Moment of Heartbeat

Chapter 11

Sophia Anderson's breath intertwined with his, coming in ragged gasps, her body still trembling as wave after wave of ecstasy rippled through her, pulling her into their embrace. Her eyes remained shut, helplessly swept along by the current.

Falling felt like the sweetest poison, an intoxicating elixir sinking into her soul.

With her hand resting on his strong, sweat-dampened back, Sophia lingered in his scent and warmth. Jake Carter, in return, kissed her brow, then her eyes, gently brushing away the tears shed in their fevered passion.

"Why are you crying?" he whispered, his voice thick with tenderness and desire. "I'll take responsibility. If you're willing, we could marry... right now."

Satisfaction seemed to fill every corner of his being. Despite the sweat on his skin, he held her close, finally releasing his long-suppressed love and longing, wanting nothing more than to draw her deeper into himself.

"Marry?" Her response drifted out, light as air, as though her mind could barely process the thought through her fatigue.

"Why doubt me?" Jake murmured, kissing her flushed cheek, his breath warm against her skin. "Don't you believe me? Don't you believe... that I love you?"

His words, so tender, were like the finest needle pricking her heart, impossible to ignore.

It hurt. Tears slipped down her face, but her lips curved into a faint, bittersweet smile.

"I believe you." Sophia's soft hand touched his sculpted face, her clear eyes gazing deeply into his. "And I believe no one else... will ever love me the way you do."

His love was simple, selfless, boundless—a purity as clear as a mountain spring, able to wash away all sorrow.

But springs cannot be contained; no matter how tightly one tries to hold, water only slips through the fingers.

That night, she remained in his room, in his arms, responding to his passion until the break of dawn. When he finally drifted into sleep, she quietly rose, dressed, and prepared to leave.

Leaning down, she took in his serene, handsome face in sleep. Her lips pressed softly against his cheek, his thin, sensual lips, and his chiseled jawline.

Then, before more tears could fall, she walked away.

She had to leave him.

He would wake soon. And when he did, he would see things differently. The infatuation that had lingered since his youth would fade away.

Who hasn't felt something like that, only for it to change with time?

But in the light of day, everything shifts.

Wrapped in the pure bliss of their night together, Jake Carter slept soundly, drifting in the sweetest dream. If lying here with Sophia in such rapture was only a dream, he would rather stay lost in it forever.

If he had known what awaited him upon waking, he might have prayed for endless sleep.

The next morning, Jake Carter slept in.

The pervasive sense of calm and contentment filled him so completely that when Linda Carter informed him that Mia had already taken Sophia to the airport, he only frowned slightly.

"Sophia's such a good girl, flying all the way to Yale just to decline her acceptance in person," Linda chatted on, a touch of admiration in her voice. "She wasn't raised with much care or strict guidance, but look how well she's turned out... so gentle, so refined. A true gem..."