~Xavier~ Immense relief. As though one boulder weighing my shoulder rolled off, leaving me with less weight dragging me down. That’s how I can put in wording what I’m feeling with Zia’s reaction to everything that happened. What I said was true. I’m willing to wait a lifetime for her forgiveness. Now I have to find where my traitor brother and his girlfriend went. He thought he had us fooled with all those big talks of saving Zia. It was a risk I had to take in ensuring Zia’s safety; I needed Nadia and Tiago’s help, though. Calvin pushed me to pull out a trump card Levi, and I have been keeping for years. Zia wanted to go home. The part that she considered the Seattle penthouse as her home kindled my hope that we could work things out.

~Zia~ It’s both worrying and overwhelming how Xavier knew me like the back of his hands. His lips on mine were soft and careful, as though he’s cautious not to break me. It was as gentle as a morning breeze. His kiss tells me that everything is going to be okay, taking away my worries like he always does. It won’t, and we both know that. His hand came on my backsides, pushing me to mold against his body while the other held my jaw, fingers sliding on the back of my skull, threading through my hair. I sighed in his mouth; the tension in my body instantly lessened. I missed him so much that it hurts to be this close to him. The days that gone by where I reprimanded myself for

~Zia~It’s deafening; the loud pounding inside my chest and each bob of my throat aimed to moisten my throat seemed to have the opposite effect.I’m so hot, and I need Xavier to quench this thirst I have for him.His restraints snapped when I parted my lips for him, eagerly driving his tongue inside my mouth, claiming my lips with enough force to rock my universe. I sighed, relishing the warm and needy feel of his soft lips against mine.My hands skimmed his chest, feeling each contour and profile of his perfectly toned muscles, nails digging as I reached for his shoulder, supporting myself.Xavier slanted his mouth, deepening the kiss; my tongue readily danced with his. I moaned at the first caress of his tongue

~Zia~The gentle wisp of Paris October air seeped through my black attire, a half-sleeved, A-line knee-length dress. My hair cascades in curtains of waves over my shoulder, a smile etched on my lip as I lift my cup, taking a sip of my flat white.The sun had just set. Amber lights flickered one by one around us and above. The outdoor table Xavier and I got at this local coffee shop on the edge of the city reminds me of a romantic scene from the last novel I’ve read.My husband, sporting a gray turtleneck, dark jeans, and leather jacket, stares back at me, green eyes mirroring the same eager adoration I’m giving him.“Nervous?” my husband asked, crossing his arms over his chest, eyes scanning the hotel across the street.

~Zia~It felt like we’d been hugging each other forever, standing by the side of Lorenzo’s crib; the child was unaware of the tears that flooded Nadia and I’s cheek.Nadia kept mumbling her apologies. She didn’t have to, though, because I’ve already forgiven her. I’ve come to terms with her choices. Not that I approve of what she did, but I should move forward and relish what I have at this moment.After setting one foot on the gates of hell twice in the span of five months, I knew life was a fragile gift, one that could be taken away from me in the blink of an eye. I have to do what I must do while I still have the time on my hands. And one of my to-do things is to reconnect with my family, which includes forgiving them, not just in words but in the true sense that would lessen t