The silence that followed Daniel’s departure was almost deafening. I sank into my chair, feeling the tension slowly seeping from my body, leaving me empty but strangely light. My heart beat in an uneven rhythm as I stared at the door he’d walked out of. I’d told him everything…all the things I’d kept hidden, the truth that had eaten away at me for so long. And now that he was gone, I didn’t know what to feel.
Relief washed over me, mixed with a faint pang of loss. I’d known, deep down, that telling him the truth would break us apart. But I had to do it, even if it felt like ripping a bandage off wound that had barely started to heal. I couldn’t keep lying, not to him and not to myself.
A bitter smile crept onto my face as I remembered the way he’d looked at me. Hurt, betrayed, but almost… understanding. It was the look of someone who knew this was the end, even if he didn’t want it to be. His jaw had been clenched, eyes dark and piercing, and he’d just nodded, taking in my words one by one. I could still hear his voice, low and pained, echoing in my mind.
“I thought maybe I could change your mind. That I could be someone you’d want.” he had said, his voice strained. “You’re choosing him over me?”
I’d looked away, unable to bear the intensity of his gaze. Because I was sorry. I never wanted it to end like that.
He’d taken a shaky breath, his hands balling into fists.
S
“I’ve tried, Christiana. I’ve tried to be there for you. I thought if I was patient, if I gave you time… But you’ve never seen me as more than a friend, have you?”
His words had struck deep, and I had felt the familiar sting of guilt, but I had forced myself to stand firm. I had owed him, that much, to be honest, even if it shattered us both.
I drew in a deep breath now, trying to steady myself. It was over. I’d let him go, told him the truth, and in a way, I felt… free. Like I’d been carrying a weight on my shoulders, and now, it was lifted, leaving me raw and exposed, but also unburdened.
Leaning back, I closed my eyes, letting the memory of our last moments together swirl in my mind. The sorrow in his eyes, the way he had clenched his jaw, trying to mask the pain that was so evident in his gaze. Part of me hated myself for hurting him like that, for tearing apart whatever comfort and stability he’d tried to give me.
Yet another part of me, a deeper, quieter part, felt like it had finally been set free. I didn’t have to pretend anymore, didn’t have to keep up a charade that only seemed to suffocate us both. In telling him the truth, I’d let go of the illusion I’d built around us, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I could breathe.
I opened my eyes, my gaze drifting to the empty space in front of me, and whispered, almost to myself, “I’m sorry, Daniel.”
A single tear slipped down my cheek, but I didn’t wipe it away. Let it fall. Let it be part of this release, this closing of a chapter I should have ended long ago.
In the quietness that followed, I felt a strange kind of peace. Painful, yes. But real. And maybe that was what had been searching for all along.
I drove back to his mansion, my heart pounding, each mile feeling like a choice I couldn’t take back. The weight of what I was doing hung over me….going back to Alex, to the life we once shared. I could already hear the whispers, feel the judgment in the looks people would give me. They wouldn’t understand, and maybe I didn’t even understand it myself. But tonight, none of that mattered. I needed him, and he needed me. Everything else would have to wait.
As I walked up to the door, I steadied myself, taking a deep breath. But the moment I stepped inside, the tension melted away There he was, standing in the middle of the entryway as though he’d been waiting. His face was raw, eyes tired, but in them was something that softened when he saw me…an unspoken relief.
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Thu,
Chapter 116
“Christiana,” he murmured, his voice barely more than a whisper, like he couldn’t believe I’d actually come.
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familiar,
Without a word, I walked to him, and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. His embrace was warm, and for a moment, I let myself get lost in it, feeling his heartbeat against mine. I leaned my head on his chest, closing my eyes as he pulled me even closer.
He buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply. “I thought…” He trailed off, his grip tightening slightly. “I thought you wouldn’t come back. That you would leave the kids here and come get them tomorrow. I thought you needed some time away from me..”
I looked up at him, searching his face, seeing the vulnerability hidden beneath his usual confidence. “I’m here, Alex,” I whispered, my voice shaking despite my best effort to sound steady.
He let out a shaky breath, a small, tired smile forming on his lips. Slowly, he leaned down, and I felt his lips brush against mine, tentative, as if asking for permission. I didn’t resist. I couldn’t. The kiss deepened, gentle at first, then growing more urgent, as if he needed to reassure himself that I was real, that I was here.
When he pulled away, he pressed his forehead against mine, his hands gently resting on my waist. “I missed you,” he whispered, his voice so raw it nearly broke me. “Every single minute, I missed you.”
I could feel his love and his pain in those words, and it stirred something deep inside me. Without thinking, I lifted a hand to his face, brushing my fingers along his jawline. “Let’s not talk, I whispered, and he nodded, his eyes softening, a hint of relief flashing through them.
He pulled me down with him onto the couch, wrapping me in his arms as he gently traced patterns on my back. We didn’t say anything for a long time. We just held each other, letting the quietness fill the space around us. There was no need to explain, no need to justify anything. Life was already so complicated, and for now, being here was enough.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear as he studied my face. His gaze was intense, but there was a warmth there that made me feel safe, even in all this chaos.
“I am now,” I murmured, resting my head against his shoulder.
Alex kissed my forehead, letting out a deep sigh. “You know they’re going to judge you for coming back to me,” he said softly, his voice barely more than a murmur. “But I don’t care. Not if it means I get to have you here with me.”
I didn’t answer him; I couldn’t. I knew he was right, but at this moment, it didn’t matter. I let him hold me, let him kisses against my forehead, my cheeks, my lips. This was what I wanted, what I had been missing.
press
soft
After a while, he leaned back, his eyes searching mine. “Christiana,” he said, his tone serious, “if you want to talk about anything, I’m here. About Bianca, my mother, or whatever it is”
I placed a finger to his lips, shaking my head. “Not tonight, Alex. The last thing I wanted was to drag up all that mess when I finally felt some peace. He nodded, a hint of understanding in his gaze, and pulled me closer, his hand resting on the small of my back.
As we sat there in silence, the weight of everything else fell away and for a few precious moments, it was just ustw
o people trying to find comfort in the only way we knew how.
