Hi people! I know that it has been ages since I uploaded a new chapter, I am so sorry! University is demanding a lot from me these last two years before graduating. I hardly had time to breathe. And on top of that, I almost lost my passion for writing. Fortunately, an angel came into my life and she saved me. I will be forever grateful to her. Now, I have very exciting news! :) I am very happy and honored to announce that from now on, this same angel and I will be writing together. I couldn't have wished for a better partner to form a duo with than her, she is the perfect other half for me. Maybe I am biased, but I think that her work is amazing! She recently released her (Italian) debut novel. :o You can find more information here: .it/libro/Romanzo/il-canto-del_mio-cuore.

Because I'm not the only author anymore…a note from my other half:
I'm really grateful for this wonderful opportunity. When she asked me to collaborate, I couldn't believe it! I was so excited and happy that I said YESSSS! without hesitation. I had fallen in love with her writing when I read " Forever her hero" and " Love is stronger than death". How many of you had tears in your eyes? I think I wasn't the only one! I couldn't stop reading, I could imagine every scene in my mind. I could feel love, joy, anger and sadness. She's a wonderful writer but for me she's a great and extraordinary friend of the heart. For me this is where writing is about: Writing allows us to explore new worlds, whether imaginary or real, giving us indescribable emotions and sensations.

A friend said to me recently that good things take time. For me, that is definitely true. Hopefully, you will think the same after reading this. :) Now we will finally let you read haha! Our apologies for our long author's note, we promise that we won't make a habit of this.

The flames in the fireplace flickered as their light spread through the bedroom. Between the sheets Victoria was sleeping carefree. David, beside her, couldn't sleep.
A sense of fear invaded his mind. He feared that if he fell asleep, he would lose his perfect life that he had always dreamed and with much effort he had managed to build.

"My dear Victoria, who knows which dreams are invading your mind now …"
He pressed a sweet kiss on her forehead and arranged the blanket into place over her back.
He lifted the sheets, cautious not to wake up his beloved.

Then, he edged towards the fireplace, grabbed a piece of wood and threw it inside. The crackling of fiery wood resonated in the bedroom. With winter almost upon them, the temperature had dropped very quickly that night. After warming his hands by the fire, he returned to their bed but stopped to look at her. He was enchanted by her amazing beauty. He was so deeply in love that he would give his life for her.

They had fought for their love. Many mistakes had been made, they had been hurt, blamed, but above all they had forgiven each other. This was the key of their relationship: forgiveness. Without the forgiveness didn't exist love, they would only be stuck in stupid grudges and useless revenge.

It took many years for all this to happen, but the feeling that connected them was more than ever authentic and indissoluble.

The next day would be their anniversary. Five years of marriage. Time had passed so quickly, but their love intensified day by day.

With a dreamy look, David remembered that day on the beach; she seemed a goddess, a wonderful white dress hugged her elegant body, long brown hair framed her porcelain face.
Her gaze put on his as he waited impatient.
Finally they would crown their love dream.
Victoria's eyes glittered but she didn't want to cry. This was the best day of her life and nothing would ruin it. Too much tears were shed in the past years and now was the moment to be happy, happy with the man of her dreams. A man that has made her heart beat faster since the moment they first met.

"Hi! My name is David Clarke". Their hands united in a sweet handshake, that gesture would mark forever their destiny as they are soulmates, destined to love each other.

She walked on the musical notes " From the ground up" played by four violinists, holding in her hands a bouquet of red roses.

David took her trembling hands "Now you'll always be mine".
A sweet smile illuminated her face "I couldn't wish for more".

That a woman as desired as her stood before him on the verge of swearing till death do us part was surreal, better than any wild dream.

They exchanged promises. David slid the ring to the left finger of his beloved.

He bent over, kissed her hand and went on promising his eternal love.
"Sweet Victoria, your love is the essential of which I can't do without for an instant. You're the other half of my heart and I promise that I'll always be right by your side because you gave me back the joy of living and you taught me what love mean".

