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She turned for me to fasten the necklace and put on the earrings. When she was finally ready, I offered her my hand.

Before we went outside, I stopped by the kitchen and grabbed a vase, filling it with water. “Here, let’s put your flowers in this.”

Serenity arranged the bouquet in the vase, taking a moment to admire them. I watched her, loving how gentle she was with every petal. Then I took her hand and led her out for our first date.

Outside, under the open sky, a beautiful table was set with candles. As I guided Serenity to the table, a small band started playing soft music at the far end of the yacht.

“My God! Did you plan all this? When?”

“I had a little help. Do you like it?”

“Are you kidding? It’s beautiful.”

“Good, then.”

Hand on her lower back, I led her to our table, pulled out her chair, and slid her in. Drawn in to her, I pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder.

“You smell so good, baby. Did I tell you you’re beautiful?” I whispered in her ear.

“You did,” she replied, a little breathless.

“Well, I’ll never say it enough. You are beautiful, baby.”

I took my seat as the chef brought our meal. She hid her mouth with her hand, probably to cover a smile I could feel from across the table.

“Sorry I couldn’t cook tonight. My wife fell asleep on me. I couldn’t move.”

“Shut up, Konflict,” she laughed.

“And she snored so loud.”

“Man, I know you’re lying. I don’t snore.”

I laughed.

“She drooled too. I had to change my shirt,” I teased.

“God, I hate you right now, Konflict.”

“So I’ve heard. But you love me too. Well, I think you love to hate me. And I’ll take it, as long as there’s love in it.”

“Gosh, what am I going to do with you?” she rolled her eyes.

“Huh, if you ask me, I have a bunch of ideas. Like fuck me in the jacuzzi. Fuck me in the kitchen. Fuck me—”

“Oh my God, please shut up already.” She cut me off, and I laughed hard.

It was so easy to tease her, and I loved every laugh she blessed me with.

Dinner was full of easy conversation, laughter, and more stories about us. But when I asked Serenity about her mom, she closed up and became sad.

“I don’t really remember having a good relationship with my mom before she died. She wasn’t the maternal type. Rarely hugged me. The nannies took care of me. Valery was always there, like a big sister, but my mom wouldn’t really let me hang out with her. Maybe because she was the gardener and cook’s kid. Mom had this snobby side I never liked. Even as a kid, I knew she was with other men, not just my father. At ten, you shouldn’t even know what an affair is, but my family lived in a different world, lawless. Maybe I would’ve gone bad too if MamaKate hadn’t secretly watched over me. Anyway, I know my dad killed my mom, out of jealousy. After that, I felt even more trapped in the family. All I had were my flowers and…”

She paused, turning her face away from me, as if she didn’t want me to see the emotions in her eyes. Gently, I tugged her chin back so she had to face me. My eyes locked on hers.

“And what?” I asked softly.

“And my dreams,” she confessed shyly. “Ever since you pulled me out of the pool, I’ve been dreaming about you. It was always my escape.”