Chapter 21 : Next Morning

*Lily*

My limbs felt heavy with an unfamiliar soreness when I woke up that morning. I reluctantly opened my eyes to find Adrian lying peacefully beside me, his chest rising and falling slowly.

I was instantly burdened with regret. The sheets whispered against my skin as I shifted, the soft morning light casting a halo around his disheveled dark hair, those strands that always seemed to rebel against any attempt at order.

I couldn't help but scold myself inwardly, chastising my lack of judgment for succumbing to a one-night stand. And not with just anyone, but with Adrian Sterling. But even as I berated myself, my gaze lingered over his features softened by sleep—so different from the sharp, calculated expressions he wore in the daylight.

His beautiful blue eyes were hidden beneath closed lids, granting him an innocence that the waking world would never afford him. And despite the turmoil in my heart, I couldn't deny that he looked even more handsome now, stripped of his usual v