The moment they saw me, it was like they’d been saved. “Miss Danica…!” someone gasped.
Felix turned. And everything about him changed. The cold in his eyes melted instantly, relief hitting his face so hard it almost looked painful.
“Danica!” He crossed the room in seconds and pulled me into his arms, holding me tight like I might disappear. “Where the hell did you go?” his voice dropped, “I’ve been calling you. I thought something happened. You scared the shit out of me.”
I went stiff for a second, then forced myself to relax. “I was shopping,” I said quietly. “Lost track of time.”
He pulled back, looking at me, then sighed like he couldn’t even be mad. “Next time, take me with you,” he said, brushing my hair back gently. “Your husband can carry your bags, pay for everything, and show up the second you call. That’s what I’m here for, yeah?”
Husband. The word stabbed right through me. No… you’re not. You stopped being that four years ago.
“Today’s our seventh anniversary,” he continued, smiling slightly. “Come on. I’ve got something for you.”
He took my hand and led me outside, straight to the helipad, and before I could say anything he picked me up like I weighed nothing and carried me into the helicopter. The blades roared to life, wind whipping around us as we lifted into the sky. I didn’t speak. I just watched him. This man. This stranger.
After we climbed high enough, he tilted my chin toward the window. “Look.”
I looked down. The city lights shifted, moving, aligning until they formed words stretching across the dark.
LOVE, DANICA.
My breath caught. It was beautiful. It was insane. It was him.
Felix leaned close, his lips brushing my ear, his voice low and soft. “I love you, Danica,” he murmured. “Always have. Always will.”
My chest tightened. If someone else saw this, they’d think I was the luckiest woman alive. So why did I feel like I was drowning?
The helicopter slowly descended, landing outside a massive estate far from the city. And I knew… this night wasn’t over yet.
…
The helicopter landed in front of a massive mansion, the kind that looked like it belonged to royalty or monsters, maybe both. Felix had bought it for five billion, people whispered about it like it was some legend. The gates were carved in insane detail, and right in the center were the words that made my chest tighten.
Danica’s Palace.
I couldn’t breathe for a second.