A single tear lined the woman's face. "Dear David when I look in your eyes I see the exceptional man that in an instant managed to make me fall in love. I was a fragile woman, I made mistakes that I regret every single day. The biggest was that I separated you from your daughters, but I promise here in front of God that I'll spend the rest of my life to earn your forgiveness." David shook his head "I've already forgiven you, my love. The past is a door I closed years ago. What matters now is our present."
Their lips united in a sweet and passionate kiss. They sealed their promises with the hopes of a serene tomorrow.

A smile appeared on his face as he remembered their special wedding day.

The next day

Victoria stepped out of the shower and put on a set of black lace lingerie. When she opened the door to the bedroom, she noticed a big cardboard gift box on the bed together with a note.
A path of red rose petals on the ground formed a beautiful walkway. She picked up the handwritten note and read the message Follow your heart and it will lead right to me.
She smiled, a surge of excitement filling her soul. Eager to find out what the box contained, Victoria threw the cover on the floor. Inside she found a marvelous black lace dress. Carefully, she held the dress up and admired it. It was absolutely gorgeous! After she slid into the dress, she inspected herself in the mirror. She couldn't believe her eyes! The dress hugged her body like it was made for her. Over the years, she had worn so many dresses, but not many had moved her like this one
She sat down at her dressing table, brushed her silky hair and made a ponytail. Then, she finished her look with a touch of make up to give her deep eyes a little bit of color.

In the meantime, David sat down at the piano and ran his fingers across the keys, producing a calm tune.
He saw her at the top of the stairs, her gaze intent on him. The candle light caressed their faces, illuminating the whole living room.
Adding to the dreamy scene, the roses and vanilla scent of the candles reached her nostrils.
David began to sing a sweet tune.
"You are so beautiful to me, Can't you see
You're everything that I hope for and what's more
you're everything I need…"
Victoria smiled. A single, sparkling tear slipped from her lashes. She descended the stairs slowly, listening to that wonderful declaration of love and keeping her eyes solely immersed on his. He was so attractive in his smoking, so sweet to say these words.
Victoria got closer to the piano, she closed her eyes and listened to his voice. The most intense sensations washed over her. Her head swayed rhythmically to the music.

David couldn't resist her charm. She was so beautiful! Each movement, each gesture expressed the class woman that she was.

The last note echoed through the room. She opened her eyes while David got close to her.
"I want that is our night. I love you!"
"I'm speechless. Did you write this for us?"
"For us, but especially for you. This song is a hymn for the most beautiful woman in the world."
"You make me feel the most beautiful woman in the world. Oh… God! You have no idea how much I love you."

David helped his wife step out of the car.

"Can I finally take this blindfold off?"

"Almost."

She sighed. "You've said that before. I swear that if you're making me walk like this in public, you won't sleep beside me tonight."

"Calm down, Victoria, calm down."

He had told her he had a surprise for her, but instead of feeling excited, Victoria felt nervous and uncomfortable. She liked to be in control of things. Whenever she wasn't, it was the most uncomfortable feeling ever to her. She was sure that without the champagne and wine at their dinner, she wouldn't even be wearing this thing at all. Also, what if she didn't like his surprise…

He placed a hand on each side of her waist, leading her from behind. "Careful...turn a little, yes, like that, good…almost...and stop." A little nervous, David removed her blindfold: "Tadaaa! What do you think?" Victoria blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dim light.

She let her eyes glide across the room, her face mirroring the confusion she felt. "What do I think? That this is an unused building."

"That's right. But if it depends on me, not for much longer anymore."

The wrinkles on her forehead deepened. "You're talking in riddles, David."

"I know you can't picture it yet, there's still some work to do here, but if you look well and you imagine this cleaned up and a light color on the walls, what do you think then?"

Her eyes traveled around the room once again, slower now, searching for hidden treasures. She wasn't the type to look past a first impression, but instantly she noticed how the moon shone brightly through the roof light. Incredible how the room was lighted! She knew that the effect of daylight would be even more spectacular. The room was deep and spacious, and when Victoria let her gaze drift further into the room, she discovered the high ceiling. She had to admit that David was right. Yes, there was dust swirling around and the musty smell didn't make it nicer at all, but like David had said, that could be overcome easily and would leave only a room with a lot of potential. "Well…I like the roof light very much, the high ceiling and the wooden floor, but I don't think you brought me here just to give interior advice, did you?"

