Chapter 41

JUST US The footsteps belonged to no one important. A staff member crossed the corridor carrying a stack of folders, offered a polite greeting, and disappeared again without a second glance. "I think we're becoming paranoid," Helen said. "A little." "A little?" He smiled. "We came all the way here to avoid being interrupted." "Fair point." At one point, they found a secluded terrace overlooking the courtyard below. Helen settled onto a cushioned bench beneath the shade of a large umbrella while Cole disappeared briefly and returned carrying two glasses of iced tea. "You keep leaving and coming back with things." He handed her a glass. "I like being useful." "You run an entire company."&

Chapter 42

THE HOUR PASS Helen's lips curved into a playful smile as she gazed at Cole, a mix of amusement and affection shining in her eyes. The subtle dance of emotions between them created an atmosphere charged with a blend of lightheartedness and underlying desire. "So this was your plan all along?" she teased, her voice carrying a hint of teasing accusation. Cole met her gaze with a twinkle in his eyes, a knowing smile playing at the corners of his lips. "My plan?" he repeated, feigning innocence. "To keep me here all day," Helen continued, her tone light yet filled with a touch of curiosity. The corners of Cole's mouth lifted further, his smile widening as he nodded. "I believe I may have mentioned something to that effect," he admitted, his voice laced with warmth and a hint of mischief. Helen shook her head in mock disapproval, her eyes dancing with laughter. "Y

Chapter 43

THE HOUR AFTER The city stretched endlessly beneath them. From this height, New York looked softer somehow. The endless noise that usually defined it reduced to distant movement and scattered light — yellow cabs crawling through streets below like slow sparks, skyscrapers standing illuminated against a sky that had given up on darkness and settled instead for a deep, bruised blue. The private terrace was quiet. Protected from the rest of the building. Protected from questions. Protected from reality. At least for tonight. Helen sat between Cole's legs on the oversized outdoor sofa, her back resting against his chest, his arms loose around her waist. The blanket they'd pulled out an hour ago had been mostly forgotten, pooled somewhere around their legs, because his warmth was enough and they'd both stopped preten

Chapter 44

REALITY ARRIVES For a few seconds, neither of them moved. The phones continued vibrating against the quiet of the terrace, insistent and ill-timed, and the peaceful bubble they had spent an entire day carefully building suddenly felt very fragile. Helen looked down first. *Mom.* Of course. Across from her, Cole stared at his own screen. The slight tightening of his jaw told her everything before he spoke. "Your mother?" Helen nodded. "Yours?" A short exhale. "My mother." Helen laughed despite herself. Not because anything was funny — because the timing was almost too perfect to be accidental. They had hidden from the entire world for one day. One single day. And somehow, without coordination or conspiracy, both their mothers had found them at precise

Chapter 45

TRUTH BETWEEN FRIENDS Linda had frozen the moment she'd looked down. The mug had nearly slipped. Because what she was seeing — *what she was certain she was seeing* — was her best friend and closest colleague emerging from a luxury car, flushed and soft-eyed and wearing an expression Linda had never once seen on her face at the office. And Cole Lucas. *Cole Lucas.* Pulling away from the curb like a man who had just had a very, very good day. Linda blinked. Once. Twice. "No." Helen disappeared through the front entrance, entirely oblivious. Linda pressed closer to the glass. "Absolutely not." The car rounded the corner and was gone. Linda remained at the window for a long moment, repl

Chapter 46

THE TRUTH SHE COULDN'T HIDE For a few seconds, Helen couldn't answer. The apartment felt unnaturally still. Even the clock on the wall seemed louder than usual, each tick filling the silence her mother was patiently, deliberately leaving open. Her mother stood across from her. Not impatiently. Not with a raised voice or sharp expression. Just waiting — with the composed certainty of a woman who already knew the answer and was simply giving her daughter the dignity of arriving at it herself. That made it harder. Helen had always found it easier when her mother was angry. Anger was something to push against. This was different. This was the quiet before the real conversation — the kind that came wrapped in concern and love and made every prepared excuse dissolve before it could be spoken. "Helen." Her name.