Chapter 15

Sunlight filtered gently through lace curtains in the Duke's estate as Vivienne stirred awake in Alexander's bed. For a moment, wrapped in the warmth of his arms and the soft sheets, the troubles of the outside world felt distant. Alexander still slept beside her, his face peaceful. Vivienne allowed herself a tender smile, tracing a finger lightly along his jaw. How strange and wonderful it was to wake not in solitude, but in the secure embrace of someone who truly cared.

But reality beckoned. By afternoon, Alexander was called away to attend urgent matters at court regarding the Marquis de Montfort. He promised to return by evening. Vivienne, now installed in his home, spent the day quietly recuperating. A maid drew her a bath and dressed her in a modest cornflower-blue day gown. Her bruises were fading, and the physical aches had lessened, though her heart still bore scars.

Restless, Vivienne decided to stroll in the estate's rose garden for fresh air. The April sun and fragrance of blooming petals soothed her. She walked along the gravel paths, lost in thought over the whirlwind of recent days—Celeste's rivalry, Lucien's attack, Alexander's love. So absorbed was she that she almost didn't notice the figure approaching from the side gate.

"Vivienne?" spoke a tentative male voice from behind her.

She turned, the familiar timbre striking a chord deep in her memory. A tall man stood just beyond the hedges. He was broad-shouldered and clad in a captain's uniform of the Royal Guard, his hat held respectfully in his hands. Vivienne's breath caught as she met a pair of warm hazel eyes she never thought she'd see again.

"Gabriel?" she whispered, scarcely believing it. Her heart lurched painfully with recognition. It was Gabriel Laurent—her childhood sweetheart, her first love from a life she'd left behind.

Gabriel managed a smile, though uncertainty played on his face. "I heard...I heard a rumor you might be here. I had to see for myself." He took a cautious step forward. "It's been so long."

Vivienne felt rooted to the spot. Emotions swelled—joy, guilt, nostalgia, and fear all at once. "I... I thought you were still in the colonies," she managed, voice trembling.

"I returned to the city last month," Gabriel said softly. "I went to your old home, but you were gone. They said your father died years ago. No one knew what became of you. Then by chance, I heard courtiers gossiping about a Duke's mistress named Vivienne LaVert. They described you... I prayed it wasn't just fancy." He raked a hand through his chestnut hair, disbelief and hurt mingling in his eyes. "And here you are."

Vivienne's throat constricted. Gabriel had been the one good thing in her youth—the son of a family friend. They had dreamed of marriage before misfortune tore her family apart. When her father's ruin scattered them, she'd never had the chance to even send word to Gabriel. She assumed he moved on. And she...she had become someone entirely different.

"You shouldn't be here," she whispered, half-turning away in shame. "This world I'm in now, it's...not for you."

Gabriel approached slowly, until he stood only a pace away. "What world is that, Vivienne? Tell me. Because all I see is the girl I loved wearing finery and looking so sad." He gently reached out and tilted her chin, forcing her to face him. "What happened to you?"

At his touch, Vivienne felt a crack in her composure. Tears pricked her eyes. "Please, don't make me explain," she pleaded softly. "It's too late for us, Gabriel."

Pain flickered across his face. "I deserve to know. I searched for you. I thought—" His voice broke. He steadied himself. "I thought I'd lost you forever. And now I find you living with a Duke as his mistress? You, who were always so proud and full of dreams..."

A tear escaped down Vivienne's cheek. Hearing the disappointment in his tone was like a knife. "Life left me few choices," she said bitterly. "After my father died and everything fell apart, I had nothing. I did what I had to in order to survive."

Gabriel's eyes fell to the bruise still faint on her neck, then back to her haunted gaze. Understanding dawned in his expression. "This Duke... does he treat you well? Did he do that to you?" His voice tightened, as if ready to challenge Alexander himself if need be.

"No!" Vivienne said quickly. "No, Alexander has been nothing but gentle and good to me. That was someone else's doing, an enemy." She hesitated, then added honestly, "Alexander saved me from him."

Gabriel released a breath of relief. He stepped closer, emotion shining in his eyes. "Then come away, Vivienne. You say he saved you—fine. But let me save you now. You don't have to live like this, at the mercy of nobles' whims. Come with me. We can leave this city, start anew. I'll marry you, give you the life you should have had."

Vivienne's heart twisted. How many nights had she once dreamed of exactly that? A simple, honest life with Gabriel. But that naïve girl was gone. And standing here now, she felt the pull of two worlds: one, a chance at the pure love she'd lost; the other, the perilous power and passion she'd since embraced.

