CHAPTER 35

"Oh, Pat, still the beauty I remember," Alvin whispered, his voice thick with admiration. His eyes roamed over her, taking in every inch of the woman who once captured his heart. There was a certain reverence in the way he gazed at her as if seeing her for the first time after so many years of longing. Patricia stood there, silent, her body betraying her inner turmoil. Her breath came in uneven bursts, her chest rising and falling with a rhythm that spoke of the battle waging inside her—the battle between desire and restraint.

Alvin’s words lingered in the air, rich with a hunger that had been kept at bay for far too long. His hands, strong yet gentle, cupped her face, his thumb brushing her cheek in a way that sent shivers down her spine. "I craved for this, Pat," he said, his voice thick with emotion, each syllable a confession. His eyes bore into hers, pulling her deeper into a whirlpool of emotions she wasn’t ready to confront. "You don’t know how much I craved for this," he repea