Rosalie:

I stared at the sleek black phone box resting inside the bag for a long moment, almost afraid to touch it. Everything about it screamed expensive, luxurious, and completely unnecessary for someone like me.

Slowly, I reached inside and lifted the box into my hands before opening it carefully. The moment I saw the latest model resting inside, my breath caught slightly.

Of course.

Of course Eiden would somehow manage to get me the newest phone possible.

A strange mixture of warmth and guilt twisted painfully inside my chest. The more kindness he showed me, the heavier my heart became. He had already saved my life, healed me, sheltered me, found me a home, arranged everything personally, and now this too? At some point it stopped feeling like kindness and started feeling like a debt I could never repay.

My fingers brushed lightly over the smooth surface of the phone before I carefully placed it beside me on the couch. A small part of me couldn’t stop wondering if perhaps the mate bond played a role in all this. Maybe he felt compelled to care for me because fate demanded it from him. Maybe if I wasn’t his mate, none of this would have happened.

But even as the thought crossed my mind, another part of me rejected it almost immediately.

Eiden Thorn didn’t feel like the type of man who did things out of obligation. Everything about him felt genuine. Quiet. Intentional. He wasn’t overly sweet or dramatic with his kindness. He simply... did things. Without expecting praise. Without wanting to make me feel indebted. Without using his help to make me feel smaller.

And somehow that made it even harder to accept. Especially now, after this house and everything inside it.

I sighed softly before finally unfolding the letter. The elegant handwriting immediately greeted me, neat and refined in a way that somehow resembled him perfectly.

Rosalie,

I hope you like the house. I did my best to make sure everything would be comfortable and suitable for you.

My eyes instinctively lifted from the paper and wandered around the living room again. The soft couch beneath me. The warm lights. The flowers arranged carefully on the table. The faint scent of tulips lingering in the air. The light rain tapping softly against the windows outside.

A helpless smile bloomed on my lips before I could stop it.

Like the house?

That man had somehow managed to create something that looked exactly like the kind of home I used to secretly imagine as a child.

My gaze lowered back toward the letter.

Since you are already reading this, I assume you have also found the phone. Before you decide you do not wish to keep it, let me remind you that living alone means you need a reliable way to contact people in emergencies.

I already added my number as your emergency contact. Aria’s and Zaiden’s numbers are saved as well.

And before you begin overthinking the cost, you may repay me later if it helps you feel better about accepting it.

My lips parted slightly. He already knew. He somehow always seemed to know exactly what was going on inside my head before I even voiced it aloud.

The warmth inside my chest spread even deeper as I continued reading.

Take your time settling down. Ask Aria for help whenever needed.

And Rosalie...

If things ever become too overwhelming, and you feel like you cannot handle everything alone, then return to me.

My heartbeat immediately stumbled so hard it physically hurt. I reread the sentence once. Then twice. Then again. And somehow every single time it affected me worse. He told me to return to him. Not to his house, but to him.

My fingers tightened slightly around the paper while my mind desperately tried not to overthink those words. Maybe he simply meant I could rely on him. Maybe it was nothing deeper than that. Maybe...

The mate bond stirred so strongly inside me that I had to lower the letter for a second and inhale deeply.

This was dangerous. Both of them were dangerous. Eiden with his warmth and gentleness. While Zaiden with his quiet intensity and terrifying presence. And somehow fate had tied me to both.

My gaze drifted toward the brand-new phone again. Slowly, I turned the phone on and waited through the setup screen before opening the contacts. And sure enough, there sat contact numbers of Eiden Thorn, Zaiden Nightfang, and Aria.

Just seeing Zaiden’s name there made my stomach twist strangely. It had only over two days since I last saw him in the study, yet I could still vividly remember those gray eyes watching me over the rim of his teacup while asking what I planned to do next with my life. The memory alone was enough to make my pulse quicken embarrassingly fast.

I immediately locked the phone and placed it beside the folded letter again before my thoughts spiraled any further.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to focus on something productive instead. The cartons still needed unpacking anyway. So I got to work.

One carton was filled entirely with clothes.

Dresses in soft colors and comfortable fabrics. Casual clothes. Sweaters. Sleepwear. Even coats for colder weather. My throat tightened slightly as I carefully lifted each piece out one by one and hung them inside the wardrobe upstairs.

Everything somehow matched my taste perfectly despite me never once telling Eiden what kind of clothes I liked wearing.

Another box held shoes and slippers. Sandals for daily use. Comfortable sneakers. Winter boots. And then there was the pair of black heels. I stared at them for a long moment before quietly placing the box aside.

The last time I wore heels had been on my birthday. The night my life shattered apart. My chest tightened painfully for a second before I quickly pushed the memory away and moved toward the next carton instead.

This one made me blink in surprise. There were medicines, herbs, tea sachets, first aid supplies, scented candles, and even some face masks.

Every single herb and pill bottle carried small handwritten labels from Eiden explaining what each one was for and how to use them safely. Some were for stress relief. Others for sleep. A few for pain or fevers.

I sat there quietly for a while, simply staring at the labels. Once again I was realizing how nobody had ever taken care of me like this since my parents death. The realization settled heavily inside my chest.

Outside, the rain had started pouring harder sometime during the unpacking. Thunder rumbled softly in the distance while droplets raced down the large windows overlooking the wisteria-lined street.

The cozy atmosphere inside the house only grew warmer against the storm outside. Eventually, after organizing the last few things and finally clearing most of the living room, exhaustion began settling into my muscles. I glanced around the now tidy space and let out a small breath of satisfaction.

It finally looked lived in. Like someone actually belonged here - Me.

The thought still felt fragile and uncertain, but maybe someday it would stop feeling strange.

I stretched lightly before deciding I should wash up before preparing dinner. Between unpacking everything and climbing up and down the stairs repeatedly, I felt dusty and tired all over again.

Besides, Aria said she would return later tonight so we could have dinner together.

I just hoped the storm outside wouldn’t get too bad before she managed to come back.