LOGINLiora The first time we kissed, I was under the influence of alcohol, and I couldn't really recall the details, and the ones I recalled were vague, just distant picks from a faraway place. The second time we kissed, it was unexpected, almost accidental. Even long after it happened, I had remained in a trance, wondering why and how it had happened. It immediately had my thoughts spiralling. It had left me wondering whether he was falling in love with me. It had felt like a sweet, stolen moment, one that wasn't meant to happen but was desired. Now, though, as his lips wrapped around mine, I was fully conscious and fully awake. I felt every sensation. His lips were warm and soft against mine, and his hands were wrapped protectively around my neck as he drew me closer. It was the best kiss I had ever had. His movements were slow and sensual, as if he was savouring the moment, as he slowly guided us towards a place he only understood. Moments after adjusting, my movement
Liora "Will you marry me, Liora?" Soren asked, so carefully, as if he was afraid I would say no. But no? From the moment I fell in love with him, I had, on countless occasions, dreamt of that very day, the day he would go on one knee and ask me to marry him, for real this time, not just on paper, not just like the contract suggested. At some point, I would get emotional, just thinking about it. I'd thought that day would never come. I had chided myself for wishing for too much, for living in fantasy rather than reality. Because back then, the distance between Soren and me felt like heaven and earth, too stretched that I could never catch up. And now, looking at him, at the ring box in his hand, and the expectant but nervous smile on his lips, I became emotional. It still felt like a dream, and I was afraid it would all disappear the moment I as much as blinked. In my entire life, I could tell, without doubt, that I was genuinely happy for the first time. Soren, the baby
Liora. "I want them to experience a pain a thousand times worse than what you went through." His voice was cold and emotionless as he vowed, and a shiver slid down my spine involuntarily. "What I went through?" I asked, my gaze unfocused, raw anger merging with my tone as I thought about everything the Quinns put me through. "Restricted diet," a mirthless laugh escaped from my lips as I whispered. "Donating litres of blood every other week, and on unlucky weeks, more than once.." My voice shook as I recounted. "Holding a label of a daughter while I was treated like a servant or even worse, a hostage?" I asked, and at that point, tears glossed my eyes. I thought I was over the pain, over the torture that the Quinns had inflicted on me, but recounting everything to Soren proved me otherwise. I discovered that I wasn't only still wounded, but the bitterness was raw, to the point that it burned. At that point, I realised that disappearing from the Quinns' lives and living
Liora. After staying with Soren for months, I could easily tell if he was the one who cooked a meal. There was something about his cooking, something I couldn't eat point at, that usually stood out. His meals were exceptionally good, and the breakfast that was neatly plated before me was no different. It was a simple English breakfast, and yet, it tasted better than anything I had ever had before. The meal was spent in silence, save for the occasional clicks of the cutlery. Luckily, after spending enough time with each other, we were by now accustomed to each other's presence, and even in the face of my new identity, there was no awkwardness or forced conversations. Everything flowed freely, from the way he added food to my plate to the way I quietly ate. We had done it for so many times, after all. To the point that the scene felt familiar, except for the setting. After our breakfast, I offered to clear the table, only for him to stop me, a deep frown set on his lips.
Liora After the recent discovery, my identity, my family, and all, many things were bound to change, but something never changed, not even a bit, and that was how I felt for Soren. My heart still skipped beats whenever he drew closer to me, and later it did those little flutters that had started way before I knew I had another identity out there. But then, something else developed between us, chemistry. I didn't know if it had something to do with him discovering that I was the girl that he had been searching for all along, but it felt like he became warmer, and kinder towards me. Yes. From the few things that Soren had managed to divulge to me, which according to him were of no threat, he and I were close. Well, close in the aspect that I was that little girl who asked him to marry her at a very ridiculously tender age... I blushed furiously when he said that to me. Then there was this look that he wore... Amused, as if, he couldn't believe that I had asked him that... Unl
Liora. "I found you." He whispered, his voice heated, and his fingers around my chin brought a foreign sensation that burnt all the way to my spine. "I am not losing you again." He added, his eyes holding mine, filled with so much fire, so much intensity that my legs weakened. I found you... Those words.. I didn't have my memories. I didn't know the kind of relationship I shared with Soren, but my heart seemed to understand better. It felt like he had been waiting for me, searching for me, for years, and I actually didn't know what to feel. "I am not losing you again..." he repeated, and a smile, almost mirthless, curved on my lips. If someone had told me, a few months ago, that Soren Knight would say such words to me, I would have dismissed their words as a careless bluff. In the past, he and I used to be worlds apart. An existence I wouldn't have dared to dream of. He was the Knight's heir, a name only whispered, and even then, with fear. How could I, Liora, a nobody
Liora. After our last confrontation, the following weeks passed in a blur. You know? The same routine, interning at the elite company that the Quinns paid for me to attend, playing the perfect daughter, donating blood for Seris, organising their upcoming grand engagement party, and most impo
Liora. Five minutes! I mumbled softly as I took the elevator down, not even bothering to lock the door behind me. After everything that had happened, Seris's and Tavian's betrayal, you would have expected me to rebel, especially against my foster family and their control, no? Well, I actual
Liora. A deep and pounding headache yanked me awake, and I stirred groggily from my sleep. Deep silence stretched heavily in the room, not the usual calming silence, but the kind that buzzed deep into your scalp. My body felt weak, fatigued, like I'd been run over by a speeding truck. An
Liora. Outside, the air was still the same, cold, just the way I liked it, and yet, I didn't get the familiar comfort it used to give. The snow was falling, Christmas lights flickered, merry Christmas songs weaved softly in the air, cars passed by, hooting, honking, and my eyes stung just f







