Chapter 2

I hid my identity, went all the way south, and settled in this little southern town. I took the name Esme Wood and opened a small inn called the Livingwell Inn.

Every day, I watched over the inn, saw Kellan laughing and playing, listened to the street chatter, and enjoy warm beard and hot coffee. Life was quiet and steady.

This was enough. Far from the capital, far from Payton, far from all those unbearable memories. Just an ordinary widow mother, raising my son and living out the rest of my life in peace.

I loved him down to my bones. But that love carried too much scorn and too many shackles. I was tired. All I want now was to stay with my child and live quietly.

But today changed everything.

As the sun dipped low, I went to pick up Kellan from the school, just like always. When I reached a secluded alley, a tall, commanding figure suddenly stepped in front of me.

The man wore a dark robe, his waist cinched with a fine belt. He stood straight as a pine, his features impossibly handsome, sharp brows, a high nose, thin lips pressed together. The noble aura around him warned strangers to keep their distance.

It was Payton.

Even though he was dressed in plain clothes, and the wildness in his eyes had faded, I recognized him instantly.

My brother, the man who lifted me to the clouds, then locked me in a gilded cage.

The setting sun washed the alley in crimson, making everything look like it was stained with blood.

I stood frozen, still clutching the little candy figurine I'd just bought for Kellan, my fingers slowly going numb.

Payton stood three steps away, backlit by the dying light. His dark robe made his face look even more refined, and his almond-eyes, slightly upturned, boldly roamed over me without a hint of restraint.

I recognized that look instantly.

The look of a hunter.

It was exactly like that night he burst into my room with a sword, the same look in his eyes when he said, "If you can't be my sister, then you'll be my woman."

But he really had forgotten everything.

He forgot me, forgot Kellan, forgot seventeen years of tangled love and hate, forgot how he broke every rule just to keep me close.

The crown prince of the Lunaris Empire should be back in the capital, recovering from his injuries. So what was he doing here, in this little southern town?

My heart thundered in my chest, but I kept a straight face and stepped back half a pace.

That tiny retreat only made the amusement in his eyes deepen.

He deliberately drew the long blade from his waist, its edge flashing cold in the sunset. He pressed it against the stone, letting it scrape with a harsh, grating sound.

"You have two choices."

His voice was deep and casual, like he was just commenting on the weather.

"Either become my woman and enjoy a lifetime of honor and wealth."

"Or you die."

The tip of the blade lifted, aimed right at my heart.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself not to look at the face that still made my heart skip a beat. I tried to keep my voice calm. "Really? We're total strangers, and you're just going to snatch a woman off the street in broad daylight? Isn't that a bit much?"

"Strangers?" Payton smirked, stepping in closer.

His crisp, cool scent hit me, laced with a faint hint of musk. I instinctively backed away, only to bump right into the icy wall behind me.

No escape.

He towered over me, sliding his blade back to his waist. Then his long fingers reached out, pinching my chin and forcing me to look up and meet his eyes.

"I've had my eye on you for quite some time now, lady."

The pad of his finger caressed my jawline, not too hard, not too soft, just enough to carry a teasing intimacy.

"Every day at dusk, you come to pick up your child. You wear a blue dress, your hair pinned up with a simple white hairpin, and your skirt sways softly as you walk."

He recited each detail, and with every word, my heart sank a little deeper.

"You're timid. When you enter the alley, you always pause at the corner, glance around, and only move forward once you're sure no one's watching."

"Your smile is beautiful especially when you smile at that child. Your brows and eyes curve like crescent moons."

"But you never smile at anyone else. You don't even spare those men who try to flirt with you a glance."

My heart was racing so fast it felt like it might jump right out of my throat.

He'd lost his memory, forgotten everything, yet somehow, he still found me.

It wasn't recognition. He'd set his sights on me all over again.

What was this?

Was I really destined to never break free from him?

I clenched my jaw and turned my head away from his hand. "You've got the wrong woman. I'm just a widow, raising my kid on my own, so please, don't make things difficult."

"A widow?" Payton's eyes flashed with a hint of mischief. He didn't mind that I dodged him. He just crossed his arms, leaned back lazily against the wall, and blocked me between him and the wall.

"How long have you been a widow?"

"Three years."

"And how old is your kid?"

"Three."

"Oh?" He dragged out the word, those sly eyes reflecting my face. "So you were widowed while pregnant? Your story's got some holes in it."