\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
Life settled back into something like normal after that day at the cemetery. What Julian did barely registered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t matter to me anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I kept working on new pieces at Adrian\u2019s studio. He sent my work to a director with real clout overseas. He needed a score for his next film. What I\u2019d been writing was exactly what he wanted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was the kind of break most composers never got. I threw everything into it. I spent days in the studio without leaving, barely sleeping.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian was there through all of it. When I hit a wall, he\u2019d take me outside to clear my head. When I forgot to eat, he\u2019d bring me a meal he\u2019d prepared himself, refusing to leave until the plate was empty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Being around him was easy. Quiet. Nothing like it had been with Julian, all chaos and pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I thought that part of my life was over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then one evening, I walked out of the studio and there he was, leaning against his car with a huge bouquet\u00a0<\/p>\n
of roses in his arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment he saw me, he straightened and came over, forcing a smile. \u201cLily, I had them flown in from\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ecuador this morning.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The red was too bright, almost violent. It made my eyes ache.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have anything to talk about.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His smile faltered. He just stood there, lost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLily, I know I was wrong. I knew I was a bastard. Worse than that. Just give me one more chance. Please.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A few months ago, that might\u2019ve worked. Not anymore. I didn\u2019t feel a thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I walked past him. He followed and caught my wrist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLily, I took care of Vivian. She paid for what she did. I swear I won\u2019t let anyone hurt you again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stopped. Turned around and looked at him. His eyes were bloodshot. I kept my voice steady.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTook care of? Did you press charges? Did you hand over the evidence of fraud to the police? Or did you just cut her off and kick her out of the company?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He went still, like he hadn\u2019t expected me to ask. His mouth opened, but nothing came out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course. The Summers did business with the Sterlings. Why would he burn that bridge for me?\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d done the math and picked the option that cost him the least.\u00a0<\/p>\n
None of this was love. It was convenience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
90.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pulled my hand free. Any softness I had left was gone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian, you never got it. You think destroying Vivian makes up for what you did? You think it\u2019ll bring my mom back? You don\u2019t even know when you lost me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something in his face cracked. The color drained from him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou got used to having me around. You can\u2019t stand that you don\u2019t own me anymore. The only person you\u2019ve\u00a0<\/p>\n
ever loved is yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked like I\u2019d pulled the ground out from under him. He thought apologizing would be enough. That I\u2019d come running back like I always had. He couldn\u2019t accept I was done.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian\u2019s car pulled up. He stepped out and came over. Julian\u2019s expression went dark when he saw Adrian.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian barely glanced at Julian. \u201cLily, we should go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded and turned to get in the car.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian lunged forward, blocking the door, eyes wild. \u201cI won\u2019t let you go. I won\u2019t let you be with him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian stepped between us. \u201cYou\u2019re embarrassing yourself, Mr. Sterling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian didn\u2019t even look at him. His eyes stayed locked on me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLily, come back. Come back, and I\u2019ll give you everything. My money, my company, my life, it\u2019s all yours.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was begging now, pride gone. Pathetic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to Adrian. I looked into his eyes and smiled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAdrian. That question you asked me before, I can answer it now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian went still. Something shifted in his expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last month, after my last session with the specialist, he\u2019d asked if I\u2019d share my life with him-not as a\u00a0<\/p>\n
student, but as his partner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back then, I didn\u2019t answer. Now, with Julian watching, I had my answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I reached up and kissed Adrian. When I pulled back, I looked right at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
90.00%<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
The Blackened Odds by Mark Twain 9 \u00a0 Chapter 9\u00a0 Life settled back into something like normal after that day […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-broken-heart"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20215\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}