Chapter 364 Everyone Has It Hard

• Ian's POV:
• I stepped into Stefan's office, the scent of aged wood and leather filling the air. Both Lukas and Stefan were already there, the quiet hum of the room cutting through the tension. I waved off the unease with a casual greeting, settling into the sofa with a practiced nonchalance, all the while the storm inside me refused to calm.
• Raquella and I never had anything resembling a fairytale. No grand passion, no sweeping gestures. I thought I wanted marriage, something solid, but Raquella? She was never finished with her games. Her kind of playing had no boundaries, no rules. I couldn't keep up. During one of our fights, she ended it, claiming I was suffocating her freedom.