Chapter 190
The morning after the wedding, the world felt different.
Lighter. Safer. I woke to the sound of waves crashing against the shore outside our suite in Santorini, sunlight spilling in through gauzy white curtains. Scott was already awake, leaning on the balcony rail shirtless, the Aegean Sea stretching endlessly behind him.
“Morning, my wife,” he said with a grin when he saw me, his voice still rough from sleep.
It still felt strange, hearing that name. Strange… but good.
“Morning,” I replied, pulling the sheets tighter around me. “You’re up early.“”
He walked over, pressing a kiss to my forehead.\
“Couldn’t sleep,” he murmured. “Didn’t want to waste a second of this with you.“}
I smiled faintly, still curled in the sheets. “You’re going to wear yourself out if you keep waking up this early.“”
“I’ll sleep when we’re back home,” he said, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “Right now, I just want to watch you wake up… and maybe steal a few kisses before breakfast.“}
The first few days of our honeymoon blurred together in a haze of laughter and warmth. We wandered through the narrow cobbled streets, stopping every few steps to take photos, or to taste whatever little pastry caught Scott’s eye.
At one bakery, he held out a bite of something flaky and dusted with sugar.
Try this,” he insisted.
I leaned in for a bite, and my eyes widened. “Oh, that’s… that’s dangerous.“”
He smirked. “Dangerous enough to get another one?”
“Definitely,” I said, already pointing toward the counter.
ཛ་ར་ཉམས་སྨདས་ལ་ག་ཆད་བར་ད་ ད་ར་ན་
དོན་ཏུར་བན་པ་དང་སྐུ་ཅན་བརཔུར་རབནནམ་རིང།
War on m
Later that day, he bought me a delicate gold bracelet from a shop overlooking the caldera, clasping it around my wrist as if it were some sacred ritual.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.\
He shook his head. “It’s perfect… because it’s on you.”
EVVision
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In the evenings, we dined at cliffside restaurants with candlelight flickering between us, the sea breeze carrying the scent of salt and wine. Scott was different here–more relaxed, more openly affectionate. He held my hand constantly, even when there was no one around to see it.
One night, as we lingered over dessert, he traced circles on the back of my hand with his thumb.
“You know,” he said, “I used to picture this. Us, somewhere far away, no one else in the world but you and me.”
I tilted my head. “And how did your fantasy compare to reality?“}
He smiled slowly. “Reality’s better. Because in my imagination, didn’t know how your laugh would sound echoing in these streets. Or how you’d look with candlelight in your eyes.”
I rolled mine, trying to hide the way my chest tightened. “You’re laying it on a little thick, aren’t you?“”
“Maybe,” he admitted. “But you’re smiling. And I’d do anything to keep you that way.“”
One night in Paris, we stood under the Eiffel Tower as it lit up, the entire structure shimmering like it had been dusted with diamonds. Scott wrapped his arms around me from behind, his chin resting on my shoulder.
“Still not in love with me?” he teased softly.”
I elbowed him lightly. “You’re impossible.”
“Persistent,” he corrected. “And I’m okay with waiting.”
It was easy to forget the past with him like this. Easy to let myself enjoy the little things–the way he’d brush hair from my face without thinking, or the way he’d order dessert even if we were both full, just so we could share it.
In Italy, he rented a small villa overlooking vineyards. Mornings were slow here, with us tangled in bed long past sunrise. We’d cook breakfast together–him burning the eggs half the time–before wandering into the hills with no plan at all. There were kisses stolen in quiet alleyways, hands on my waist pulling me closer, laughter muffled against each other’s mouths.!
The intimacy came naturally, surprising even me. There were nights when I let my guard slip completely, when I stopped thinking and simply let myself feel. He made me feel wanted–not just for what I could give, but for who I was.
“Don’t look at me like that,” I whispered one evening when he caught me watching him sketching me on the terrace.
“Like what?” he asked, pencil still moving &
“Luke I’m something you could lose.“K
He looked up, his expression soft but certain. “Because you are.”
I didn’t know whether to feel terrified or safe. Maybe a little of both.
By the time we reached the Amalfi Coast it felt as though the world had shrunk down to just the two of us Sun–warmer skin
4:05 PM
By the time we reached the Amalfi Coast, it felt as though the world had shrunk down to just the two of us. Sun–warmed skin, sea spray in my hair, his laughter chasing away the shadows I’d carried for so long.”
I was starting to believe this could be real.
We were sitting on a balcony in Positano, glasses of wine between us, when my phone rang. Nathan’s name lit up the screen. I frowned. “Why is he calling this late?“\
Scott leaned back in his chair. “Maybe he’s checking in. Answer it.”
I swiped to accept. “Nathan?“}
There was a pause on the other end, a heavy kind of silence that made “Nadia…” His voice was low, cautious. “Colton woke up.”
my
stomach tighten.
The name hit me like a splash of cold
