damien Sinclair.”

The mug almost slipped from my hand. Coffee splashed against my wrist as I felt a hot burn, but I didn’t feel it.

For a second, I didn’t breathe. My pulse hammered in my throat, a single thought echoing through my mind.

Why him? Of all the people that could be in my living room.. Him?

I placed the cup down carefully, as if any sudden movement would make everything collapse.

“Tell him I’ll be there,” I said quietly.

“Yes Ma’am” Alex nodded and stepped away.

I gave myself a minute, maybe more trying to gather the courage to face him.

The living room felt colder than usual when I walked in.

He was there… sitting on the edge of the couch, his back straight and one hand resting on the armrest. Damien Sinclair.

He looked just as annoyingly breathtaking as the first time I saw him and I hated that.

I crossed the room slowly, my heartbeat steadying only because I refused to let him see the effect he still had on me.

“You’re stalking me now?” My tone was flat and detached.

Damien didn’t flinch. “Not stalking,” he said. “I just sent someone to find you. I had to know where you live.”

My lips curved in a bitter smile. “Why? So you could draw up another contract? Humiliate me again?”

He shook his head, his voice lower this time. “No. I’m sorry about all that, Bianca.”

“Enough,” I snapped, the sound echoing through the room. “It’s not Bianca anymore. It’s Lyra. And I don’t need your apology.”

His jaw tightened, guilt flicking over his face for a second.

“Then what the fuck do you need from me?” His voice broke the calm. “I’ve done everything to make things right. I’ve cleared your name, I’ve fixed every goddamn mess I caused… what else do you want from me?”

His words hit hard, not just because they were true, but because of the emotion I could feel behind each word.

The sheer emotion in his tone was something I'd never heard from Damein before now and that broke me.

“Nothing,” I said finally, my voice shaking despite me. “It’s just… if I forgive you and let you back in, I’m afraid you’ll hurt me again.”

A heavy silence settled between us.

I could even hear the faint hum of the air conditioner.

Damein didn’t move for a long moment, then he stood, rising slowly and deliberately.

Then he spoke again, his voice was low.

“Bianca… Lyra…” He took a breath. “Since the day you left, I haven’t stopped thinking about you.

I didn’t understand it, I didn’t even want to, but it’s there.

Every day. Every night. You don’t just disappear from someone’s life like that and expect them to forget. Your disappearance left a hole in me.”

He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “I fucking love you,” he said.

The words hit me harder than any insult he’d ever thrown.

I fucking love you?

For a second I felt my ways deceived me. Maybe I didn't hear him right.

But he said it, he really did.

My throat tightened, my vision blurring as tears pushed through the walls I’d built for months against him.

I wanted to look away, to keep the armor up… but I couldn’t.

I just let it out “I love you too,” I whispered.

For a second, we just stood there, the air thick between us.

Then Damien reached for me, taking it slow and cautious.

Then, his hand brushed my jaw, his fingers trembling slightly.

The touch sent a rush of heat through me.

And then he leaned in and kissed me.

His lips on mine were soft at first, but the moment our lips met fully, the restraint shattered.

It was everything we’d tried to bury; in all fights and lashing out and vanishing all colliding in one desperate kiss.

My hands gripped his shirt, pulling him closer, the thick scent of his cologne flooding my senses.

For a moment, time stopped.

There was no mansion, no auction or engagement or new name. It was just him and me.. us.

That was all there was.