Now wasn''t the time for a fight. The most important thing was getting Luke to move his foot so that Dominic and Vespera could leave. As for everything else, Vespera couldn''t care less.

"Vespera, I would never hurt you. When you think about us, wasn''t there more good than bad?" Luke asked, gazing deeply at Vespera.

He was trying to say that out of their eight years together, only thest one had gone to hell.

Vespera smiled and said, "Good or bad, it''s all in the past now."

More good than bad? Digging into that would only trap her in a corner of her own making. She would wall herself in with memories and hold herself hostage with pain. She would start drowning in everything.

One couldn''t stand still in love, and one couldn''t walk backward. Trying to heal the present by clinging to the past never worked.

Luke finally stepped back, letting the elevator door slide shut. It felt like a chapter of Vespera''s life had just closed with it, and she was moving up.

Vespera turned and nced at Dominic. She truly was going up, but the higher she climbed, the colder it got.

With Luke, at least she knew where the bottom was. After all, she had already fallen through it once. Whatever happened, she could brace for impact.

But with Dominic, Vespera couldn''t even imagine anything. He didn''t even need to lift a finger to crush someone''s world. His kind of power wasn''t something one could mess with.

"Vera, what are you thinking about?" Dominic asked softly.

"I was wondering if I should have broth-and-grill with Ba tomorrow. She has been craving it, but it''s so hot outside. I''m afraid my makeup will melt off," replied Vespera.fn9b0f Chapters first released on FιndＮovel/fn9b0f

Dominic was rendered speechless. Just then, the elevator door opened, and Vespera stepped out immediately.

Any longer and he might have caught the flicker in her eyes. Just one second of eye contact with him was enough for him to read her like a book.

It was quiet in the living area. Raymond had already turned in for the night. Unless Dominic called for him, he wouldn''t show. Even Snowball was curled up in its bed, fast asleep.

Vespera set the stuffed toy down on the couch and headed into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. She grabbed another one for Dominic, too.

"My things are still downstairs. I''ll stay downstairs tonight. I''ll move here when I''ve packed up," said Vespera. It was her way of agreeing to stay at the penthouse for the time being.

Dominic''s smile deepened, and he responded, "Alright. I''ll go down with you tonight to help pack."

Surprised, Vespera asked, "You''reing with me?"

Dominic answered, "Of course. What if those four heads float out of your phone in

the middle of the night?"

Upon hearing that, Vespera choked on her water.

...

On the 20th floor, Luke sat in the apartment he had bought in ast-ditch effort to win Vespera back, drinking alone.

The ce still didn''t feel like home. It was still unfamiliar to him. Nheless, he couldn''t go back to the home they once shared either Just stepping through the door made his chest tighten like he couldn''t breathe.  s

Whenever he returned to the Munoz residence, he would be dragged into blind

dates and marriage talks. He couldn''t take it anymore.

His thoughts spun in endless loops. Vespera possibly being pregnant, and

Dominic''s casually pointed question from earlier.

Dominic wasn''t someone who spoke without purpose. If he asked about something, it was because he already knew something could it he that he had caught wind of Selena forcing Luke to marry her daughter?  s

Did Vespera tell Dominic about what was going on with the Munoz family? Even if she had, why would he care? Unless he wasn''t just targeting Luke or the Munoz family. He was after the Lumena Order.

Luke set down his ss and grabbed his phone before dialing Austin''s phone number. He said, "I''m at Lanton Residences. Come over. I need to talk to you."

"Is this about Tina?" Austin asked.

"I''m just relieved she isn''t back to

make things worse. What I want to ask you is rted to the Sowle family you''re someone who understands the bigger picture. You should know what needs to be

done."  s