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Your heart isn’t as innocent

as it pretends to be, Vadim King.]

[Vadim

You like playing with my name

a little too much.]

[Alma

And you like playing with my feelings.]

***

It’s back to business as usual at King Productions. Our emergency intervention worked, the movie is now one of the most hotly anticipated releases of the year, and Kate has finally relaxed.

Lily enrolled herself in the fashion design course I found for her—they’re evening classes, so she doesn’t even have to give up her lazy mornings. To congratulate her, our parents offered to pay her share of the rent. I refused.

My brother, Basile, invited me to dinner to make up for lashing out at the hospital. I said yes, as long as Clémentine and Niels could come too. Helped along by plenty of alcohol, we managed to get through a whole evening without arguing.

And Vadim… Vadim has won me over.

By leaving a coffee on my desk every morning.

By hiding packets of Skittles for me to find.

By slipping movie tickets into my jacket pocket.

By having a bouquet of books delivered to me.

By writing to me every day, early in the morning, then late at night.

By brushing my pinky finger as we pass each other in the hallway.

Living our love story in secret has something tragic about it… and exciting. Vadim is a man of paradoxes. He’s as elusive as he is attentive. He consumes me as much as he punishes me—because our past continues to stand between us. He hasn’t forgotten. Hasn’t forgiven. Not entirely.

“Two cappuccinos, please!”

Clémentine repeats our order to the frazzled server. I look at my friend, then gaze out over the sun-drenched Place du Châtelet.

“By the way, did you see this?”

She brings a photo up on her cell phone, then hands it to me. I cast a disinterested glance at the picture of Vadim and May, hand in hand.

“It’s just lies to create a buzz, Clem.”

“It had better be. Otherwise, I’ll sic my two little monsters on him!”

“Any new mischief to report?”

I always love hearing about her twins’ latest antics, down to the very last detail. Clem, on the other hand, lets out a strained laugh.

“They’re only three years old. The worst is yet to come…”

“Yeah, like when they’re teenagers.”

“I don’t even want to think about that! Their father already lets them get away with everything, so I can’t imagine what it will be like in ten years.”