Chapter 42
KASMINE
I stepped in slowly as if testing the air. My mind was spinning, trying to make sense of what I was seeing
I looked around to make sure this was my room and that I hadn’t mistakenly walked into a different room. Or perhaps, a different world.
Or… Had my jealousy finally killed me, and I had found myself in the world beyond?
But the warmth in the room–it felt so real. Too real.
The first thing that struck me was how… different everything; was. The sparse decor I was used to had disappeared, replaced by vibrant colors and soft lighting. Beautiful flowers–lilies and roses, their petals a soft blush pink and white–were scattered around the room.
The bed–my bed–looked different too. Silk sheets, the color of deep sapphire, were neatly arranged, fluffed, inviting. Everything felt warmer, richer, and more intentional.
the pillows
A large flat–screen TV hung against the wall. “What the hell?” I whispered, stepping deeper into my room as my curious gaze swept over the space, taking in every little detail. It was almost too much.
The area under the TV was lined with colorful lights–fairy lights that twinkle.
I didn’t know what to make of it. I didn’t even know what to feel. It was… dreamy. Like a vision I hadn’t dared to dream, yet here it was, in front of me.
I took a step forward, running my fingers over the smooth lacquer of the new dresser, then trailed them along the soft petals of a rose bouquet. A warmth spread in my chest, something dangerously close to affection.
This was the surprise he had for me? He certainly warmed my heart with it because I was in love with my new room! Claire and I would have our movie weekend here on Saturday.
1 dumped my shopping bags on the floor, my hands trembling as I reached out for my phone. I couldn’t wait to take a video and show it to Claire immediately.
“Do you like it?”
I jumped, startled out of my skin, as 1 recognized the voice.
Kester stood there in the doorway, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. His eyes were now empty, and his face expressionless,
Sadly, we were back to his default setting. That smile he’d worn earlier that had felt almost like a gift to me was gone. The warmth, the genuine joy that had lit up his face at the mall, had all vanished.
My chest tightened, a knot of disappointment growing in the pit of my stomach. Just when I thought I had cracked a layer of his icy demeanor.
I swallowed, glancing around the room again before returning my gaze to him. “You did this?” My voice was softer.
A small nod. No words.
Ishifted on my feet. “Why?”
He shrugged, “Do I need a reason to make you happy?”
A smile spread across my face, “I love it, Kester. You didn’t have to.” I swallowed, “Thank you.
Chapter 42
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“I knew you’d like it,” he said, closing the door behind him and strolling casually into the room. He looked around like he was accessing the job done and nodded in approval, I thought we could see some movies sometimes… Just the two of us, without any distractions from anyone.‘
Was it normal to have felt the stutter I just felt in my heart? His words brought back the memory of the day he had almost forced himself on me while we watched a movie. And, I knew the kind of movies Kester liked – erotically daring movies that could leave one melting with embarrassment and need.
“That sounds like fun,” I replied.
Kester pulled his hand from his pocket, and my gaze flickered downward as he extended two small boxes toward
- me.
Thesitated before taking them, the velvety texture of the boxes soft beneath my fingertips. A nervous thrill skittered through my chest as I opened the first one.
Diamonds.
Small, delicate stud earrings glistened like captured stars under the soft glow of the fairy lights. I swallowed hard, my fingers ghosting over the gems as I lifted them slightly. They were stunning.
I blinked, “These are beautiful,” I said, curiously trying to open the second box. The moment I flipped it open, my breath hitched.
A gold necklace. Beauty and elegance were an understatement compared to the two gems I was holding in my hands. They must have cost a lot.
“Oh, heavens… Kester…” I whispered, at a loss for words.
“Never take them off,” he said suddenly, in a quieter voice, Especially the necklace.”
I lifted my eyes to meet his, confusion knitting my brows. “Why?”
He didn’t answer right away. His jaw tightened slightly, and I could see something warring inside his eyes. Then, finally, he exhaled, his gaze dropping to the necklace before returning to mine.
“I want you to always feel me around you,” he murmured. “Even when I’m not there.”
My fingers curled around the necklace, and my throat suddenly dry. Why didn’t I believe him? If I didn’t know Kester, I would have thought he spelled this jewelry to make me fall in love with him.
“Come. Let me help you,” He gestured, and I handed the necklace over to him, turning around and letting him put it around my neck. “Good,” I remarked before turning to face him again.
He reached out, and his calloused palm traced a soft, fine path over my cheek. The warmth I had seen in the mall earlier began to return, and it made me happy. It flickered and burned, and I swore I felt it in my own chest.
I could remain in this moment forever if it makes him happy.
His lips parted slightly, and for a second, I thought he was about to say something. Something important. But he hesitated, swallowing thickly.
His fingers curled just slightly against my cheek tenderly as he called me in a low whisper, “Mine…”
My stomach twisted, heat flooding my body at the sheer possession of that one word. His eyes held something raw, something his lips refused to say.
My fingers trembled as I lifted a hand to touch his as if to anchor myself in the storm he was stirring inside me. But the moment my skin brushed his, his entire body went rigid.
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Chapter 42
His gaze snapped downward.
His hand dropped from my cheek, and he grabbed my wrist instead, his grip firm and painful. The warmth in his eyes was gone, replaced by a darkness that froze me.
The bracelet.
I had forgotten I was even wearing it.
His fingers slowly brushed over the small K engraved on the bracelet.
“A bracelet…” He acknowledged, his tone dangerously clipped as he studied it closely. His thumb ran over the engraving again, slower this time, as he finally lifted his gaze to meet mine, his eyes ten shades darker than their usual color, “Who gave this to you?”
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