Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren) novel Chapter 1085

Fortunately, the garden remained empty the entire time—no one passed by, and no one noticed a thing. If someone had seen what just happened, Andrew felt like even jumping into a river of bleach would not be enough to clear his name.

He quickly gave Tiana a healing pill, wiped the blood from her lips, and helped her sit upright on a nearby bench. Only then did he finally exhale, tension easing just a little.

"Thanks," Tiana murmured, her eyes reluctantly dragging away from his bare chest. She seemed to realize how reckless and inappropriate her behavior had been, and her cheeks flushed a deep pink.

Even though she was well into her 40s and the mother of two daughters, Tiana had kept herself in peak condition. Thanks to her years of martial arts and rigorous discipline, her figure and presence still radiated strength and allure.

If one looked past the iciness in her demeanor and the maturity in her gaze, there was no denying—Tiana was the epitome of a seductive, dangerous beauty.

Andrew's tone remained cold. "You recognized the mark on my chest. You mentioned another man. Who was he?"

Tiana's blush deepened, reaching all the way to the corners of her eyes. "His name… was Reginald Lloyd. He was my first—the first man I ever loved, and I loved him so much it nearly destroyed me.

"Before I married Lauren's father, Reginald and I were completely wrapped up in each other. He took my virginity, and I fell for him hard—so hard I never really came back from it. And on his chest… there was a totem, exactly like yours. No difference at all."

She added, "That's how I knew. That mark belongs to the Dragon Prince—the one true heir to Chetvine's royal Lloyd bloodline."

She paused then, eyes distant, caught in bittersweet memories. Her gaze flicked toward Andrew's chest again, her hand twitching as if she wanted to reach out—but she held back.