Alexander’s arms tightened briefly around her, then his lips brushed her cheek. Before she could react, his kisses trailed downward, slow and familiar, settling along her neck.
Mia closed her eyes and exhaled softly. ‘This husband of mine… all he ever wants to do is nibble on my neck.’
Though she didn’t stop him. She stayed still, letting him linger—until suddenly he lifted his head.
She felt something slide into her hands.
Mia opened her eyes and looked down, surprised to find a small leather-bound notebook resting in her palms. The cover was a deep green. She straightened at once and turned to him, confusion clear in her expression.
She straightened at once and turned to him, looking at him in surprise.
Alexander smiled faintly. He guided her hands toward the notebook and kissed her cheek again. “Open it,” he said softly.
Mia turned her head back toward the album, then reached for the cover and opened it.
Her breath caught.
Inside was an album—very much like the one she had once made for him, filled with his photographs. Page after page held pictures of her, taken over the years. Beneath each photo were small, handwritten notes, just like the ones she had written for him.
Her heart thundered painfully in her chest. Shock melted into warmth, then into overwhelming happiness. She looked up at him, eyes shining.
“You made this… for me?”
Alexander nodded, a slow smirk tugging at his lips.
“It wouldn’t be fair if you never knew just how obsessed I’ve been with you all these years,” he said quietly. “You should feel the kind of pain I had to endure before I finally got you.”
Mia giggled at his words and lowered her gaze as she opened the album.
There were so many photographs.
Her fingers paused at the very first one.
It was from her high-school days. She stared at it in surprise—her younger self in a simple uniform, smiling shyly at the camera. Beneath the photograph, written in Alexander’s familiar handwriting, were the words:
“Teenage Alexander had a massive crush on this schoolgirl—so big that he once seriously considered buying her all-girls school and turning it co-ed just so he could attend with her.”
Mia let out a breathless laugh, her heart thumping wildly in her chest.
She flipped the page.
The next photograph was from one of the days she had gone to her grandparents’ house—the first time she had ever met him. It was clearly taken in secret; only her side profile was visible. She was wearing a soft pink dress, a headband holding her long hair back as she carefully helped her grandmother down the stairs.
She hadn’t even known a photo had been taken that day.
Underneath it, he had written:
‘From this day on, everything in pink reminded me of you.’
Mia smiled, warmth blooming deep in her chest.
She turned the page again.
She recognized the background instantly. It was a photo from her college days.
Beneath it, Alexander had written:
‘You started college, and I had to leave for Canada for my studies. I drove to your campus and sat in my car outside, waiting until your classes ended—just to catch a glimpse of you on your first day.’
