Chapter 228

The last time she was here, everything felt so different. Ariella Rios kept telling herself not to be scared. Back then, he didn’t know he loved her—now he claimed he loved her more than life itself. He’d protect her this time. Surely, he would. When they got to the villa, Nora and Edward rushed to open the door after getting a call from Lucian Sterling. Seeing Lucian and Ariella show up together, the couple looked a little surprised. "Mr. Sterling, Miss Rios," Nora greeted. Ariella didn’t look like she'd been dragged here this time—it seemed more like a casual getaway. "Yeah, we’re just going to stay for a bit. We’ve already had lunch, you can get back to your own stuff," Lucian told them plainly. "Come on, let’s check out the room. Tell me if you like it." He said it lightly, pulling her along into the master bedroom—the same one from last time. Not the dark room. She didn’t even want to glance in that direction. That room had left a mark—she couldn’t bear to look at it. "How do you