Page 108 of Until You (Forgive Me)

Isabella dropped a kiss onto Christian’s chest, aware of his heart thundering under her palm.

“Maybe in our next life, we will get to be together.”

Isabella watched Christian flinch, although he masked his features before she had a chance to read them. The pressure in her chest burned, but she fought against it. Christian pulled her forward, his lips meeting hers. She could feel his desperation. Silly Isabella. Christian said he loved her, and she believed him, but who was she kidding? In his next lifetime, Christian’s soul would search for its soulmate. It would look to reconnect with Lily, not hers.

Isabella clamped down on her breaking heart and climbed off him. Holding out her hand to his.

“Let’s go to bed,” she said, making a snap decision.

She could never compete with a ghost, but she could enjoy her final few hours with the man who was and would forever be the love of her life.

Christian smiled as he took her hand in his, pulling her into his arms.

“I haven’t finished making memories. Let’s shower…” he whispered in her ear.

Isabella squeezed his behind before pulling out of his arms and sprinting for the stairs. Who was she to say no?

Chapter Forty-six

Christian

It had been a month since Isabella had left. Christian had thrown himself back into his work, something he had neglected. While she’d been there, he’d stopped working fourteen-hour days, but that was no more. Lucy had commented that he should get a sofa bed added, then he would never have to leave. Making memories throughout the apartment had not been his brightest move. Everywhere he looked, he saw her. Not just her naked body but her smiling face, her company. Just having her there to discuss the day, even mundane news items. He had lost count of the times he had turned to tell her something only to be greeted by an empty room. So now, he tried to only go home when he was so tired, he could no longer think straight. When his head hit the pillow, he didn’t want to think about how lonely it was or how the fresh sheets no-longer held her perfume.

Even Skylar had said the apartment felt empty without her, and that was coming from an eight-year-old girl. Instead, he found her on Sunday morning in his gym, going through the yoga routine Isabella had taught her over the weeks.

“I miss her, Daddy,” Skylar said, pulling herself up onto the stool at the kitchen island.

“I know, Princess. I miss her too,” Christian admitted, fed up with lying.

Especially when he knew he was doing a poor job of hiding it. Or at least that is what everyone was telling him.

“Do you think Isabella will come back?” Skylar asked, taking a sip of her orange juice.

“It’s very difficult. I run my business in London, but Isabella runs hers in Thailand. She has commitments there. She can’t just move here.”

“But Uncle Seb works for Isabella’s company too,” Skylar said.

Christian and Seb had been talking about King and Lebroc on the speakerphone, and Skylar had overheard.

“He does, but that is a company that her daddy started. It is not Isabella’s company.”

Skylar screwed up her face. “But she could make it her company too and come and live here again.”

Christian drew Skylar into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

“Sometimes life is not that simple,” Christian heard himself say, although he wished it could be.

But he understood Isabella had worked hard for all she had achieved, and he couldn’t resent her for wanting to go back to it, even if his heart had been locked in a constant vice since she’d left. She could no more uproot her life than he could. Some things were never meant to be.

Christian took Skylar home later that afternoon after they had devoured a large batch of Isabella’s crepe pancakes.

“Christian,” Star said, opening the door, her eyes red and blotchy.

“Is everything all right?” he asked, ushering Skylar into the house, clasping Star’s arm.

“Oh god. I am so sorry,” Star said, a sob escaping her lips, her eyes flooding with tears.

“Star, you’re scaring me,” Christian said. “What’s happened?”

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