Chapter 6 - Dawn Over Michigan AvenueThree weeks later, the rain had finally stopped, replaced by the crisp, bright sunshine of an early autumn morning over Chicago.
The penthouse kitchen was quiet.
Isla stood by the marble counter, wearing a simple blue sweater, her bruises mostly faded to a faint yellowish tint. She poured freshly brewed coffee into two ceramic mugs, her hands steady.
Footsteps approached behind her. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her gently back against a solid, familiar chest.
“You shouldn't be standing on that foot yet,” Rhett murmured, resting his chin softly on her shoulder.
“I'm fine, Rhett. Dr. Castillo said the sprain is healed,” she replied, leaning back into his embrace with a quiet, genuine sigh.
Rhett turned her around in his arms, his dark eyes searching her face with an intensity that melted all the remaining ice in his soul. He reached out, gently tracing the edge of her jaw where the scar had almost vanished.
“Your father’s files,” Rhett said softly, his voice thick with unsaid apologies. “Marcus gave them to me. I know why you came here three years ago.”
Isla looked down, her heart fluttering nervously. “And... do you want me to leave?”
Rhett lifted her chin, forcing her to look straight into his eyes.
“When I found you on that floor, Isla, I realized something terrifying,” he whispered, his voice trembling with fierce emotion. “I spent my entire life building walls to keep enemies out. But I didn't realize that the only thing keeping me alive was the woman making my coffee every morning.”
May you like
He kissed her—softly at first, then with a deep, consuming hunger that swept away all the ghosts of the past.
Outside, the Chicago skyline gleamed beneath the morning sun, no longer a battlefield of red lines and hidden threats, but a city belonging entirely to them.
