Stella's POV Morning light slipped through the gaps in the curtains, like it was trying to force my eyes open. But I'd been awake for a long time. I couldn't sleep. My body still ached, not just physically, but somewhere much deeper. The night before clung to my skin like something I wouldn't be able to wash off. Damian was standing beside the bed, buttoning his white shirt. He didn't even look at me when I said good morning. In fact, he only answered with a dry, unintelligible murmur, as if any extra word would be a waste of time. I sat up slowly, pulling the sheet over my body. Not that it mattered. He'd already seen me in every possible way. "I… I'm going to take a shower," I murmured. "Do that. But don't take too long," he replied without emotion, adjusting his cuffs and checking his watch. "You're going to work, right?" "I am." "Good. I'll see you there." He left the bedroom without another word or looking back. No trace of concern. As if the night we'd just shared

Damian's POV I left the club after my father dismissed me and got into my car. I slid my finger under the flap of the envelope he'd given me and opened it. Inside was a fully drafted engagement contract. My name and Sophie Peterson's sat side by side in elegant lettering. The agreement looked more like a corporate merger than an emotional commitment. "Terms of union and cohabitation." "Integration of family assets." "Joint wealth valuation projections." "Responsibility for heirs and primary education." All of it written as if I were a prize bull at a genetic auction. On the second page, a schedule. Public dinners. Joint appearances. And the official engagement announcement date. Two months from now. I thought of Sophie. And the whole thing reeked of manipulation. I closed my eyes for a moment, tension crawling up the back of my neck and pulsing at my left temple. My breathing slowed. I wasn't going to walk into this because someone forced me to. I grabbed my phone and t

Damian's POV "Enough drama, Stella. Get dressed and be at the office by nine." I ended the call before she could respond and set my phone down on the dressing-room counter. The makeup on my face was subtle. Just enough to tone down the shine under the harsh lights. My father appeared behind me in the mirror, wearing a satisfied smile, proud as if I were about to receive a medal of honor. "Ready?" he asked, adjusting the lapel of his suit. "I don't see how this is any different from any other press conference," I replied flatly. He let out a short laugh. "But it is different. You're announcing the beginning of a new era for Winter. And with Sophie, nothing less than perfect. The market will respond well. Peterson Group has already signaled support for the merger. All we have to do is maintain the image." Yes. I just needed to maintain the image until Stella got pregnant. It was taking longer than I'd expected. My father nodded to the stage assistant, who led us backsta

Stella's POV It had been a little over eight months since I left New York. Time in Wethersfield seemed to move to a different rhythm. It wasn't just the small-town feel, the houses with white fences, the cafés that closed at six in the evening, or the fact that everyone knew everyone else's name. It was the silence. The absence of honking horns, judgmental looks, and the constant pressure on me and my choices. The town smelled like damp earth and freshly baked bread, strong coffee and hydrangeas in garden beds. A place where windows stayed open in the afternoons and neighbors asked how your day had been. Where time moved more slowly, as if the outside world, with all its urgency, had forgotten this small dot on the map of Connecticut. I remember the first month like it was yesterday. Alexander was waiting for me at the airport with a crooked sign that read, "Fugitive protected by Leah." I would've laughed if I hadn't been so nervous, eyes swollen and body aching from crying t

Stella's POV The trip was long, but the boys didn't stop talking for even a second. Apollo insisted on describing every cloud with a different shape. I heard things like, "That one looks like a rabbit," or "That one's a dragon!" while Orion tried to convince Alexander that the plane's speed exceeded the limits allowed by physics. I don't even know where he learned that physics had limits. Alexander listened to everything patiently. He always did. And when the plane finally touched down, I felt something inside me land too. Safety. Stability. And a stubborn little spark of fear. The airport was more crowded than I remembered. People with hurried expressions, rolling suitcases, children asleep on their parents' shoulders. A whole world in motion. And there, among so many unfamiliar faces, one face made me smile wide. "Aunt Leah!" my sons shouted in unison. They took off running, like they'd been released by an invisible spring, and threw themselves into her arms with enough f