ADELE’S POV

Lucien’s hand was warm and firm around mine as he pulled me out of the ballroom. The music and laughter faded behind us, replaced by the quiet echo of our footsteps in the long hallway.

“Where are we going?” I asked, trying to keep up with his long strides. “Lucien, tell me. What’s the surprise?”

He didn’t answer. Just glanced back at me with that wicked half-smile that always made my stomach flip, eyes dark and full of secrets. He kept walking—through the grand corridors, up the sweeping marble stairs, all the way to the top floor where our bedroom waited.

When we reached the door, I stopped...