34 (Lucian’s POV) A Gift That Keeps Giving
Lucian
It was finally time to return to the Nighthorn Mansion.
I could feel Mara’s tension before we even packed the car. Her body was quiet, her smiles smaller, her gaze distant. She
didn’t like that place, and I didn’t blame her. But she was strong-too strong. She hid her discomfort behind composure so well, most people wouldn’t see it.
But I saw it.
So before we left, I made love to her. Not rushed, not demanding-just to remind her she wasn’t walking into that house
alone.
The drive back was mostly silent. Comfortable, but thoughtful. My hand rested on her bare thigh, stroking her skin in slow circles while I steered with the other. She let out a soft exhale, the kind that told me my touch still calmed her-and maybe
even excited her. I smiled to myself. Even now, the smallest reaction from her meant everything.
When we pulled up to the mansion, Austin was already at the entrance, waiting with the calm precision he was known for. I stepped out first, handing him the keys and a quick nod. “Make sure our things are brought up.”
“Yes, sir,” he said.
Then, without a word, I swept Mara into my arms bridal-style. She gasped softly, but wrapped her arms around my neck as I carried her through the front entrance. Maybe it was a little over-the-top, but I wanted to rewrite how this place felt for
her. For us.
I headed toward the left wing-our wing now. The room modification was Austin’s work, based on my quiet instructions. I hadn’t seen the final version, so even I didn’t know exactly what we were walking into. But I had faith he understood what
this needed to be.
We stepped through the door that used to be mine.
I set her down gently, and she turned in a slow circle, taking in the changes. The once-cold space now had a warm, lived-in feel. Softer lighting. A shared lounge area. A feeling of home.
“Lucian…” she breathed, her voice tinged with awe.
“Do you like it?” I asked, suddenly unsure, tension creeping up my spine.
She nodded quickly, smiling. Relief washed through me. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath.
“The other door is permanently locked,” I added, referring to the connecting door that once led to her side of the hall. That
part of our arrangement-separate rooms-was over.
She moved toward the bedroom, and her joy was unfiltered now. She squealed as she stepped inside.
The changes weren’t dramatic, but enough to shift the energy from utilitarian to intimate. A space made for two people
who belonged together.
Before she could say anything else, I pulled her close. We fell into each other again-this time, on the bed that was now
ours.
We spent the rest of the day like that, wrapped in each other. No pressure. No expectations. Just peace.
I woke the next morning to the familiar presence of my father’s voice in my mind.
“How was your getaway with your wife?” he asked, his tone light.
1/3
94 (LUGAR’S POV) A Gift That Keeps Giving
“It was good,” I answered.
“Good enough to redo your bedroom, apparently,” he teased, clearly aware of the changes.
Then, more seriously, “Come for breakfast. There’s something we need to discuss.”
“We’ll be there.”
I sat up slowly, turning to look at Mara still asleep beside me-bare, soft, beautiful. For a moment, I wished we could stay right here, in this little bubble of peace we’d created.
But I knew better.
Breakfast with my father wasn’t just breakfast. Not when he used that tone.
I just hoped it wasn’t anything that would shake what Mara and I had finally built.
Because this time, I wouldn’t let anyone take it from me.
I rolled over in bed and reached for my phone, expecting a few missed calls or messages-nothing unusual.
Thirty-three missed calls from Tina.
What the hell?
I stared at the screen for a moment, feeling the weight of irritation build. I’d been sending her money, urging her to get a
job, and yet she still clung to the idea that there was something left between us. There wasn’t. And with everything Mara and I had built-the peace we’d found-I knew I couldn’t keep letting Tina linger in the background.
It was time to end it. For good.
I slipped out of bed quietly so I wouldn’t wake Mara. She looked so peaceful, tangled in the sheets, her expression soft. I
wasn’t going to let anything ruin this-not now.
I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, took a quick shower, and steeled myself. Then I stepped into the sitting room
and called her.
She answered on the first ring.
She sounded like she’d been crying.
“Lucian,” she started, her voice cracking, “you won’t answer my calls, you won’t come see me. It’s been almost three
months-how much longer do I have to wait for you to realise-”
“Tina,” I cut her off. “When I said it was over, I meant it.”
There was silence on the line.
“I’ve told you to move on. I’m married now. Mara and I are finally finding our footing, and I need you to respect that.
Honestly, I think it’s best we have a clean break; because you clearly haven’t accepted this. So I’m saying it now-I won’t be sending you money anymore. I don’t want to stay in touch. Not even as friends.”
“Lucian…” she whispered, already on the edge.
“I stayed with you longer than I should have. Even when you told me you didn’t want anything serious. Even when you refused to let me claim or marry you. You said you needed time, and I gave it. But the moment my father chose Mara, suddenly you wanted to hold on to me? That’s not fair to her-or to me. I cared about you, Tina, I really did. But I love my
wife.”
I paused, hoping she’d understand. Hoping this would be the last time I had to say any of this.
“You need to let go. Please.”
THE
34 (Lucian’s POV) A Gift That Keeps Giving
The silence on the other end was heavy-until I heard it.
A choked breath. Then a whisper.
“How can I let you go, Lucian?” she said. “I can’t… even if I want to.”
She paused, and the words that followed shattered something inside me.
“I’m three months pregnant.”
My heart stopped.
+ Fonts
I turned slowly, eyes drifting toward the bedroom. Mara was still asleep, unaware. Untouched by the storm that had just crashed through me.
Tina’s voice kept calling my name, desperate for a response, but I had none to give. Nothing made sense. The timeline, the weight of it, the way everything suddenly cracked open.
I hung up.
Switched off my phone.
And just stood there.
Frozen.
This was too much. Too sudden. And above all, my heart twisted with one unbearable fear:
This is going to destroy what Mara and I just built.
Even if Tina got pregnant before Mara and I were together-even if it was before the wedding-I knew how it would look. How it would feel.
And I wasn’t willing to lose Mara.
Not for anything.
Not even this.