Tears glistened in her eyes as she gently touched Gabriel's cheek. "You don't know what you're asking," she said in a pained whisper. "You are a good man, Gabriel. But I am not the innocent girl you remember. The things I've done...the things I'm mixed up in..."

"I don't care," he interrupted fiercely, covering her hand with his. "To me you'll always be the woman I love. We all have shadows in our past. Let mine light yours."

Vivienne closed her eyes, a sob catching in her throat. How simple he made it sound, as if love alone could wash away the stains of her life. Part of her wanted desperately to believe it. She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his shoulder for a moment. His familiar scent of leather and fresh air enveloped her, comforting and achingly nostalgic.

Gabriel gently wrapped his arms around her. It felt at once like coming home and opening an old wound. "I missed you every day," he murmured into her hair.

She trembled in his embrace. "I missed you too," she admitted in a broken voice.

They stood like that amid the roses, time turning backward for one fragile moment. Gabriel tilted her face upward and, with the tenderness of first love, brushed his lips against hers. The kiss was soft, hesitant—full of years of longing. Vivienne's resolve faltered; she let herself sink into that kiss, tasting bittersweet regret and remembered joy.

But as their lips parted, reality rushed back in. Vivienne stepped out of Gabriel's arms, wiping tears from her face. "I can't," she said shakily. "My life...it's more complicated now. Alexander—he truly cares for me. And I for him." Speaking it aloud clarified the truth in her heart: she did care deeply for Alexander, perhaps even loved him as fiercely as she once loved Gabriel, albeit in a different way.

Gabriel's expression fell, wounded. "Do you love him?"

Vivienne hesitated. "I… It's different, but yes. He and I, we've been through so much. I can't abandon him. I owe him my life."

A muscle in Gabriel's jaw flexed. "And what of your happiness? Are you happy living under a noble's protection, forever on the fringes of respectability?" It wasn't said cruelly, but with genuine worry.

Vivienne pressed a hand over her heart, unsure how to articulate the tangled feelings. "Happiness is a luxury I haven't had the freedom to consider," she said softly. "I have security with Alexander. I have a measure of influence and...and yes, affection. With you, I would have honesty and love, but I fear I would bring you nothing but scandal and danger."

Gabriel reached for her hands, clasping them earnestly. "Let me be the judge of that. I am not powerless, Vivienne. I have a commission in the Royal Guard; my name carries honor. If I speak for you, who would dare insult my wife?"

Vivienne's breath caught at "wife." The possibility hung before her like a mirage. She imagined a small cottage far from the city, children with Gabriel's kind eyes, a life free of intrigues… But along with that vision came another: Alexander's face, full of love and trust; the intoxicating thrill of commanding a room of aristocrats; the independence she had carved out. Could she truly give all that up?

"I need time," she whispered. "This is all so sudden. My heart... it's torn in two, Gabriel."

He nodded slowly, a flicker of hope in his gaze. "Take time. Just promise me you'll consider it. I will wait for your answer." He leaned in and pressed one more gentle kiss to her forehead. "No matter what, I want you safe and happy. If the Duke gives you that, I won't interfere. But if there's even a part of you that yearns for a life beyond this gilded cage... you know I'm here."

Vivienne squeezed his hands. "You have always been the best of men."

Gabriel managed a sad smile. "And you, the bravest of women." He stepped back reluctantly. "I should go before I overstay my trespass. I'll be staying at the barracks in town for the next few weeks. Send word if...when you decide."

Vivienne nodded, tears still shining in her eyes. She watched Gabriel walk away the same way he had come, through the side gate beneath an arch of climbing roses. He gave her one last, longing glance before he slipped out of sight.

Alone again in the fragrant hush of the garden, Vivienne pressed trembling fingers to her lips, still warm from Gabriel's kiss. Her heart thundered. The past she thought buried had risen before her, offering a second chance at the love she'd lost. But accepting it would mean giving up the life she'd fought for and perhaps breaking another man's heart—even risking her own in new ways.

She turned back toward the grand house where Alexander awaited her return, and she realized with mounting tension that whatever choice she made, part of her would be left aching. In the dangerous game of hearts and power she was playing, a new and deeply personal gambit had just been laid on the table.

Vivienne re-entered the house with her mind in turmoil. High-stakes relationships now pulled her in opposite directions. And as evening fell, she knew only one thing for certain: the balance of power within her own heart would be the most precarious challenge yet.