“Since the day you saved me from that pool, I dreamed about spending my life with you. I pictured myself standing at the altar, looking you in the eyes and saying yes forever, because I never imagined a life without you, even when it felt impossible. Then I lived through a nightmare that made me want to bury my feelings for you so deep, no one could ever reach them again. But you found that hidden place. You went inside me and pulled every thread of love back to the surface, and you made my feelings grow. Every day, you show me how I should be treated, how I deserve to be loved, and I’ve become so addicted to you that if I lost you for even a day, I think it would kill me. I want to keep living this way with you. I want to give you this baby growing inside me, and plenty more babies after that. I want tokeep seeing the pride in your eyes when you take care of my afro, when you make me smile, or when you give me an orgasm. I want to see your face when you come inside me. And I want that every single day as Mrs. Korven.”
His eyes glistened with love as I confessed my feelings. I could feel his heart hammering in his chest. He didn’t need to say a word—I could see in his eyes that he loved me just as wildly as I loved him.
Konflict looked away for a moment and reached for the nightstand, picking up a velvet box. He opened it and took out my wedding ring, the one I had left behind the day I ran away from the estate.
“In that case, would you marry me again, Serenity Korven?” he asked, taking my hand in his. “I want to take you back to the altar, and this time I’ll do it right. I’ll watch you walk toward me in your beautiful white dress. I’ll hold your hand and look into your eyes through the entire ceremony. I’ll declare my love for you in front of everyone. I’ll say the vows I denied you the first time. I want to give you the wedding you deserve, Serenity, because I want to start over and show you how life with me should have been from the start. Would you marry me again, baby?”
My throat tightened with emotion. Thinking of our first wedding and how forced it was—I was so touched that he wanted to do it again.
“Yes, yes, ten times yes, Konflict. I want to marry you again, baby,” I said, my voice filled with emotion.
He slid the wedding ring onto my finger, then cupped my face in his hands.
“I think I’m in love with the woman I was supposed to kill,” he said softly, eyes locked on mine.
“And I think I’m crazy in love with the man who was supposed to kill me,” I replied, holding his gaze.
He kissed me, sealing our love.
A love that was a childhood dream.
An unreachable fantasy.
A living nightmare.
A new beginning.
A forever.
Us.
Epilogue
KONFLICT KORVEN
Three months later
My heart beat wild watching Serenity walk toward me in that beautiful white dress. Who would’ve thought that after a year of hell, we’d end up here again, standing again at the altar for a real wedding, one that finally meant something to both of us.
Three months ago, my wife said yes to marrying me again. I wasn’t about to wait. Serenity wanted to hold off until after the babies came, but I made sure she said yes before our kids saw daylight. I wanted them born in a real home, both parents standing strong and giving them all the love they deserve.
Yeah, I said babies. I’m proud as hell I put two in her. We got a baby girl coming, and I already knew she was gonna have me wrapped around her finger, just like her mama. And our little boy, the heir of the Korven family, would be the future protector.
Every morning, I thanked the universe for putting Serenity in my life. Waking up next to her? That was the kind of happiness I never wanted to lose. Sometimes I hated myself for all the time I wasted, all because of that dumb war. But truth was, I didn’t regret any of it. It turned me into the man I was now.
I watched her walk, chest spilling out and driving me crazy. I was stuck on every inch of her—those new curves, the hips, the ass, the way her body changed with the babies. I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t wait for her to come to me. I stepped right up, picked her up in my arms for everybody to see, not giving a damn about the rules.
“Konflict, what are you doing?” she whispered, trying to scold me.
“My wife’s pregnant. Y’all better get used to seeing me carry her everywhere.”
Laughs rolled through the crowd as I carried my woman down the aisle.
“You’re really a crazy man,” Serenity said, trying to hide her smile.
“Yeah, I know. But I’m your crazy man, right eh? You love me and you’re marrying me again.”
“Alright, now put me down, Konflict.”
