The silk clung to her skin like water.Selena stood by the bed in the honeymoon suite, the wedding dress pooled at her feet like spilled cream. The lingerie underneath caught the soft light from the bedside lamp, ivory against her bare shoulders. She looked at Kevin with eyes that promised everything."Come here," she whispered.Kevin crossed the room. His hands found her waist, warm and real beneath his palms. Three years. Three years of waiting, of wanting, of holding himself back because she asked him to take things slow. Tonight was supposed to be different.Her lips met his, soft and urgent. She tasted like champagne and wedding cake, sweet enough to drown in. His fingers traced the curve of her spine, felt her breathing quicken against his chest."I've wanted this," Selena breathed between kisses. "Wanted you."The bed welcomed them both. Her skin was fever-hot under his touch. She arched into him, making small sounds that sent heat racing through his blood. This was it. Finally

His hand was steady. That was the strange part. No shaking, no visible rage, just cold clarity spreading through him and settling into his bones like ice forming on a lake. He walked to the window and looked out at the sprawl of Milano below, the ancient city glittering in the night. The Duomo rose in the distance, floodlit and magnificent. The streets wound through the historic center like arteries, pulsing with late night traffic and the glow of trattorias still serving dinner to tourists who didn't know any better than to eat past midnight.His phone buzzed in his hand.A notification. X. Jasper Doom posted something new.Kevin's thumb hovered over the screen for a moment before he opened it.The photo had been taken from a high angle, clearly a selfie. Jasper held the phone with one hand while lying in the hospital bed, his face tilted just slightly toward the camera. He looked fragile, his skin pale against the white sheets, dark circles under his eyes that made him seem younger

"There's nothing to forgive. You were sick. It's not like you planned this."A small, relieved smile crossed Jasper's lips. "You're so kind, Sarah. So understanding. Kevin's lucky to have someone with such a big heart. And he's such a good man too, so patient with me even though I keep causing problems between you two.""You don't cause problems.""I do, and I know it, but you're both too generous to say it." His hand found hers again, holding it between both of his palms. "You're beautiful inside and out. Kevin's a lucky man. I hope he knows that."Sarah felt warmth spread through her chest. "Stop talking like that and focus on getting better."She stood up and stretched, feeling every vertebra in her spine pop. Her whole body ached from the uncomfortable chair."Are you hungry? I should get you something. Liquid diet, right? I'll find something nutritious nearby.""You don't have to do that.""Of course I do. You need to eat." She grabbed her purse and headed for the door."Sarah?"

Kevin sat on the weathered iron bench in the Parco Sempione, watching the morning joggers pass without seeing them. The divorce agreement lay in a manila envelope on the bench beside him, delivered by a man who looked like an accountant but moved like a soldier.Commander Voss had arrived exactly on time. Clean suit, pressed collar, the kind of man who could blend into any crowd in any city in the world. But when he saluted Kevin, his posture was rigid with military precision that no civilian suit could hide."The documents are in order, sir. Standard terms as you requested." Voss handed over the envelope and stood at attention. "If I may ask, War God, have your injuries from three years ago fully healed?""The external ones are fine."Kevin didn't mention the rest. The internal damage from the final war still needed another six months to fully mend. Once it healed, his cultivation would break through to a level no living warrior had ever reached. But that was his business and no one

"Do I have to report everything I do to you?"Kevin's voice was quiet, almost bored, and the words landed on Sarah like a bucket of cold water. She opened her mouth to fire back, but something stopped her. A memory, sharp and unwelcome, rising from just one week ago. Jasper had been bitten by a venomous snake during a field inspection, and she'd grabbed her coat and rushed out the door without explanation. When Kevin had asked where she was going, she'd said those exact words to him. That exact sentence. That exact tone.Guilt pressed against the inside of her ribs, brief and uncomfortable, before she shoved it down."That's different," she muttered."Is it?""You could have at least told me you were going out. I came home expecting you to be here, Kevin. I waited. I skipped dinner because I thought we'd eat together, and instead I walked into an empty apartment."Kevin looked at her with an expression so flat it barely qualified as a face. "Then learn to cook."Sarah blinked. "What