Adrian’s POV

The weight of the world felt lighter. The relentless hum of Cross Industries, the labyrinthine figures of global finance, all seemed to recede, replaced by a singular, intoxicating focus: Emma. My Emma. The woman whose light had quietly, irrevocably, permeated my darkness, challenging everything I thought I knew about control and solitude. My declaration at Rose’s doorstep, the raw, terrifying confession of my love, had been the most audacious, vulnerable act of my life. And her response, the soft admission of her own feelings, had been a balm to a soul I hadn’t known was bleeding.