Chapter Two: The Kiss That Changed Everything

The air felt heavy, thick with unsaid words and forbidden emotions. Isabella's heart pounded in her chest as she turned toward the voice that had shattered the moment—her fiancé, Nicholas Montgomery. He walked toward her with effortless charm, his golden-brown eyes gleaming under the ballroom lights. He was the picture of elegance, yet she barely felt anything when she looked at him.

Not the way she felt when she looked at Alexander.

Not the way her body burned with awareness every time he was near.

Nicholas took her hand and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles. "You disappeared on me, darling." His voice was smooth, rehearsed—just like their engagement. A perfect love story in the eyes of the world, yet utterly lifeless behind closed doors.

She forced a smile, her throat tightening. "I was just getting some air."

Nicholas glanced at Alexander, his expression shifting slightly. He knew. Maybe not everything, but he knew enough to sense the tension between them. Alexander, ever the dominant force in any room, didn't back down. His gaze remained locked on Isabella, daring her to say something, to acknowledge what they both knew still existed between them.

"Alexander," Nicholas greeted, his tone civil but cold.

"Nicholas."

A silent battle played between them, an unspoken war over the woman caught in between. Isabella felt trapped, suffocating under the weight of two worlds—the one she was supposed to want, and the one she truly desired.

Nicholas slid an arm around her waist, a subtle claim, and for the first time, it made her skin crawl. She didn't belong to him. She never had.

Alexander's jaw ticked. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, but he said nothing. Not here. Not now.

Later that night…

The grand estate was silent, the guests long gone, yet Isabella couldn't sleep. Her engagement ring felt heavier than ever, suffocating her finger like a shackle she hadn't asked for.

She stepped onto the moonlit balcony, inhaling deeply, desperate for clarity. But clarity didn't come.

Instead, he did.

She sensed him before she saw him, the warmth of his presence wrapping around her like a dangerous spell.

"Couldn't sleep?" Alexander's deep voice sent shivers down her spine.

She turned slowly, her breath catching at the sight of him. He had loosened his tie, the top buttons of his shirt undone, revealing the strong lines of his collarbone. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, as if he had been battling his own demons.

Just like she had.

"Why are you here?" she whispered, though she didn't tell him to leave.

He stepped closer, every inch of space he closed between them making it harder for her to think. "Because you're lying to yourself."

Her chest rose and fell unevenly. "Alexander…"

"No," he cut her off, his voice laced with raw emotion. "I let you walk away once. I let you choose duty over love, and I hated myself for it. But I won't let you do it again."

She shook her head, forcing herself to be strong. "It's not that simple."

"Then make it simple," he said, reaching for her hand. His touch was fire, igniting every nerve in her body. "Tell me you don't feel this."

Her lips parted, but no words came. Because she did feel it. She always had.

Alexander's fingers curled around her chin, tilting her face up to his. His green eyes burned into hers, full of desperate longing. "Tell me to leave, Isabella. Tell me, and I will."

She should. God, she should.

But instead, she did the one thing she had sworn she wouldn't do.

She closed the distance between them.

The kiss was electric, igniting years of buried passion in a single heartbeat. His lips claimed hers, soft at first, then deeper, more urgent, as if making up for all the lost time. She clung to him, her fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him closer, needing more.

Alexander groaned against her lips, his hands gripping her waist, molding her to him like she was the only thing that mattered in the world.

Because, to him, she was.

The world blurred. Time ceased to exist. There was only them, only this desperate, aching love that neither of them could deny any longer.

When they finally broke apart, both breathless, Alexander pressed his forehead against hers. "Come with me," he whispered. "Run away with me."

Tears stung her eyes. "And then what? We destroy everything?"

He cupped her face with both hands, his touch unbearably tender. "No. We build everything."

Her heart cracked open, torn between love and duty. Between a life that made sense and a love that made her feel alive.

But the moment was shattered when the door creaked open.

Nicholas stood there. Watching. Silent.

And in his eyes, Isabella saw the beginning of the storm that was about to come.

To be continued…