Page 54 of Bound By Crimson
It was a beginning.
Chapter Fifteen
The Hardest Goodbye
The days that followed were a blur of motion and magic.
Paris came first.
They drank espresso in tucked-away cafés, wandered narrow streets hand-in-hand, and kissed beneath the soft glow of streetlamps.
Kai never left her side. Even when business pulled him into meetings, he brought her along, introducing her with quiet pride. When he couldn’t, he sent her with Thomas, who had come to Europe with them and quietly became a steady, protective presence.
Lyric made sure to keep Velora updated—sending photos, funny stories, and messages almost daily. She didn’t want her to worry.
Velora teased that she was living the dream, but Lyric could still sense the caution in her texts.
“Just be careful, honey. Don’t lose yourself.”
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Then Rome.
He surprised her with a red dress waiting on the balcony of their villa, saying she looked like fire and he wanted to burn.
They walked through ruins and whispered secrets in the dark.
At night, he worshipped her body with the same reverence he gave ancient statues, tracing every curve like a prayer.
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Madrid. Vienna.
A week by the sea in Santorini.
They danced in the rain in Barcelona.
He bought her a ring in Florence—not an engagement ring, but something delicate and gold, meant for her middle finger.
“So the world knows you’re mine,” he whispered as he slid it on.
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By the time they flew back to the U.S. in mid-October, Lyric wasn’t just in love.
She was consumed.
On the tarmac, Kai cupped her face between his hands, searching her eyes with that dangerous, aching intensity.
“Come to New York,” he murmured. “Live with me. I don’t want to be without you.”
Her breath caught, heart warring between impulse and loyalty.
She had to go home—back to Pennsylvania, to her house, her roots—her parents’ house.
It wasn’t just a building. It held the echoes of her childhood, her mother’s laughter, her father’s faded cologne, the memories of birthdays and Christmas mornings and quiet, ordinary days.
It was the last piece of them she had left.
