All Chapters of Dear Stranger, Kiss Me at My Husband's Wedding. : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

CallistaMy hand was still trembling when I stood outside my parents’ house, and even though the night air was cold enough to sting my skin, it was nothing compared to the heaviness sitting inside my chest.That word used to mean safety to me, and now it felt like something I was walking into blindly without knowing whether I would come out the same person again.I turned slightly and looked at Luca standing beside the car, calm and unmoving like he always was, and somehow that alone made me hesitate because I had gotten used to him being there, like a shield I didn’t fully understand but somehow trusted anyway.“You don’t have to go in if you’re scared,” he said quietly, his voice low and controlled, but it didn’t sound like pity, it sounded like certainty.“I’m not scared,” I answered quickly, even though my fingers betrayed me by curling tighter into my palm.His eyes lingered on me for a second longer than necessary, and then he stepped closer, just enough that I could feel his pr

CallistaI tried not to cry in front of him. There were no more screams from my mother. No more cold stares from my father. No more pretending I was strong enough to survive their words.It was just me and him and suddenly I felt everything at once.The ache that had lived inside me for years.My chest tightened so painfully that I couldn’t breathe properly anymore. I pushed the car door open too quickly and stepped outside before Luca could say anything, but the tears came anyway.The night air brushed against my face as I wrapped my arms around myself tightly, trying to stop the shaking in my body. The city lights blurred in front of me because my eyes wouldn’t stop filling.“Callista.” His voice was quieter now.I wiped my face fast. “I’m fine.”A terrible lie, my voice cracked immediately after.I heard the car door shut behind me. Then his footsteps approached slowly.The kind that made my heartbeat nervous for reasons that had nothing to do with fear.“You’re crying hard enough

DaelanThe way Elysia said, “Did Luca do this?” made my entire body freeze for half a second.That woman noticed weakness the same way sharks smelled blood in water.The kitchen suddenly felt too hot, the shattered glass on the floor reflecting the dim chandelier lights while my fingers tightened painfully around the whiskey bottle in my hand. My breathing was uneven already from the alcohol, from the rage, from the humiliating reality crashing into me all at once.And somehow hearing Luca’s name out loud made it worse because it made everything real.I laughed bitterly before taking another drink directly from the bottle. “You talk too much,” I muttered.Elysia stared at me for another second, then suddenly…she burst out laughing.That bitch laughed loudly, dramatically, like she had just heard the funniest joke in the world.I frowned immediately. “What the fuck is funny?”“Oh my God,” she wheezed, pressing a hand dramatically against her chest while trying to breathe through her la

DaelanMy entire body felt like it had been dragged across broken glass and then thrown down a flight of stairs, and while every bruise pulsed angrily beneath my skin, my pounding headache wasn't doing me any favors either.Groaning, I dragged my hand through my messy hair and slowly pushed myself off the couch, but the moment my feet touched the floor, pain shot through my leg and forced another curse from my mouth."Fuck."The mansion was eerily quiet, and although I had always enjoyed peace after a long day, this silence felt different because it wasn't peaceful at all, it felt empty.Yesterday, servants had been moving through the hallways, maids had been cleaning nonstop, and someone had always been nearby whenever I needed something, but now there was nothing except the sound of my own footsteps echoing through the massive house.And whose fault was that? Because in my drunken wisdom, I had apparently fired every single person who worked here.Absolutely brilliant.I limped towar

Callista"Please... don't hurt my parents."The words escaped before I could stop them, and although my voice trembled from hours of crying, I still forced myself to look directly into Luca's eyes because I needed to know whether the darkness people whispered about truly existed inside him.Streetlights passed outside the car windows one after another, while the city slowly disappeared behind us, and although Luca's hands rested calmly against the steering wheel, something dangerous still surrounded him like a shadow that refused to leave.He frightened powerful men, he ruined companies with a single phone call, and yet the man sitting beside me somehow made me feel safer than my own family ever had.His fingers tapped the wheel once before becoming still, and although his expression remained unreadable, I noticed his jaw tightening."Why would I hurt them?" he asked quietly.I swallowed hard because I suddenly realized how foolish my question sounded."They made you cry."The answer