"Noelle, I've missed so much of him."
"Yes."
"I'll make up for it," I said earnestly. "I swear I'll be a good father."
She studied me, complex emotions flickering in her eyes.
"You'll have your work cut out for you," she finally said. "Kholod, being a father isn't easy."
"I know." I squeezed her hand. "But for you and Leo, I'm willing to do anything, no matter how difficult."
A month later, I was finally able to use a wheelchair. Noelle pushed me out to the garden for some fresh air. Since my injuries were too severe to return to Philadelphia immediately, we remained at the Washington estate.
The early winter sunlight felt warm against my skin.
"Such beautiful weather." I gazed up at the sky.
"Yeah." She settled on a nearby bench.
"Noelle."
"Yes?"
"I have something I want to tell you."
"What is it?" She turned to face me.
I tilted my head back to meet her gaze. The sunlight cast a soft halo around her.
"Noelle," I took a deep breath, "will you marry me again?"
She went completely still, shock filling her eyes.
"What... did you say?"
"I said, marry me." I gripped her hand with my functional arm. My palm was cold and clammy with nerves, but my hold was steady and firm.
"Kholod, you..."
"I know I have no right to ask this of you. I destroyed our beginning, gave you a wedding filled with terror and humiliation. I forced you at that altar, shamed you in front of everyone."
"Kholod..."
"I hurt you and claimed you in the most despicable way possible, subjecting you to every kind of degradation." I continued. "I imprisoned you, tormented you, branded you as my property. I refused to trust you, doubted you, even locked you away in that basement..."
"Enough," she interrupted. "Stop talking."
"No, I have to say this." I stared directly into her eyes. "Noelle, you need to know how deeply I regret everything. Every single day and night, I'm consumed with regret."
"But what good does regret do?" Tears streamed down her face. "Those wounds don't heal just because you're sorry."
"I know," I said. "That's why I'm not asking for your forgiveness. Noelle, all I'm asking is..."
"Please give me one more chance. Not as the head of the Morozov family, but as Leo's father—as a man who wants to spend the rest of his life loving you and making amends."
Her tears fell faster.
"I want to give you a real wedding," I continued, my voice thick with emotion. "On Christmas Eve, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. I want to place a ring on your finger in front ofeveryone and tell them you're my one and only beloved wife. I want to erase all those nightmares and give you the fresh start you deserve. Noelle, marry me. Let me spend my lifetime proving that you and our child can depend on me."