"Not entirely no…Do you think there is enough room here?"

"For what?"

"For a new chapter in our life."

"What do you mean? Just stop talking in riddles and tell me what we're doing here!"

"Alright, alright. What do you think if we make your desk here." With his hand, he indicated a spot at his right. "and on the windows over there will be displayed 'Victoria's art gallery' or something else of course, you're better in those things than me."

"What?" Victoria said, like he was speaking a foreign language.

"Yes, can you imagine walking here between beautiful paintings? Which can never compete with your beauty of course."

"Are you saying that…?"

"That I want to open an art gallery with you, yes."

Victoria thought she was dreaming. "Really? Are you serious?"

"Yes." He nodded, smiling to see excitement growing on her face. "Very serious." He knew this was just the one thing still missing in her life.

"But you said an art gallery was too expensive."

"Yeah I know…But I changed my mind. I know the owner and he was willing to lower his price for a friend. The price is really fair."

"But it's still a huge cost and you said it would take too long until we would make profits."

"I don't understand how I could ever say something that stupid! Rome wasn't built in a day either. It's you who's going to do this, you…the person who I believe in most. I have no doubt that this gallery will be a big success!" He smiled as he imagined how it would be.

She smiled back gratefully.

"I know I also said that I was worried you would get too busy and wouldn't have time for me and Alice anymore. But that was stupid too. Selfish even. You want this so much, it would be cruel to deny that to you. I'm supposed to be supportive of my wife, always and no matter what. Besides, the gallery will be close to Alice's school and given how much you like to spend time with Alice and me, it's impossible for you to neglect us."

Victoria took his hand and said softly: "I'm glad you've realized that."

"Yeah, I was very stupid."

As she took his other hand too, her gaze locked on his, intense and vulnerable: "You and Alice will always be my priority."

"I know, sweetheart." He bent his head to touch her lips lightly. Feeling the need to be romantic, David slowly kneeled down on one knee, his eyes never leaving hers. He released one of her hands and reached into his pocket to pull out the key of the building. Holding out the hopefully precious piece of metal, he asked with a huge smile: "Victoria Clarke, will you run an art gallery with me?"

She stared at him in astonishment, feeling her breath catch in the back of her throat. She was surprised by his gesture and of course, also memories from the night when he proposed were flooding her mind.

David watched a small and sweet tear line her face, yet her eyes reflected the happiness that was now also visible on her face.

Her voice hoarse with emotion, she finally answered: "Yes, I will"

These words made her husband's smile grew even brighter as he got up and gently dried her tears, making her feel like the most precious thing in the whole world.

"Thank you, David. Words aren't enough to tell you how much this means to me."

"I know you want this very much and you deserve all the best, my darling. I'm so excited already!" "Hopefully there are no other candidate buyers."

"Don't worry, beautiful. I've already paid a deposit to ensure this place was ours. The contract just needs your signature."

Her face shone as brightly as a diamond and with that, he knew for sure that he had made the right decision.

"I can't believe this is happening!...Oh baby, I love you so much!" She wrapped her arm in his neck and kissed his cheek over and over. "So so much."

She looked into her husband's kind, warm eyes and fell in love all over again. This man was so wonderful! He supported her in everything and he knew her so well that he had found the perfect building; he knew perfectly what she needed and wanted. She felt so loved! And being loved and cherished by a man like him was more than she ever thought possible. It felt like he had just given her the world. Now she really had more than everything to be happy. In fact, he just was her world. Her love for him had always given direction to her life, she had always believed that she could never love another man as much as she loved him. After all, he didn't need more than a glance to sweep her off her feet that New Year's Eve. Since then he was the only person she longed for. She knew that she was in love with him when she realized that she could handle every battle life gave her as long as she had him next to her.

"You don't know how happy you make me.", Victoria said, her eyes watery.

"Oh Vee...I was just thinking the same." He pulled her into an embrace that felt so tender and loving that she didn't dare to move or speak, afraid to break this magical moment.

"I'm going to make you proud."

"I already am, my queen. Every day."

