登入Sigh. Cheers to the sailing ship. I need your motivation, you guys. Please drop your reviews and comments. Thank you ❤️ See you in the next chapter.
RHYDAR I hear her before I see her. Her footsteps thunder down the stairs. With her backpack bouncing and her keys jingling, she lets out the frantic huff of breath she inherited from her mother when she's excited and trying to pretend she's not. "Daddy! Daaaad! Does this look okay?" I turn just in time to see my youngest daughter skid around the corner. Fuck me. I'm not ready. Anessa is wearing her uniform—a plaid skirt, a fitted blazer, knee-high socks—and she looks... she looks like someone pressed fast-forward on her life. Yesterday she was a toddler who thought glue sticks were delicious. Now she's taller, confident, and beautiful, her hair in a perfect ponytail that Nova did helped with. She's grown much too fast. Her grey eyes sparkle when she sees me. "Well? Dad? Say something." Something? I can't speak. My throat has been hijacked. She laughs as if she knows exactly what's happening. Then she walks right up to me, stands on her tiptoes, and kisses my cheek. "B
NOVA The kids fall asleep in record time. Probably from the sugar crash. Probably also because Rhy let them help "clean," and they ran around the penthouse like caffeinated raccoons chasing invisible spirits.I stand in the doorway of their bedroom for a moment, smiling at their tiny, exhausted bodies before I quietly pull the door shut.When I turn around, Rhydar is leaning against wall of the hallway. He's still wearing that stupid "Kiss the Chef, He's Hot" apron and looking like he was handcrafted by sinful gods with nothing better to do.His eyes darken the moment he sees me. And yeah... I don't miss the way they drop straight to my belly."Everything okay, little mouse?" he murmurs."Yeah," I mumble. "They're out."A slow, knowing smile curves his lips. He pushes off the wall, taking slow, predatory steps toward me.It's been months of me being way too pregnant for anything remotely... athletic. But with the way he's looking at me right now? Oh, I could run a damn marathon.
NOVA The camera light is bright enough to make my eyes water, but I blink slowly and cross my legs as elegantly as a woman who is currently carrying a baby the size of a watermelon possibly can. The interviewer, a woman with perfect posture and a dangerously polished smile, beams at me. "Nova Lynette Kane," she says, leaning forward as if she's about to ask me whether I've hidden a secret empire somewhere. "New York's fastest-rising fashion designer... and wife of the youngest billionaire in the city. How does that feel?" I smile sweetly. "Heavy." She blinks. "Heavy?" I gesture vaguely at my stomach. "I mean look at me. I'm carrying his child, his legacy, and his emotional support needs. It's a lot." She bursts into laughter, the crew behind her snickering. "But seriously," she tries again, "not everyone gets to marry someone like Rhydar Kane. The tabloids call him the hottest man in NYC." "Oh trust me," I say, flipping my hair over my shoulder, "I've seen him shirtless.
NOVA The corridor smells faintly of antiseptic. My movements are slower, not just because of the baby growing inside me but because of the heaviness in my chest. It’s been five months. Five months of carrying a little piece of Rhy and me, a little piece of our future. I push open the door to the infirmary, and my gaze immediately falls on Theo. I couldn’t bring myself to come to him before now. In fact, it had taken me quite a lot of effort to finally visit. He looks smaller than I remember. His shoulders are slumped, his hands shaking slightly as he fidgets with a worn bracelet around his wrist. His eyes are clouded with exhaustion and guilt. "Nova," he rasps, forcing out a small, crooked smile. "You... you came." I nod, moving closer. "I did. How... how are you?" My voice cracks. Theo shakes his head. "I'm... better than I was. I have to be." He pauses, as if weighing whether to speak further, then he exhales shakily. "I never told you... I had a sister. She... she used t
RHYDAR The word hits me like a fucking grenade to the chest. Pregnant. My girl is carrying our pup. Holy shit. We used condoms every time. Every damn time. And yet... this happened. For a second, everything inside me goes silent.My gaze snaps to Nova, and I notice the way her hand subconsciously drifts toward her stomach. A startling clarity hits me like a tornado.My child. My woman.A loud, cruel laugh echoes through the library."You won't live long enough to see that child, boy."A strange coldness spreads through my veins, frost creeping over my bones. The corner of my lips lifts slowly."Is that so?"The god hums in amusement. "You made a deal. Your life for her hearing. That's the cost. Your body is already failing."I drag my tongue over my teeth and lift my chin."Is that really what you think?""There is no escaping fate," he growls, but I'm not listening anymore.Because beneath my skin, deep in my consciousness, Blaze stirs for the first time in forever. His growl vi
NOVA "You're not. Don't say that. Don't—" I say, desperate to counter his dreadful words and the fear in his beautiful grey eyes."I need... to tell you something." His voice cracks mid-sentence. "Nova, I... I'm sorry."I can't help but whimper. He looks like he's fading."Rhydar... what do you mean?" I whisper, brushing my thumb along his jaw. "Talk to me. Please."Another tear rolls down his cheek, and I wipe it away quickly.His throat bobs. "I... might've... made a deal... with the dark god."I freeze, the air vanishing from my lungs."What?" I croak. "Rhydar—no—what did you do?"He winces as another wave of pain tears through him. Blood stains the corner of his mouth again. "Your hearing... Nova, you were... breaking. I couldn't watch it anymore. He—he offered me a trade."My vision blurs with tears as I shake my head vehemently. "No. No, no, no...Rhy, why would you do that? Why would you—?!"His hand reaches for my cheek, his cold fingers trembling. "Because if someone ha
RHYDAR The morning sun is slipping through the blinds, but I haven't slept since he got here. Creed. Or...whatever the hell that thing is, wearing Leo Creed's skin. I sit on the edge of my bed, my body still vibrating from the scent. His scent. It's fruity, floral, and fucking addictive. It's
NOVA My head is spinning now. What is he talking about? The last thing he talked about with Leo? How the heck am I supposed to know what it was about? Panic claws at my throat, but I shove it down. If I hesitate for even a second, he'll see right through me. So, I force my expression to harden, m
NOVA My hands curl into fists, my nails digging deep into my palms. The beaded scent blockers throb with heat as my body fights the truth of the bond, but it's there. It's undeniable. My skin prickles, my throat tightening. I'm drowning in his scent already. There's a tinge of something sweet u
NOVA They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. But the girl in the mirror with the dead blue eyes doesn't have one. Her face is barely recognizable under all that makeup, and her hair's been twisted into some high-society monstrosity that makes my scalp ache. I'm draped in white silk that i







