“I need to know why,” I asked. “Why would you give up being a surgeon? That work is such a huge part of your life.”
"It was what I did," he corrected. "It's not who I am."
"Then who are you?"
Riven looked at me with raw honesty, and when he spoke, his voice carried vulnerability I rarely heard.
“I'm just a man who fell in love with you,” he said. “I'm not your boss or someone trying to fix your life. I'm just a person who fell for the woman who broke down all the walls I built over the last three years.”
My breath caught. My pulse tripped over itself.
“I’ve been so scared,” he continued. “I was terrified of losing you. I thought caring about someone would only lead to more pain.” He took another step toward me. “But watching you faceall that gossip alone was worse than my fear. I couldn't keep my distance anymore.”
“You were never a coward, Riven,” I said.
“I stayed quiet for way too long.” His voice came out rough. "I'm done running. I want to be with you and build something real. I want us to face the future as equals."
His words settled warm and certain in my chest.
“What doyouwant, Mireya?” he asked. “Forget about what’s safe or appropriate for a second. What do you truly want?”
He was being open with me, showing me a side of himself without any conditions or emotional walls. No walls. No conditions. Just him, standing in front of me with everything laid bare.
I didn't have to think twice about my answer. “I want to be with you.”
His gray eyes darkened.
“I’ve spent my entire life trying to be the strong one,” I admitted. “I always held everything together by myself and never let anyone help me.” I moved until there was no space left between us. “You showed me that needing someone isn't a weakness. It’s about trust.”
“Mireya—”
“I trust you,” I told him. “And I love you. I want to build a life where we don't have to be perfect all the time. I want us to deal with our problems together instead of alone.”
Riven cupped my face, brushing his thumb across my cheek. "Are you sure?"
I answered by leaning in and kissing him.
He pulled me close immediately, arms wrapping around me. This time there was no fear or doubt—just a clear choice we were making together.
When we finally pulled apart, we were both smiling. My cheeks ached from it.
“You know that people are still going to gossip about us,” he noted.
"Let them."
"We still work at the same hospital."
“Well, you're the CEO now and I'm a nurse.” I traced the line of his jaw with my finger. “We’ll find a way to make it work.”
“Do you really think it’s that simple?”
"I think the hard part was admitting how we felt." I stepped back slightly, giving us breathing room. "But I'm not moving back into your house yet."
His eyebrows rose. "No?"
"Not yet." I watched his reaction carefully. "We rushed into that because of circumstances. We didn't really choose it. I want to do this the right way this time."
“So, you want to date me,” he said, a hint of amusement warming his voice.
