He nods in return, and I can see the storm brewing in his eyes because he has me alone before he takes a step forward, ready to lose control, but I hold my hand out.
“Reign—”
I close my eyes with a headshake but as soon as I feel his hard abs beneath my palm because he isn’t listening to me, I gaze up at him, taking a small step back.
“If anything happens between us, it will only make things harder when I go home tomorrow. I’m not staying.”
When my back hits the window behind me, he leans his arm above me on it and brings his face down close to mine.
“Let me make one thing very fucking clear, Char. I always told myself if I ever saw you again, I won’t let you go twice.”
I shake my head once as I search his eyes.
“It’s different now.”
His brows pinch for a second before his gaze drops to my lips.
“Yeah, you’re fucking right, it is. You made it and I can clearly see you are stronger than ever, so what the fuck is stopping you from coming back to the city and marrying me?”
My breath catches in my throat as he casually takes a sip of his whiskey, his serious eyes staying fixed on mine until I finally get some words out.
“I’m sorry, what? Did you just say marry you?”
He scans my eyes before he suddenly stands straight and snatches my wrist. He yanks me behind him, causing me to stumble in my heels until we are by the couches, and he releases me, throwing out a demand.
“Take a seat.”
I stare at him with wide eyes before gradually sitting down on the plush material and he takes a seat on the coffee table opposite me, leaning forward with his forearms resting on his thighs. He keeps his eyes low as he presses his palms together, the tips of his fingers resting on his lips while he thinks before he finally looks at me.
“The last time I saw you, I wasn’t in the right headspace to fight for you, Char. I was conflicted with what was right for you and what was right for me. I never wanted you to fucking leave, I don’t want you to ever think I did because I let you go so easily—”
“Reign I—”
“I just saw how broken you were, and I hated seeing that you were stuck somewhere you clearly did not want to be, so Ithought I was doing the right thing, yet every fucking day I have lived with the regret.”
My eyes soften and I sit forward, shifting to the edge of the couch to be closer to him before I respond, noticing the emotion in his eyes.
“Listen to me. You did nothing wrong. You did exactly what I wanted, and I cannot thank you enough because it was for the best. If anything, I should be the one who is fucking sorry. I left you as soon as Chaos died, but I had my reasons, Reign, I promise. I loved you and I wouldn’t have left if I didn’t have to put myself first. That sounds selfish, but—”
Stopping myself mid-sentence, I realize that now might not be the right moment to reveal the truth about Stormy to Reign. The fear grips me—what if this cruel world finds that I have birthed Chaos's heir? What if they try to tear her away from me, subjecting her to the same harsh reality I have endured? And then there's Reign; how will he react to the realization that I have kept such a big secret from him?
Every decision I have made has been with Stormy's well-being in mind. I had to sacrifice my love for Reign to shield her from this world, knowing that he could never abandon his role as a Mafia leader for us, and I would never ask him to.
When he drops his head in defeat, he shakes it from side to side.
“I should have been stronger for you. You should never have gone through the things you did. I should have stopped it all in the beginning if I could have. For a long time, I never told you how I truly felt because I had that guilt inside me because of what we were doing, so I pushed it aside, sitting in denial, but I wish I did. I wish I told you as soon as I fell for you.”
My heart aches as I observe him, feeling his pain deeply.
“You weren’t the cause Reign. Please stop blaming yourself.”
I stand, then kneel in front of him, placing my glass of wine on the coffee table as I peer up at him.
“You need to move on. From me. From everything and find someone who can truly make you happy.”
He lifts his head, his fingers finding my chin.
“I’m fucking looking at her.”
