Two months had passed since the morning when Zoe froze, unable to give herself to Arthur. In that moment, Arthur realized that love alone was not enough—what they needed was to face the trauma that had piled up between them with the help of a professional. That was when he suggested couples therapy. Zoe resisted at first, but eventually gave in. And from then on, week after week, they sat across from the therapist, laying bare their pain, resentment, and fears.Every session felt like reopening old wounds, exposing what had been said—and what had been swallowed. They cried. They screamed. Zoe admitted that sometimes she wanted to kill him. Arthur tried to stay calm, but he cried too, blamed himself, defended himself. There were nights when he woke up to the muffled sound of Zoe’s sobs, her back turned to him in bed. He watched her in silence, torn between the fear of losing her again and the certainty that he was doing everything he could.It was during one of those particularly inten

She stood up again, this time without resistance. She was still smiling, but her heart raced out of rhythm—a mix of nervousness and anticipation that made her feel alive in a different way. She lifted the glass dome that covered the two cups of chocolate mousse topped with fresh strawberries. Her hands trembled slightly.Arthur watched her in silence, his eyes following every movement as if she were a rare dance performed only for him. There was respect in that quiet admiration, but also a restrained, attentive desire. It wasn’t haste. It was hunger. Hunger for her.When Zoe placed the cups on the table, Arthur reached out and lightly touched her wrist, making her pause for a second.“You’re exactly like you were on our first time…” he said softly, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. “It’s good to know I still make you nervous.”Zoe slowly lifted her eyes, caught by the velvety tone of his voice. She felt her face warm, but refused to give in so easily. She smiled sideways, try

Arthur looked at Zoe as if he were still trying to process everything. His eyes were wet with tears, but the light in them went beyond emotion—it was pure awe.“I… I don’t…” he stammered, unable to form a sentence right away. He took a deep breath, as if trying to anchor himself in reality. “I never expected this. I thought this moment would never come.”Carefully, he picked up the book again and pressed it against his chest.“You have no idea how much this means to me,” he continued, his voice breaking. “Zoe… this is everything. Everything.”He lowered his gaze to the book and stayed silent for a few seconds, as if he needed to be sure it was real. Then he lifted his eyes to her again, visibly moved.“Honestly… I thought I had lost you,” he said, his eyes locked on hers, his voice filled with truth. “Even after everything I’ve been doing…”He paused, breathing deeply. The book was still held tightly against his chest, as if he feared it might slip from his hands and take that chance

Arthur leaned back in the chair, his eyes glued to her, and murmured to himself, already breathless:“I must have done something very right in this life… because this right here… is paradise.”She began to dance while untying her dress. Her movements were slow, fluid, provocative. Arthur’s gaze burned.“That lingerie… holy hell, beautiful,” Arthur said, completely hypnotized, his eyes locked on her. “My God, you pregnant and like this is my biggest fetish, Zoe.”Zoe smiled wickedly and lightly bit her lower lip as she walked toward him, naked now, her rounded belly tracing the silhouette of their new love.“You said you were going to taste me like the mousse,” she whispered, stopping right in front of him. “No rush. Savoring every piece…”She leaned closer, her hair falling to one side, her mouth near his ear.“So show me, Doctor… or are you backing out of the challenge?”Arthur let out a low, rough laugh—the kind that sent shivers straight through Zoe’s soul. His eyes slowly traveled

Silence fell between them. A dense silence, heavy with emotions that could not be contained in words. Celina raised a hand to her face, wiping away a solitary tear, her heart aching from the intensity of everything she was hearing. And yet, she admired deeply the strength of the woman sitting before her. Emma was not only her mother. She was a warrior. And now, more than ever, a heroine in her story.Emma lowered her gaze, and tears streamed down her tired yet strong face.“As I told you, your father had three jobs. He was in the army and worked at two other places,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion. “When I was five months pregnant, he went on a mission… and came back dead.”The pain in her voice pierced Celina’s chest. She said nothing, but her tear-filled eyes spoke volumes.“My world collapsed,” Emma continued, swallowing hard. “I was lost, depressed… and left to raise a daughter on my own. My father hated me for leaving home, for ruining his plans, for giving myself to y