Faux Vows, True Desires novel Chapter 49

Lucinda, clutching several photo albums, made her way back to Stefan's spacious room and plopped herself on the couch, her curiosity piqued as she opened the first album. Stefan had kept these albums locked away in his drawer, which meant they were something special, something he wanted her to see.

Opening it, she was taken aback.

Pictures of her? Photos from her teenage years?

Breezing through the album, she found it full of pictures of her. She racked her brains but couldn't remember ever taking so many pictures, let alone giving them to Stefan. She wasn't a selfie queen; her social media posts and phone gallery mostly consisted of scenic shots.

Next, she flipped through the second album. Slowly, she realized the pictures of her spanned from her early teens up to her current age of twenty-four.

Holy cow! Ten years!

Stefan had claimed he had had a crush on her since childhood and had watched her grow up. It turned out he wasn't bluffing. He really had watched her grow up. But wait, had he been taking sneaky snaps of her?

Lost in the sea of photos and the flood of emotions they stirred, Lucinda was no fool. She could guess Stefan's intentions. After all, she was a romance novelist, spending her days spinning tales of love and passion. She fancied herself quite the expert on matters of the heart.

Stefan had set his sights on her when she had barely entered her teens, never interfering with her life, letting her grow up carefree, and only recently laying a trap to lure her into his world. The truth left Lucinda in a whirl of emotions.

Her phone rang, disrupting her thoughts. It was her brother, Ike.

"Lucinda, where are you and Stefan? You're not at the shop or your apartment. It's pretty late; you should be home. That jerk Stefan is a bad influence, keeping you out all hours."

Ike's words were peppered with digs at Stefan.

Who could blame him? Stefan had stolen his beloved little sister, the apple of their family's eye.

"And you're at Stefan's place? Late at night? You're trapped with that wolf in sheep's clothing! Send me your location; I'm coming to get you."

Lucinda responded quietly, "Ike, Stefan and I are married now. There's no escape."

Ike exploded, "I'd love to knock Stefan's teeth out."

"If you hurt Stefan, I'd be upset, Ike. He's the one I'm relying on."

Ike wailed, "Lucinda, it's only been a few days, and you're already smitten with that charmer, Stefan. But I guess it's not surprising; he's quite the looker and has women falling at his feet left and right."

"Alright, Ike. It's late. Go to bed and stop worrying about me. I'm hanging up now."

Exhausted and emotionally drained, Lucinda was in no mood to entertain Ike's ranting. She knew he was just upset about her moving out, not because he thought Stefan was bad news.

In fact, Ike had always admired Stefan.