Chapter 248

Alexander stood out on the balcony, a cigar dangling between his slender fingers, unlit. The girl in his dreams didn’t like the smell of smoke. So, in the dream, he’d quit—no hesitation, no complaints. A perfect husband: thoughtful, gentle, always putting her first. Staring into the endless night, Alexander felt like someone had ripped a hole straight through his chest. He used to think she had a lover who died young, and he was just a stand-in. Turns out, that wasn’t it at all. In that dream, he was the real deal. The guy who made her life a living hell. Why would he dream something like that? Was it some past life thing? Or a warning in this one? Probably… definitely past life. Because so much of it didn’t line up with reality—he never crashed her engagement party to take her away, even though that had been the plan. And in the dream, Vivian had always lived at the Brooks’ estate. No FN, no dive into the entertainment world. Too many things didn’t match. His lips pressed into a line