Page 58 of Modern Romance Collection March 2025 (1-4)

Rhys shrugged. “Thatis up to you.”

Athan had spent every moment since he had witnessed Lynna crying at a funeral making decisions that were up to him and only him. Every plan, every retaliation against his father, everystephad been his.

Was he really so ineffectual as to give it all up simply because he’d realizedwhy, and his why of loving her didn’t matter because she didn’t love him back?

But she had come to his bed. She had let him touch her with all that soft vulnerability she was so afraid of. Maybe there was no forgiveness, but maybe there was love. Maybe there was something.

Maybe…

Athan studied Rhys. Up to him? Maybe it was time to make some changes. “Perhaps it will be up to us.”

“Us?”

The idea began to form, like all the best ones did. Quick and on the fly, with nothing but obstacles in the way. “I’d like you to come with me.”

Rhys frowned suspiciously. “Where?”

“London.”

“Why?”

“I think I have a plan for you, Rhys Carew. Are you man enough to find out if you’re up for it?”

* * *

Lynna had arrived at her flat in London in a cold, dark drizzle. Fitting. Everything felt cold and dark and a little too oppressive, but she’d been exhausted enough to fall into her bed and go to sleep.

Not for long. She awoke when it was still dark, far too early in the morning, and couldn’t go back to sleep.

Athan’s words haunted her. It was like he was here, whispering the same thing to her over and over again.

I love you, Lynna.

Why would he say such a thing? Why would hethinksuch a thing? She wanted to believe it another manipulation. A betrayal. She would be falling for the same tricks her father had fallen for if she believed him.

But…

Athan was not Constantine. He never had been.

“It doesn’t matter,” Lynna told herself, out loud, so she’d be more inclined to take it on board.

She tried to distract herself by making an elaborate breakfast, and it worked for a time. Until she got to plating, and realized she’d been thinking of a breakfast for two.

She ate two bites, then threw the rest away. A waste, she knew, but she couldn’t talk herself out of it. She’d never be able to eat it withoutfeelingnow.

She needed work. Real work. She’d go into the office, get some accounting done and try to set up her next destination job. Somewhere far away. Maybe she could go to Los Angeles. Tokyo. Somewhere, anywhere outside of Europe.

It was still early when she headed into the office. Even if one of her friends came in today, it wouldn’t be so early. As they so often worked remote, the office was just a home base of sorts. It wasn’t rare that they were all there together, but it was getting to be more so with Auggie and Maude involved in whole other lives besides just their work now.

So she was more than a little shocked to walk into the offices,veryearly, and find all three of her friends there. Sitting in the cozy little main room, almost as if they were waiting for her.

She closed the door behind her, studied them. “What are you all doing here?”

“When you texted you were coming back to London yesterday, we knew something was wrong,” Auggie said. “So, we figured you’d be in early.”

“Nothing is wrong.”

“You look terrible.”

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