Absolutely not. Those kinds of miracles only happened to the chosen, the truly fortunate.

How could such a thing possibly happen to Elise? Her luck had always been catastrophically terrible.

She shifted slightly in the bed.

The man beside her remained asleep.

He was in a deep slumber, just like he had been that first time.

Elise finally gave in to the urge.

She lifted the covers to see the identity of the man buried beneath them.

The first time this happened, she had been so young. Her only thought had been to flee.

Now, there was very little in this world she felt she couldn't face.

The events of last night were a blurry recollection in her mind.

Samuel had taken her to the villa. The very same villa where he had cheated on her with Sophia.

He had forced an aphrodisiac down her throat. Her body had burned in response to the drug.

In her deepest despair, she remembered a loud, crashing sound. Then, the oppressive weight on top of her was gone.

Through the drug-induced haze, she heard the brutal, unmistakable sounds of a violent beating.

But her body had been too hot, too heavy, too consumed by need for her to get up and investigate.

Soon after, someone had lifted her. Everything else was a indistinct blur.

She had even wondered if it was all just a horrific nightmare.

If she hadn't woken up in an unfamiliar bed, she might have dismissed the entire episode as a bad dream and felt nothing but relief.

After all, she had never expected a rescuer in that moment of utter hopelessness.

Elise looked clearly at the man under the pillow.

It was William.

A torrent of indescribable emotions flooded through her. She couldn't name a single one.

It felt as if her heart had been trampled by a stampede.

This situation didn't feel any better than the one she had narrowly escaped.

In fact, it felt like leaping from a frying pan directly into the heart of the fire.

She moved to slip out of the bed. The moment her feet touched the cold floor, a strong hand shot out and pulled her back.

Elise pressed her lips together tightly.

He had been sound asleep just a moment ago! The last time she had left a bed he was in, he hadn't stirred at all.

"Elise..."

William's voice was rough with sleep. He blinked slowly, his eyes heavy-lidded. He seemed to be fighting to stay awake.

"You're awake..."

He struggled to sit up in the bed. He looked physically drained and mentally exhausted.

"Let go of me," Elise said, her voice cold and sharp.

William's fingers twitched slightly against her arm.

His mind flashed back to the first time they had been in this situation. He had slept too deeply, and she had slipped through his fingers.

If he had woken up then, if he had taken responsibility, they wouldn't have missed so many years.

They wouldn't have lost so many chances.

But the blame wasn't his alone to carry.

That night, after Elise had finally fallen asleep, sated and exhausted, he had dragged his own tired body from the bed.

He had carried her to the bathroom and washed her with meticulous care.

From beginning to end, Elise hadn't stirred once.

After he had cleaned her, William had taken a long, hot bath himself before returning to bed.

For some reason, sleep had eluded him.

Was it because it was his first real taste of intimacy with a woman? He wasn't entirely sure.

His body was a canvas of scratches and bite marks, a testament to their passion.

Yet, the profound satisfaction he felt completely overshadowed any physical discomfort.

He lay awake for a long time, simply watching the petite woman curled up under the covers beside him.

A feeling of pure happiness and excitement bubbled up in his chest. For a fleeting moment, he felt the past twenty years of his life had been a complete waste.

Then, and only then, had he finally allowed himself to fall asleep.