Page 114 of Billionaire’s Heartbreak

His voice sounded farther away. “June…”

I reached for him. He reached for me too. Our fingertips brushed, almost touching, almost enough.

Then they slipped apart.

“No…”

The warmth disappeared.

My eyes flew open.

Darkness.

For several seconds, I couldn't move. My heart pounded against my ribs as I stared at the outline of my bedroom ceiling. My breathing came too quickly, so I pressed a hand against my chest, trying to convince myself that I was awake.

I could still feel the phantom warmth of his hand, remember the shape of his smile, taste the memory of his kiss, and hear those three words whispered against my skin.

I love you.

I closed my eyes, trying to hold on to the fragments before they disappeared completely, but they were already fading.

I turned my head toward the window. Pale morning light was beginning to seep through the curtains, drawing thin lines across the room. Everything looked ordinary. Too ordinary. My heart hadn't caught up with reality yet.

Was it only a dream? Or had my sleeping mind wandered back to something buried so deeply that I'd almost convinced myself it had never happened?

Outside, the soft cry of a child pierced the silence. A woman's gentle shushing followed, tender and familiar.

Reality crashed over me. Kai's wife was here. So was their child. And somewhere in all of this was my husband, Dannie.

The warmth I'd been clinging to evaporated, leaving behind the cold emptiness of morning—and guilt. So much guilt.

I stared at the ceiling, listening to the quiet sounds of the house waking around me.

Whatever that had been—a dream, a memory, or some cruel mixture of both—it belonged to another life.

A life where Kai and I could choose each other.

19

Kai

* * *

Today was the day. The day we took back everything.

Dannie had never been the kind of man who sat around waiting for things to happen. If an opportunity appeared, he seized it. If there was a fight to be won, he made the first move.

And today, we had been handed an opportunity too good to ignore. Everyone would be at the old temple. It was a day of worship. A sacred day. The rules were clear: no fighting, no bloodshed, no war.

No one would expect an attack there.

Which was exactly why we were going.

Our people had split into four teams, each taking up position around an old, nondescript building. Its weathered walls were stained in uneven shades of white and grey, blending seamlessly with the surrounding buildings. The windows were dark and dusty, the entrance barely noticeable beneath a faded sign. Thousands of people passed it every day without giving it a second glance, never suspecting what lay behind its worn façade.

The air felt different that morning. Even before we moved into position. Traffic continued along the street. People walked past, completely unaware that armed men were waiting only metres away.

We knew what was coming. We knew there would be shouting, gunfire, blood and people who wouldn't walk out of this building alive.