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“Yes,” she whispered.
“What if I hurt you? I am afraid... I have caused so much pain, Violet. All the years since don’t make it go away.”
“You have to forgive yourself. Because you’re right, some things can’t be undone. But people do change, Javier. You have. It doesn’t wipe the past clean. But neither does a life of torturing yourself.”
“If I hurt you... I am so afraid I will hurt you. More than I fear any other thing, more than I fear losing you, I fear hurting you. And that is what I could not accept.”
“You won’t,” she said.
“You are so sure?”
“Yes,” she said. “Because I saw the Prince beneath the beast the moment we first met. Even when I didn’t know you, I trusted your word. You know the cost of selfishness, and you will never ask others to pay it. If you were your father, we would all know it by now. You simply have to believe it.”
“What if I don’t change?” he asked, the question sharp and rough. “What if love is not enough to change me?”
“I love you already. You’re the only one who thinks you’re a beast, Javier.” She took a step back, putting her palm on his face. “You need to see the change. Not me.”
“I love you,” he said. “And I... You’re right. I was afraid of what that might mean. Because I did love my father. Very much. But he was a monster. And I couldn’t understand how I had been so blind to that. How I had seen only what I wanted to see. Because of how much I loved him. And I never wanted to be that way again. I never wanted to be vulnerable to making such mistakes. But I think... I think it is time for me to accept that I am a man, and no matter what, I will be vulnerable to mistakes. But with you by my side... You have a compassionate heart, Violet. And perhaps the secret is loving other people. Valuing their opinions. Not shutting yourself up in an echo chamber of your own desires so that nobody ever reaches you. So that no one can hold you accountable for what you do. Our love will make me better. Loving you... Matteo said something to me today. He reminded me that our father never loved anyone. That it wasn’t love that made our father behave the way he did. It was the love of himself. The love of power above people. I trust that we will find right. Good. That you will help me.”
The plea was so raw. So real. Straight from his heart.
“Of course,” she said, resting her head on his chest. “Of course I will do whatever you want. I will be whatever you need.”
“But what do you get from this? What do you get from me? I need you. I need you to be a moral compass. I need you to love me. I
need you to change me. What I do, I do for you.”
“You showed me my strength. You gave me the fairy tale I didn’t even know I was looking for. And I became the heroine of my story in a way that I didn’t know I could be. You are my prince. And you always were. Even when you were a beast.”
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and she kissed him. Deep and long. And when they parted she looked into his eyes. “And if am being honest. I quite like you as a beast. With cuffs and chains and the lack of civility. Because you’ve always held me afterward. Because you’ve always treated me with care. Because you know when to be both. A man and a beast. And I think that’s better than just having one. It makes you perfect.”
“I thought... I thought that my father had doomed me.”
“No. The sins of our fathers might have brought us together. But they don’t define us. It’s about us. And it’s about what we choose. It always has been.
“That’s the real magic. That no matter where you end up in life... You can always choose love.”
“I choose love,” he said. “I choose you.”
“So do I.” She bracketed his face with her hands. “But I must warn you. I have a debt to collect, Prince Javier.”
“A debt?”
“Yes. You owe me for the rest of my life.”
“What is it that I owe you?”
“Only all of you. And I intend to collect some every day forever.”
“Then you’re in luck. Because I intend to give myself, all that I am, even the broken parts, forever.”
“Excellent. I might still take you prisoner, though.”
“I would happily be your prisoner.”
“I shall have to figure out which of the dungeons is my favorite.”
“Whichever one has a bed.”
