No Longer Yours to Break novel Chapter 11

Meanwhile, over in Khelmark City-

Zoe woke up in her hotel room, and the weight of everything didn’t hit until she grabbed her phone.

New number, new SIM–clean break from the past.

Only one message popped up.

Lucian:

[The robot dropped off breakfast. Don’t forget to grab it when you wake up. ]

Simple. Sweet. Real.

***

At 3 p.m., Zoe climbed into Lucian’s car for a final walkthrough of the venue.

She didn’t know him well yet, but he was definitely growing on her.

He greeted her with that usual warm smile, eyes steady.

“Afternoon. Breakfast treat you okay?”

Zoe thought of the cart piled high with food and shot him a look.

“What if I say no? Gonna fly in a chef from overseas or something?”

Lucian caught the joke, and the tension eased.

“Everything’s pretty much set. I’ve been managing it myself, so nothing should’ve slipped through.”

“But,” he added, “you’re one of the stars of this wedding, Ms. Hertbert. You should give it a final look. If anything’s off, we’ve still got time to fix it.”

Zoe raised a brow, playful.

“We’re about to get married and you’re still calling me Ms. Hertbert?”

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Lucian blinked–definitely wasn’t ready for that one.

She caught his surprise and realized–okay, maybe that came off a little too familiar, considering they’d just met yesterday.

Her cheeks warmed, and she opened her mouth to backtrack-

But Lucian smiled.

Even in the dim car, his eyes lit up.

Zoe blinked, caught off guard by the way it made her feel.

Once, Connor used to look at her like that.

Back when she was the only one in his world. Those cold, distant eyes had once softened—just for her.

But his gaze was nothing like Lucian’s.

Connor’s love—and his hate–always burned too hot.

When he loved her, he went all in, wanted to give her everything… but he never cared who got hurt along the way.

Zoe used to get swept up in that kind of love–blinding, suffocating.

Lucian’s eyes were different. Warm, steady. Like spring air–gentle, not overwhelming.

***

The venue looked unreal–like it had been pulled straight from a dream.

Gorgeous blooms, glittering jewels, ivory drapes wrapped around Roman columns. Zoe stepped in and stopped cold.

As a kid, she used to imagine a wedding just like this–with Connor at her side.

Now the dream was real… but the groom had changed.

Lucian stood quietly nearby, watching her.

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Under the chandelier’s soft glow, her face almost shimmered. He tried to play it cool,

didn’t want to scare her–but he couldn’t look away.

What she didn’t know was, he’d fallen for her a long time ago.

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