[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603220ECDF1-639":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},639,81,"Chapter 81: \"Brave Girl.\"","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">They arrived at the coast by midday. Roman stepped out of the SUV, calmly weathering the playful jabs from Adelaide and Kaisen. As Violette climbed out from the passenger side, she caught his silhouette from the side—always perfectly upright, exuding that effortless, aristocratic air.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It reminded her of the breakfast table that morning: when Roman had insisted he was \"bored,\" yet his body had been angled entirely toward her, feigning disinterest with the grace of a statue.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">What a pity. The pretense would have been far more convincing if they hadn't spent their morning engaged in a very different kind of activity.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As Violette stepped onto the sand, the two siblings spun around, calling out a chorus of \"Sister-in-law\" in perfect unison. Adelaide promptly latched onto her arm. \"Sister-in-law, he’s absolutely impossible. He told us that just letting us tag along was a stroke of divine mercy and that we’d better not push our luck.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">That hadn't been Roman’s exact wording, of course. He had simply expressed—with cool, clinical precision—that they would each stick to their own agendas and avoid encroaching on one another.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Over Adelaide’s shoulder, Roman offered Violette a look of tempered resignation. She saw it then—the intense, deeply buried protectiveness hidden beneath the rigid, unbothered facade his siblings complained about. The longer she knew Roman, the more vivid he became, a man far too complex to be defined by the flat, monochromatic labels she’d initially used to describe him when they first moved in together.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Roman effectively overruled Adelaide’s protest with a single look. She and Kaisen were ushered onto the double-decker yacht.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette boarded with them, ducking into the changing room to slip into her wetsuit. Afraid of the sun, she had chosen a full-body design that covered her from neck to ankle. It was a minimalist black piece, save for two sleek, white panels running down the sides of her torso. As she leaped onto the smaller speedboat, those white stripes caught the light like the crest of a breaking wave.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Roman turned his head, his gaze lingering on her waist for a heartbeat too long.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Ready?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A question that sounded rhetorical. Violette answered him in her head, but her eyes drifted behind him to the hired captain waiting at the helm. \"You aren't driving?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You overestimate me,\" Roman replied, turning his gaze away with a casual shrug. \"I don't have the capacity to steer a boat while simultaneously coaching you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He had changed into his own gear, the fabric clinging tightly to his frame, revealing a physique that refused to surrender a single wrinkle of slack. Violette hadn't truly noticed, but she found herself blurting out, \"That sounds like you think I’m too clumsy to learn.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I wouldn't dare,\" he laughed, reaching out a hand.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette gripped his palm, using his strength to vault over the edge of the boat. Once the yacht hauled anchor and pulled away, their small speed boat tore across the water in the opposite direction.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Several hundred yards from the shore, the water turned crystal clear. Violette was already strapped into her life vest. She had listened to Roman’s detailed instructions and watched his demonstrations, but the moment she hovered over the water, her bravado vanished. She stared down at the choppy surface, hesitating.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What if I fall?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"That’s what the vest is for,\" Roman said, leaning down to check her buckles one last time. He tilted his head, his eyes meeting hers. \"And I’ll be there to fish you out the second you do.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His wetsuit was almost a mirror image of hers—ink-black, sculpting every muscle. In his movements, she could see the corded lines of his forearms working. So much vitality.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She pressed on. \"What if the waves are too high? What if you can't reach me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"A possibility, which is why I’ll be ten thousand times more cautious.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette poked a finger at his bicep. \"What about sharks?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"The probability is as low as me failing to catch you,\" Roman replied.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"That still implies it's possible,\" she murmured.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Roman broke into a laugh. The sun was perfect, the water dancing with fragments of gold that made his expression feel dangerously magnetic. His fingers brushed against the clasp of her life vest as if to undo it. \"If you’re truly afraid, we don't have to do this. I brought you here to relax, not to add to your stress.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette caught his hand, holding it still. \"I’m not that afraid.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In truth, she wanted this. Testing the danger before facing the unknown was just her nature.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Roman tossed the tow-line to her. \"Remember what I said: keep your shoulders open. Feel the wind.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She understood the theory, but the moment she dropped into the water, her heartbeat was deafening. Her toes gripped the surfboard; she held the line connected to the speedboat, feeling like a single, drifting sail at the mercy of the current.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Roman!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Hold your footing! Don't panic!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The engine roared, the wind screaming past her ears and swallowing his voice. Violette stared at him, unblinking, until she saw his lips shape the words: *Brave girl.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She swallowed hard, following his cues as she forced herself to straighten her back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*Splash.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She hit the water. A split second later, Roman dove in. In a blur of motion, he surfaced beside her, steadying her effortlessly. He wiped the salt from her eyelids, offering a calm, encouraging smile. \"Perfect. Just keep your feet a little steadier. You'll be up on the next one.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He handed the rope back to her and turned, moving through the water with the fluid grace of a fish. He didn't even need the captain’s help; he grabbed the gunwale and hoisted himself up in one smooth motion.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*Such core strength,* Violette thought, a flicker of admiration cutting through her nerves.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She took a deep breath and gave him an \"okay\" sign.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The second attempt went exactly as he’d promised. Once she found her balance, she stood tall on the board. But before she could gloat, Roman gestured for her to widen her stance; she overcorrected, a swell hit, and she tumbled back into the froth.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*Splash.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">This time, Roman didn't dive in. He leaned over the side of the boat, half his body suspended over the water, watching her with a steady, grounding gaze.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette wiped the water from her face, and as she met his eyes, her racing heart finally slowed.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You have experience skiing,\" he called out. \"Surfing isn't that different.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She gripped the rope again, bracing her feet on the board. \"Really?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Most people spend dozens of hours just learning to stand. You’re learning fast.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"And you?\" she asked, without thinking.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He laughed, a rare, spirited sound. \"One try.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette planted her feet. \"Hmph. I only took two.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">On the next pull, she stayed upright. The waves surged beneath her, and she could finally feel the rhythm of the water. The boat carved white foam into the blue; the wind grew louder, sharper.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Just as she started to grow confident, she heard Roman’s voice cut through the air: \"Let go of one arm.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His tone was as steady as his gaze, and for some reason, she trusted it implicitly. She didn't let fear paralyze her; she obeyed.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Releasing one hand changed everything. That half of her body relaxed, allowing the wind to rush through her. The initial panic was gone, replaced by a strange, humming focus. If she fell, she fell. She moved her other arm, feeling the pull of the water.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Want to let go entirely?\" Roman asked.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She didn't dare move her head, afraid that a single tremor would break her balance, so she blinked a signal to him. Roman’s short hair was windswept and messy, giving him a wild, reckless handsomeness.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He shook the rope in his hand, his lips mouthing: *Let go.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette followed. She let go of the line.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The wind swallowed her. The waves rose and fell in a chaotic symphony, and in the heart of that sheer terror, every other thought simply evaporated. Every muscle in her body was tuned only to maintaining balance, her gaze locked on the point at the stern of the boat. She hadn't been this single-minded in years. Her heart was empty of everything else.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The world had become vast, yet in this moment, it was perfectly small.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She finally understood why Roman had brought her here. Sometimes, you have to strip everything away to remember who you are.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272920079]