Chapter 276\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third Person POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
The restaurant sat along the river\u2019s edge, lanterns strung between old wooden posts casting warm light across the water. It was quiet enough to feel private, but public enough that no one could accuse them of secrecy. Lance had chosen it deliberately.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isla noticed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She noticed most things lately.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was on high alert, especially in public. Lance noticed it, though she hid it well. They\u2019d only known each other for a few months, but he could read her as if he\u2019d been doing it all his life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They sat across from each other at a small table near the railing, the low murmur of conversation and the gentle lap of water filling the pauses between them. Isla\u2019s hands were folded neatly in her lap, her posture composed, but there was tension in the line of her shoulders that hadn\u2019t been there a few weeks ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance watched her over the rim of his glass, his expression thoughtful rather than guarded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to look like you\u2019re waiting for bad news,\u201d he said lightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her lips curved, but it didn\u2019t quite reach her eyes. \u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a lie,\u201d he replied calmly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She huffed a soft laugh. \u201cYou\u2019re impossible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPersistent,\u201d he corrected. \u201cThere\u2019s a difference.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He reached across the table, not touching her, just resting his forearm there-present, but not demanding. Isla\u00a0<\/p>\n
noticed that too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It made her chest ache.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad you agreed to come,\u201d he said more seriously. \u201cI know things have been\u2026 complicated.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s one word for it,\u201d she said quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They fell into a brief silence as their food arrived. Isla took a few careful bites, clearly more focused on the act of eating than on the meal itself. Lance waited, patient as ever, until she finally set her fork down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re thinking again,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She met his gaze. \u201cI\u2019m always thinking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what worries me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She smiled faintly. \u201cYou want me to stop?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he said. \u201cI just don\u2019t want you to punish yourself for it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her fingers tightened slightly against the linen napkin. \u201cYou make it sound like I\u2019m doing something wrong.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 276\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you\u2019re doing something familiar,\u201d he replied gently. \u201cYou\u2019re blaming yourself for this situation because you\u2019re used to taking the blame. But that doesn\u2019t mean you deserve it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isla looked away, her gaze drifting toward the river. The water reflected the lantern light in fractured gold lines. She tried to focus on that. It was easier than looking at the earnest look on Lance\u2019s face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know how to do this,\u201d she admitted after a moment. \u201cNot without feeling like I\u2019m waiting for everything to fall apart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
>>\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance leaned back in his chair, studying her. \u201cYou think you don\u2019t deserve things to go well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t deny it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter everything,\u201d she said softly. \u201cAfter what my family tried to turn this into. After what they asked of me.\u201d She shook her head. \u201cIt feels wrong to just\u2026 be happy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHappiness isn\u2019t a reward,\u201d Lance said. \u201cIt\u2019s not something you earn by suffering enough.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She glanced at him, skepticism flickering in her eyes. \u201cThat\u2019s easy for you to say.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it?\u201d he asked. \u201cLook, sweetheart, I\u2019ve watched Nolan live with that attitude for most of our lives. He denied himself of everything that made him feel good because he didn\u2019t think he deserved it, and he nearly lost everything because of it. From where I\u2019m standing, you\u2019ve already done the hard part. You said no when it would have been easier to say yes. You\u2019re the one who refused to trade integrity for safety.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her throat tightened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI almost did,\u201d she whispered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you didn\u2019t,\u201d he said simply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That landed harder than she expected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She took a breath, steadying herself. \u201cThe pack feels\u2026 different right now,\u201d she said, changing the subject slightly. \u201cEveryone\u2019s talking about the debate. It feels like something big is coming.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance nodded. \u201cSilver Fang is buzzing. You\u2019d think it was a festival the way people are acting.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Nolan?\u201d she asked. \u201cHow is he really?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance hesitated just a fraction too long.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isla caught it immediately. \u201cThat bad?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s holding it together,\u201d Lance said carefully, \u201cBut he\u2019s tense. More than usual.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of the pressure?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPartly,\u201d he admitted. \u201cBut it feels like he\u2019s bracing for something. Like he\u2019s waiting for a hit he can\u2019t see yet. He\u2019s always preferred to keep things private, so maybe that\u2019s all it is but\u2026 I think you\u2019re right. It feels like something is coming.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 276 Chapter 276\u00a0 +25 Bonus\u00a0 Third Person POV\u00a0 The restaurant sat along the river\u2019s […]<\/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":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-unremembered-mate-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23845","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=23845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23845\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}