Page 59 of His By Contract

He followed, his own release washing over him with a hoarse, broken sound. His body tensed above hers, every muscle corded with effort as he buried himself deep, claiming her.

They lay together until gray light crept through the windows, painting Adrian’s bedroom in muted shades of dawn. Georgia’sfingers traced idle patterns across his chest, following the steady rise and fall of his breathing. His skin felt warm beneath her touch, alive with a vitality that made her chest tight.

She mapped the planes of his body, committing every detail to memory: the slight dip between his ribs, the firm curve of muscle, the scattered marks her mouth had left hours before. Her fingertips ghosted over a small scar near his collarbone, wondering at its origin, at all the stories of him she’d never know.

Adrian’s face looked different in sleep, the sharp edges of control softened. His dark lashes cast shadows on his cheeks, his mouth relaxed from its usual stern line. Georgia pressed her lips to his shoulder, gentle enough not to wake him. The salt-warm taste of his skin made her throat close up.

She kept her breathing slow, fighting against the tremor that threatened to overtake her body. Each inhale felt like swallowing glass, but she didn’t dare let the sob building in her chest escape. If he woke now, he’d see right through her careful mask. He’d read the truth in her eyes, in the way her hands shook as they traced his skin.

The morning light grew stronger, casting golden highlights across his face. Georgia watched him sleep, memorizing the peaceful expression she’d never see again. Her heart cracked with each breath, but she forced herself to remain still, to savor these last precious moments where she could pretend he was truly hers.

CHAPTER 18

Georgia’s footsteps were too loud against the marble floor as she moved through the penthouse. Morning light spilled through the windows, painting everything in soft gold. Her bag weighed heavy on her shoulder, just the essentials packed inside, nothing more.

The emptiness mocked her, every corner of the room holding ghosts of where Adrian should have been. He had left hours ago, but his scent lingered in the air. Expensive cologne and that indefinable essence that was purely him. Her fingers traced the cool surface of the kitchen counter where they’d shared coffee just yesterday, the marble smooth beneath her touch.

Her chest tightened as she crossed the living room, the vast windows framing the city spread out far below. The morning sun caught the edges of the sleek furniture, casting long shadows that stretched across the polished floor like reaching fingers. The height made everything feel surreal, as if one wrong step could send her plummeting. She forced herself to keep moving, even as memories threatened to root her in place.

Love wasn’t supposed to be part of their arrangement. The realization had crept up on her slowly, until she couldn’t ignore it anymore. Every touch, every shared moment had carved deeper into her heart until staying felt impossible. The thought of watching their contract wind down, of pretending indifference while her feelings grew stronger, made her hands shake.

Her gaze swept over the living room. Vincent’s attacks played through her mind, the leaked stories, the fabricated scandals, each one aimed at Adrian through her. She’d become the chink in his armor, the vulnerability his enemies could exploit. Every headline screamed the truth: she was Adrian’s weakness, a liability he couldn’t afford.

She paused at the window, palm pressed against the cool glass. Without her, Vincent would lose his weapon against Adrian. No more scandals about her past, no more ammunition to use against the empire Adrian had built. She had cracked the foundation of his meticulously built world. She’d watched him start to lower his guard, seen the cracks forming in his armor.

Her brand’s death warrant hung in the air between them, each new scandal driving another nail into its coffin. The fashion house she’d built from nothing would crumble, but watching it die slowly, day by day, would break something inside her. Better to walk away now, while she still had the strength to do it.

Her fingers traced the gold bracelet at her wrist, remembering the weight of his gaze as he’d clasped it there.

Georgia stepped into her bedroom. The bracelet felt heavy as she unclasped it. The metal caught the light, a final gleam before she placed it on the nightstand. Her hands trembled as she smoothed the folded paper beside it, her words bleeding through the thin sheet:

I didn’t realize how deeply I’d fallen for you until it hurt to breathe. But I can’t be the reason you lose everything. I can’t be the weakness they use to destroy you. Without me, you’re untouchable again. I’ll carry the ache of loving you with me, but I won’t be your downfall. You deserve someone from your world, someone who doesn’t make you vulnerable. I only wish I’d been enough to belong in it.

I’m sorry I’m breaking the contract. I know the terms, I knew it was only an arrangement, but somewhere along the way, I forgot. I let myself believe that what we had could be real. That I could be enough. I hope one day you understand why I had to let you go.

At the penthouse door, Georgia paused. Her fingers traced the smooth wood of the frame, memorizing its texture. The space behind her stretched vast and empty, a museum of memories she’d have to leave behind.

The elevator waited, its polished doors reflecting her image back at her. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, her skin pale with exhaustion. She stared at herself, wondering how long it would take him to notice the silence, the empty spaces where she used to be. Would relief flood through him when he realized his weakness had removed itself?

The doors slid shut with a soft hiss. Georgia pressed her forehead against the cool metal, tears finally breaking free. She loved him enough to walk away, even as each floor the elevator descended felt like another piece of her heart shattering.

Georgia’s footsteps rang against the polished floor as she entered her mother’s room. The duffel bag dragged her shoulder down, each footfall echoing with the weight of everything she’d packed, and all she’d chosen to abandon. Afternoon sunlight spilled through the window, casting warm squares across the pristine bedding and illuminating her mother’s silhouette.

Evelyn sat in the plush armchair, a cream-colored blanket draped over her legs. The treatments had worked magic; color bloomed in her cheeks, and her eyes held that familiar spark of awareness. But as Georgia crossed the threshold, that spark dimmed, replaced by a mother’s knowing concern.

The duffel bag slipped from Georgia’s fingers, landing with a soft thud beside the door. Her movements felt underwater slow as she made her way to the sofa, perching on its edge like a bird ready to take flight. Her fingers laced together in her lap, knuckles white with tension.

The quiet lingered, calm on the surface, but weighted with too much left unsaid. Evelyn waited, her patience a balm Georgia didn’t deserve. When Georgia finally drew breath to speak, the carefully rehearsed explanation crumbled.

“I had to leave.” The words caught in her throat. “The press, the stories they’re printing—it’s all spinning out of control. I need to disappear for a while, somewhere they can’t find me.”

She forced herself to meet her mother’s gaze. “I’ve arranged everything. The facility’s paid through next year, and I’ve transferred enough of the money my business earned to coveranything else you might need.” Her voice steadied as she focused on the practical details.

Evelyn’s brow creased, her fingers tightening on the blanket’s edge. “And what about you? Where will you go? How will you manage on your own?”

The question hung in the air between them. Georgia’s throat closed around the answer she couldn’t give.

The silence stretched between them, thick and heavy. Georgia’s shoulders finally slumped, the careful facade cracking. A strangled sob burst past her lips, and she pressed her palm against her mouth, ashamed of this display of weakness after working so hard to appear strong.

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