Morning light spilled gently into the room, filtering through the sheer curtains in pale golden beams. The city was already awake, but inside the Wolfe mansion, everything felt still.
Adrian woke first. His eyes opened slowly, not with the sharp jolt of unrest he had grown accustomed to for years, but with a calmness he still couldn't explain. For the second time—no, the third—he had slept deeply, peacefully, and all of it had been beside her.
His gaze shifted to the woman lying beside him. Lila's dark lashes fanned across her cheeks, her lips parted slightly as she breathed in a steady rhythm. She looked untouched by the chaos of the world, soft and serene, like the one quiet place he had been searching for without knowing it.
He propped himself up on an elbow, watching her as though she might disappear if he blinked too long. Every detail of her face etched itself deeper into his memory: the delicate curve of her nose, the faint crease between her brows that appeared even in sleep, the gentle rise and fall of her chest.
He didn't just want to look—he wanted to understand. She had given him something no one else ever had. Rest. Peace. The weight that had chained his mind for years had lifted in her presence.
It wasn't coincidence anymore. It was her.
Adrian reached out slowly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. The simple touch was grounding, almost dangerous in how much he craved it. She stirred slightly, her lips pressing together before parting again, but she didn't wake.
He leaned closer, his voice a whisper meant only for her. "You're mine, Lila. You don't know it yet… but you're mine."
The words hung in the air, swallowed by the quiet of the room.
By the time Lila finally stirred awake, the sunlight had grown brighter, stretching long across the bed. She blinked a few times, her body unusually light, her mind strangely refreshed. It was rare for her to sleep so deeply, and she knew why. Her gaze shifted to her side instinctively.
Adrian was already awake, sitting at the edge of the bed with his shirt half-buttoned. He was looking down at his watch, but when he sensed her movement, his eyes immediately lifted, pinning her in place.
"Morning," he said, his voice smooth, but there was something beneath it—a satisfaction, a certainty that made her uneasy.
"Morning," she murmured, sitting up and pulling the blanket closer around her.
He studied her carefully, then tilted his head. "You slept well."
It wasn't a question.
Lila hesitated, her throat tightening. "Yes. I guess I did."
Adrian smirked faintly, turning back to his cufflinks as if her answer was exactly what he had expected. "And so did I."
The casual way he said it unsettled her more than if he'd spoken with intensity. Because she knew what he meant. She knew what he was implying.
Her fingers curled around the blanket. "Adrian…"
"Yes?" His eyes flicked back to her, sharp and unreadable.
"You're… making too much of this." She tried to steady her voice, tried to dismiss the weight of the truth hanging between them. "It doesn't mean anything. People sleep, that's all. Maybe you were just tired."
He gave a quiet, humorless laugh, standing to his full height as he adjusted his sleeves. "Tired?" He turned toward her, his eyes dark with something she couldn't name. "Lila, I've been tired my entire life. But sleep never came. Not until you."
Her lips parted, but no sound came. The conviction in his tone left no room for argument.
Adrian stepped closer, his presence overwhelming, filling the space between them. "You can lie to yourself if you want. But I know the truth now. And I don't let go of what's mine."
Her pulse quickened. "Adrian, this isn't—"
He cut her off gently, his voice dropping lower. "Do you know how many nights I've spent wide awake, fighting demons no one else could see? Do you know how many doctors told me there was no cure for the storm in my head?" His eyes burned into hers. "And then you—without even trying—you silenced it. You gave me rest."
Lila swallowed hard, torn between fear and something softer she couldn't admit. "I didn't do anything."
"You existed," Adrian countered, as though that was enough.
For a moment, the air between them thickened, heavy with tension. Lila broke eye contact first, standing quickly and moving toward the closet to find clothes for the day. "I think you're giving me too much credit," she muttered, her back turned to him.
Behind her, Adrian's lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile. She could deny it all she wanted, but he had already decided.
As she disappeared into the closet, he slipped on his suit jacket, his voice carrying easily into the space. "I have a meeting this morning, but I'll be back by noon. Be ready—we're going out."
Lila froze mid-step, turning to glance at him from the doorway. "Out? Where?"
"You'll see," he said simply, fastening his watch. "But you're not staying locked away here anymore. Not when I know what you are to me."
Her brows knitted. "And what am I to you?"
Adrian met her gaze, his answer firm, absolute. "The one who makes me whole."
The weight of his words pressed into her chest, leaving her unable to respond. She stood there, clutching the fabric in her hands, watching him walk out of the room with the same commanding stride that always left her reeling.
When the door closed behind him, she sank onto the edge of the bed, her mind racing. She had wanted distance, wanted to keep their marriage nothing more than the arrangement it had started as. But Adrian Wolfe was not a man who took lightly to revelations. Now that he had confirmed the truth for himself, she knew he wouldn't stop.
And the most terrifying part was the whisper in her own heart, the part that wondered if maybe… just maybe… she didn't want him to.
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