Beneath the moonlight, Joshua''s eyes sparkled as if they held the entire gxy, his gaze overflowing with unwavering, undeniable devotion.


    Ste''s heart felt like it was drowning in a mixture of sweet honey and freezing ice, tearing her apart in a painful, agonizing dichotomy.


    If... if they couldn''t find a cure for Joshua, there would be no wedding. They wouldn''t even be together.


    Every ounce of logic screamed at her to refuse him.


    Yet, in that singr, intoxicating moment, she felt entirely bewitched. Driven by an invisible force, she softly nodded.


    Seeing her ept, the smile in Joshua''s eyes deepened as he gently slid the ring onto her finger.


    Looking down at her hand, Ste finally remembered that the night before, Joshua had taken her ring, iming he was sending it off to be cleaned.


    So that was why. He had been nning this proposal all along.


    Joshua rose to his feet and captured her lips in a tender, consuming kiss.


    After the proposal, he treated her to a private, romantic candlelit dinner.


    As they ate, Ste couldn''t help but ask, "When did you learn to y the violin like that? You sounded like a professional, not someone who just picked it up a few days ago."


    Ste might not have been able to outmaneuver Joshua in business or strategy, but her musical genius was absolutely unparalleled.


    Even a prodigy like Joshua couldn''t master an instrument to that level overnight.


    Joshua swirled the wine in his ss, the deep ruby liquid catching the warm glow of the candlelight.


    He answered honestly, "Thest time I went back to the Gardner estate for treatment, I had a lot of free time on my hands. I started practicing then."


    Thest time he went back to the estate?


    Ste did the math in her head-that had been nearly a year ago.


    She smiled warmly. "It was beautiful. If you had pursued it seriously, you probably would have rivaled me."


    But Joshua shook his head. "Everyone has their calling. I might be better than the average person, but when ites to your domain, no matter how hard I try, I could never hold a candle to you."


    After their perfect dinner, they headed home together.


    ...


    Later that night, Ste suddenly jolted awake.


    Out of habit, she leaned back against the mattress, only to find the space beside her entirely empty.


    Her eyes snapped open, and she realized Joshua was gone.


    Just as she was about to get out of bed to look for him, the faint sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the hall.


    Ste immediately tensed.


    Joshua wasing back.


    She quickly shut her eyes, pretending to be fast asleep.


    The footsteps drew closer, and the mattress dipped as Joshua slipped back under the covers.


    She didn''t know if it was just her imagination, but she swore she could smel


    ell the faint, metallic tang


    of blood clinging to him.


    He wrapped a strong arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest.


    The very next day, Ste discreetly


    checked on everyone in her


    immediate circle to see if anyone


    had gone missing or had an


    ident. But


    Shor


    absolutely


    nothing.


    Even her known rivals and enemies seemedpletely unaffected.


    A seed of doubt nted itself firmly in her mind. Where the hell had Joshua beenst night?


    A few nightster, Ste woke up out of nowhere again, only to find the bed empty


    once more.


    She grabbed her phone to check the time.


    1:00 AM.


    Him disappearing once could be


    chalked up to insomnia or a random


    coincidence, but twice this was


    getting highly suspicious.


    >


    As shey there analyzing the situation, the bedroom door clicked open softly. Joshua had returned.


    Ste instantly dropped her phone and squeezed her eyes shut.


    She made up her mind right then and there. Tomorrow night, she was going to find out exactly what Joshua was up to.


    ...


    The following night, Ste intentionally stayed awake, desperate to see if Joshua would leave again.


    She faked a deep, rhythmic breathing pattern, lying perfectly still as Joshua held her tightly.


    She waited for hours, but Joshua never moved an inch.


    Just as the sheer exhaustion began dragging her down and she hovered on the


    edge of sleep, the man beside her suddenly shifted.


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