Page 60 of Hidden Echoes

I was all set to cancel this. I should have. But I didn’t.

If I really wanted to, then why the hell did I buy a ring?

Shit. Shit. Shit. Somewhere along the way, I lost my damn mind.

But if I’m going to be married to her… Mia deserves a real ring, doesn’t she?

So I start there.

I clear my throat. “Here.”

I hand her a small yellow box. I picked yellow because I know she likes it. Inside, the ring is simple, but engraved with my name on the inside. And on my own chest, against my skin, I wear a chain with a ring engraved with hers.

Mia gasps, eyes lighting up. “Zane! This is perfect!”

All my nervousness vanishes when she slips it onto her finger. She doesn’t take off the plastic one.

“You’re the best!” She beams, then leans in, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek.

And fuck, I blush.

“Zane Hill and Mia Hill,” I murmur, glancing between our rings, the weight of it sinking into my bones. “Me and you.”

“You and I, husband.”

CHAPTER 15

MIA

I wake up from my nap feeling heavy and hungry.

I should probably tell Zane that we didn’t even get to the sex part and that I was naked in his bed only because he puked on my clothes.

But he hasn’t really given me a chance to explain myself with his crazy working schedule.

As I step into the kitchen, I notice a note on the table, his elegant handwriting standing e out against the paper.

He mentions having a workshop in the afternoon and suggests I go to the beach to distract myself while he’s gone.

So that’s exactly what I do.

His apartment is right by the sea, so after devouring the meal he prepared, I decide to explore a little.

Of course, I have to take Figaro with me. Knowing him, he’d judge me for the rest of the week if I went out without him.

I scoop Figaro up, cradling him in my lap.

The idea of putting a leash on him just feels… wrong.

I know what it’s like to be restrained, to have my freedom taken away, and I’d never want that for him.

He’s a free spirit, a little king, not some pet to be tethered. Besides, who am I to chain someone down?

The walk to the beach is short. The wind rushes past me, carrying the sharp scent of salt. The ocean stretches endlessly ahead—so vast, so untamed. It’s a world so different from the one I’ve known. The cold sand presses between my toes, sending a shiver up my spine. I wiggle them, watching the tiny grains shift and sparkle under the light. This should be normal, right? Something as simple as being outside should feel natural. But to me, it’s something else entirely—exhilarating and terrifying all at once.

Maybe that’s what freedom is. A little thrilling, a little scary, and entirely too easy to lose.

Lost in thought, I don’t notice when Figaro wriggles out of my grasp, his tiny paws pushing off my lap before he takes off like a streak of moonlight across the sand.

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