The sound of her heels echoed around the room as she walked around, envisioning how this place would look in the near future. "This here my art gallery! I still can't believe it!"

David just stood there, enjoying every step of his wife and every idea she was enthusiastically telling him. He felt an extreme joy and pride to know he was responsible for her happiness and excitement. He had always felt protective over her, from the second they met. He had noticed a sadness in her eyes and instantly, he had felt the need to make that go away. Now, 25 years later, she was choosing which kind of desk she wanted to have here in the building he had managed to score for her. He couldn't take his eyes off her. She was overflowing with creativity and excitement to start this new adventure and he absolutely loved it. Oh, and he was so in love with her passion and determination. This woman is just pure perfection.

"What do you think, baby?", Victoria pulled him out of his fascination.

"Uh, I'm having a hard time to concentrate actually. The success will look so...sexy on you."

She turned around, surprised by his words. She could read on his face that he meant it and suddenly all she wanted was being in his arms. Eager for his touch, she bridged the distance between them and slid her hands into his hair to cradle the back of his head and reward him with one hell of a kiss. A kiss of surrender and passion. Her kiss made him dizzy and fire raced through his veins. Yes, the art of kissing she mastered perfectly! After several long moments, they broke apart, both breathing heavily, clearly wanting more than this kiss.

His gaze flicked downwards to her beautiful mouth. Her lips were slightly parted in anticipation. He loved looking at her lips, they were so inviting, so rosy, so soft, so full… so tempting. Oh God, he needed to touch these exquisite barriers of her mouth. As he ventured her upper lip with his finger, he heard her breathing quicken. They searched for each other's eyes. The sexual tension between them was so strong. David cupped her face in his hands and captured her lips again, hungrily. He angled her head and deepened the kiss. Their tongues dueled and tangled wildly. Her breasts were pressed against his chest and he could feel her nipples through the fabric of her dress. Suddenly, he pinned her against the wall fiercely, causing her to gasp and break their kiss. She smiled, loving how much he desired her. The next second, she grabbed his shirt in her fists and pulled him in for a deep, possessive kiss. His large hands ran down her back and then cupped the round cheeks of her butt, making both moan. He enjoyed the feel of her curves, soft and firm at the same time.

As Victoria wrapped her right leg around his waist - wanting to be as close to him as she could get - he ran his hand alongside her bare thigh that was exposed by her movement. Finally, he had access to her flesh. The heel of her shoe pressing into his butt ignited his fire even more. A sigh escaped her lips when he drew his mouth to her thigh and placed hot open mouthed kisses to the velvety smooth skin. Her whole body shivered in anticipation. There was not a single spot that his lips didn't touch.

But then his eyes momentarily lost focus, enough to bring him back to the actual reality of a smelly room and Victoria pressed to a raw and dirty wall that could even hurt her. Although this felt more than good and he wanted nothing more than to take her right here, right now, he had to think of her safety and comfort.

She felt his lips stopping their path on her skin and looked down at him, silently begging him to continue. "What is it?"

"We shouldn't do this here. Not now."

"What?" She couldn't believe her ears! What was wrong with him?! Every vessel in her body screamed it had to be now. This felt like the start of very, very great sex and he wanted to stop?!

David put her back on her feet, careful not to scratch her back against the wall and put her hair behind her ears slowly and lovingly. "I crave you madly, Vee, but it's dirty here. Screws are sticking out dangerously…Look." He turned her sideways so she could see how close she had been to something that could have ripped open her skin.

He ran his hands down her sides. "You deserve better, my beautiful. Let's continue this at home. We can come back tomorrow to plan more if you want."

How incredible is her man, Victoria thought. He always put her needs over his own. He was always making sure she was safe, anytime, even in situations like this when it's so easy to be controlled by the situation. With him, she didn't fear anything.

Stroking her nose to make her look at him, David said softly: "Hey, I just want to protect you."

"I know. Let's go home, my love. So that I can show you my gratitude." She grinned mischievously.

Okay, that was it for now. Thank you for reading! We hope you are excited for Victoria and David to consume their love, because that is what we have planned next. ;) As always, please let us know your opinion and if you would like to read more of this. :)