The clock struck eleven.
Still, Ste had no intention of returning to the bedroom.
She couldn''t focus on a single word of the documents spread before her.
Her mind was an absolute wreck. The whish of being violently dragged from a picturesque heaven straight into a hopeless hell was paralyzing.
A bone-deep exhaustion weighed her down.
She didn''t want to go back. She couldn''t face Joshua.
One look at his face, and she knew her resolve would crumble. She would foolishly cling to the toxic, naive hope that everything was fine.
Time blurred, and eventually, she slumped over the desk, drifting into a fitful slumber.
The sleep offered no peace; her mind was gued by vivid, disjointed dreams.
Perhaps her subconscious was desperate for a miracle, because she dreamt of Joshuapletely cured.
In the dream, the threat of a rpse was entirely eliminated.
She felt an overwhelming surge of euphoria.
Eager to celebrate with him, she rushed to find him-only to stumble into avish wedding where he stood at the altar with a breathtaking stranger.
He was slipping a diamond band onto the woman''s finger.
Ste stood frozen in horror.
As if sensing her gaze, Joshua paused.
He turned, his gaze cutting effortlessly through the crowd to lock onto hers.
The usual warmth was gone. His eyes werepletely void of recognition-cold and terrifyingly nk.
"Excuse me," he asked with polite confusion. "Who are you?"
Reality mmed into her. Joshua had gone through the hypnosis.
He was cured, but his love for her had been entirely erased. He was marrying someone else.
The nightmare was too vivid, too terrifying.
Ste gasped, her eyes snapping open as she dragged in desperate lungfuls of air. "Star, did you have a nightmare?"
A smooth, familiar voice murmured near her ear.
Still reeling, she turned her head to find his devastatingly handsome face inches from hers.
Bathed in the warm glow of the deskmp, his eyes overflowed with undeniable affection.
The suffocating panic in her chest began to recede.
A lump formed in her throat, and hot tears pricked the corners of her eyes.
Seeing her distress, Joshua pulled her into a tender embrace.
"It''s okay, Star. You''re safe."
Buried against his chest, the lingering terror of the dream finally washed away.
"What time is it?" she croaked.
"Past midnight," he replied softly. "You hadn''te to bed, so I came to check on you."
Without another word, he scooped her effortlessly into his arms.
"Let''s get you to bed."
Instinctively, Ste looped her arms around his neck as her feet left the floor.
After such a grueling nightmare,
being held against his solid wa
was exactly what she craved.
But she knew she couldn''t allow herself this indulgence.
She started to squirm, trying to break free. "No. I''m sleeping in the guest room tonight."
Joshua stopped in his tracks. He
looked down at her, his tone
coaxing. "Star, stop being stubborn
degi tubborn
The wedding dress I designed for
you arrived today. I want to take you for a fitting tomorrow.
We can alter anything you don''t absolutely love."
A wedding dress?
The words sent her spiraling.
She knew he had been meticulously nning their nuptials.
He insisted on handling every detail himself.
He had even taken it upon himself to sketch out her gown.
"It''s only the first option," he continued. "I''m still tweaking the designs for the others.
If you want, I can show you the sketches tonight."
But this time, her resolve held strong. She refused to cave.
"Put me down, Joshua," shemanded, her voice dropping a few degrees.
He stared at her in silence for several long seconds before slowly lowering her to her feet.
Taking in her frosty expression, he finally yielded.
"If you truly don''t want to share a bed with me tonight, I''ll take the guest room."
Her lips parted, but she swallowed the cruel rejection she had prepared.
Retreating to their sprawling master
suite, shey alone in the center
the massive bed staring at the
ceffing until dawn broke.
Ofe