Chapter 47

Adrian POV

I walked toward my room, my mind racing, but my steps stopped as a sudden weight seemed to drop onto my chest. I stopped, running a hand through my hair, trying to shake off the unease that was gripping me. I knew this moment would come, when the reality of the contract, the boundaries, and the roles we’d both settled into would catch up to me. But nothing, nothing prepared me for the realization of just how much I had crossed those lines.

I stood there in the hallway, alone, lost in my thoughts. The hallway seemed colder now, and I couldn’t push away the feeling that I was straying further from the man I wanted to be. Every day, I had been careful, careful with Kelly, careful with my actions, knowing the lines I was never supposed to cross. But lately... lately, I couldn’t help myself.

The small gestures, little touches, those stolen moments had started to mean something. And now, I wasn’t sure if I was the one who was losing control or if I had