As Layla pulled away, her eyes t Lucius’s intense gaze. Before she could understand, he closed the distance between them, capturing her lips in a deep, passionate kiss. The intensity of it stole the air from her lungs, forcing her to breathe through her nose as she matched his rhythm.
Her body instinctively pressed closer to him while her hands cradled the back of his neck, her fingers threading through his hair as she surrendered completely to the mont.
After a while, they slowly withdrew from the kiss, their eyes locked in an unspoken connection. Layla smiled softly, suggesting, "Maybe we should head back to the shore."
Lucius tilted his head, amusent flickering in his gaze. "Has your fear gone?"
"With you, yes. Without you... I’m not so sure," Layla admitted with a light laugh.
"Then let’s put an end to that fear," Lucius said with a determined smile. He gently loosened her grip around his neck.
"No! No! I’ll drown!" Layla panicked, her legs flailing in the water as fear crept back in.
"Hey, hey, calm down," Lucius said softly, steadying her with his hands. "Rember, I’m right here. There’s no need to be scared. The water isn’t deep," he assured, his fingers drawing soothing circles on the backs of her hands beneath the surface.
"But what if–"
"Shhh," Lucius interrupted, placing a finger gently on her lips. "You won’t. Trust yourself... and trust your husband," he whispered, easing her fears with every word.
As Layla followed Lucius’s instructions, she gradually felt her fear lting away. With each movent of her hands, she grew more confident, her body relaxing in the water. After a while, feeling playful, she splashed water at Lucius and giggled.
Lucius grinned and retaliated with a splash of his own. Their laughter filled the quiet expanse of the ocean as they played, completely absorbed in each other’s company.
Finally, they waded back to the shore, returning to the spot where Lucius had left his jacket.
He wrapped it around Layla’s shoulders, gently tucking away the loose strands of hair from her face before standing up.
Layla’s gaze followed him as he removed his wet shirt, her eyes darting around to make sure no one else was watching before lowering her head.
"Why aren’t there any people here? This side of the beach is so peaceful," Layla asked, still glancing around.
Lucius smirked. "It’s a forbidden region. That’s why."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "What? Then, what are we doing here? Let’s leave before the cops co to arrest us!" she exclaid, her worry quickly rising again.
Lucius, now half-naked, ran his fingers through his damp hair, his muscles flexing with each movent. Layla’s words trailed off as she took in the sight of him, montarily distracted by the undeniable attraction.
He looked down at her with a teasing smile, clearly amused by her reaction. "Don’t worry, I’ve taken the permission already. Tonight we will be staying in that beachhouse over there," he pointed his finger behind his back. "But for now... enjoy the quiet."
Lucius settled beside Layla, resting his head gently on her shoulder.
"So, this was the surprise? Staying in a beach house?" she asked, her tone filled with disbelief. "How much money have you spent on this?"
"Not much," Lucius replied with a casual shrug, though a smile lingered on his lips.
Layla fell quiet, gazing out at the horizon, the sound of the waves soothing her. "Lucius," she began softly, "thank you for all of this. I’ve never felt this carefree and happy before. It’s like suddenly, everything has fallen into place, like all the bad things have turned good."
Lucius turned slightly, his eyes warm as he spoke. "I vowed to take care of you and fill your life with joy," he reminded her, his voice soft but firm, recalling the promise he made during their wedding.
Layla smiled, her heart full. "Yeah, I can see and feel that," she whispered, her hand gently resting on his. She felt safe, cherished, and deeply content in that mont, knowing that his love was more than just words—it was in everything he did.
~~~~~
Orabela swallowed hard as the doctor entered the room, clutching the results of her pregnancy test. She had hoped they could go to a hospital where she knew the doctor, but Roderick had been adamant about having it done here, in this hospital of theirs. Her nerves were on edge, her thoughts racing about what could happen next.
Roderick stood beside her, his eyes fixed on the doctor, clearly anxious for the results.
"Well, the test is negative," the doctor announced calmly. "Miss Orabela isn’t pregnant."
Orabela released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. The doctor continued, "It’s likely that stress or a hormone imbalance caused Miss Orabela to miss her period. Occasionally, the at-ho kits can give false results as well." She handed the report to Roderick, who studied it silently.
Orabela’s heart raced, not entirely sure how she felt—relieved yet tense. She glanced at Roderick, waiting for his reaction, unsure of what this ant for them moving forward.
As they all walked out of the room, Roderick gazed at Orabela. "I can’t believe you can lie about such a thing."
Fiona told her son to calm down. "You’ve scared Orabela completely. That’s why she reacted in such a way," she stated and assured Orabela that she would make her son understand.
"I’m not keeping any relationship with her, Mom," Roderick said and walked away in anger.
Darius was infuriated to hear that. "My daughter doesn’t deserve to be treated like this. It’s good that Roderick broke up with her, or else, he had troubled her after the marriage. Let’s go ho." He gazed at his wife and left first.
"Talk to your husband and I’ll talk with my son," Fiona suggested to Miriam. She then looked at Orabela and said, "You’ll definitely beco the wife of my son. Don’t worry." Fiona was determined to set them together because that was the only way Roderick could get the position of the chairman.
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