Santo’s grip tightened, his voice anguished. “I don’t know how to live without you... and I don’t want to learn.”
He looked up at me, his eyes burning with emotion. “You changed me. All the parts of me that were impulsive, thoughtless, selfish. You touched them all. Do you think I could ever go back to being who I was before you?”
My fingers twitched with the desire to touch him, to run my hands through his hair as I had so many times before. The gesture felt impossible now, and yet I yearned for it.
“Marry me,” he said suddenly. “Build a life with me. Give me the chance to be the man you deserve.”
Tears welled in my eyes, hovering at the corners but not yet falling. Before I could speak, he continued.
“If you tell me you don’t love me anymore, I’ll try to let you go.” His voice was desperate. “But if there’s even a sliver of hope... I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to earn your trust.”
A half laugh, half sob escaped me as the tears finally spilled over. I shook my head, watching his expression fall before I spoke.
“You’re such an asshole.” I didn’t even sound mad. I was just tired and over it.
“I am,” he agreed vehemently. “But I’m your asshole. Or at least, I want to be.”
I wiped my face like that would help.Spoiler: it didn’t. “You wrecked me, Chrys.”
His arms tightened around me. “I know.”
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. “And now you just show up? Hoping I let you back into my life like it’s no big deal?”
“It won’t be easy, aggelé mou,” he said, his voice raspy. The familiar endearment felt like a balm. “But it will be worth it.”
I exhaled shakily, considering his words. The pain of his betrayal weighed against the emptiness of these months without him. The joy we’d shared against the risk of trusting again.
“I hate you,” I said. And yeah, that was a big ol’ lie.
My hands found his shoulders, pulling him up to stand before me. Chrys cupped my face in his hands.
“No, you don’t,” he murmured, brushing away the tears on my cheeks.
“I want to,” I admitted. “It would be easier.”
“I know.” He kissed my lips. “But we’ve never taken the easy path, have we?”
The truth of his words resonated within me. From the moment I’d pulled him from that car, nothing between us had been simple. Nothing had been predictable or safe. But everything had been vibrant, alive with a passion I’d never experienced before… or since.
“I won’t promise you that we’ll never fight,” he said softly. “I can’t say we’ll never hurt each other. Life is messy that way. But I can promise you that I will love you forever, fiercely and completely. And I will never walk away from you, even when it gets hard.”
These past months without him had been a study in emptiness. Going through motions, living a half-life. I’d tried to move forward, to rebuild, but something essential had been missing. Not just Chrys, but the braver, more adventurous, more alive version of myself that existed when I was with him.
“I want a winter wedding,” I said finally.
His stunned laugh was beautiful to hear. Joy transformed his face.
“You’re saying you’ll marry me?”
I rolled my eyes, my smile widening into a grin despite myself. “Obviously.”
Chrys pulled me into his arms, holding me close to his heart as he kissed me softly at first, then with growing passion, as I responded. I kissed him back with all the emotion I’d been holding inside these long, empty months. Zeus danced around us, barking his approval.
Some things were worth fighting for, worth forgiving for. And Chrysanthos Christakis, for all his flaws and despite our complicated beginning, was one of them.
When we pulled apart, breathless, I saw a future filled with challenge and passion, growth and love. It wouldn’t be perfect. It wouldn’t be easy. But it would be ours.
I stood at the window, staring out at the snow-blanketed Swiss Alps. The medieval castle looked like something out of a fairytale. It was exactly what Tia wanted.
