Before her, this mansion had been just a building, a house. But lately, it started to feel more like a home. One worth rushing back to after a stressful day at work.
Whenever I was around her, I felt like a complete man. Our banter and disagreements were all parts of the little gears that kept our relationship going.
As I sat on the edge of the bed while she showered in the bathroom, I told myself I didn’t deserve her. I was way too evil for a good woman like Ellie.
She was starting to view the world through my lens and was gradually becoming the type of woman who could rule in my world. Fearless. Calculated. Fierce. Brilliant. Confident.
She wasn’t the same woman that I’d kidnapped weeks ago. She was stronger now—more aware of the power she possessed.
I was so proud of her.
The Sokolov Syndicate abducted her because they wanted to extract information from her. But she didn’t give any. She held her ground and refused to break. I could only imagine how frustrating it might’ve been for them.
Even behind enemy lines, she didn’t break. She didn’t deny me or try to sell out what she already knew about our organization.
What did I ever do to deserve her?
“Hey,” she called softly.
I raised my head, my gaze meeting hers across the room. She’d just stepped out of the shower, her skin moist and glistening. Her hair was damp, strands sticking to her face, her feet bare against the floor.
A white towel was secured firmly around her body, the hem grazing her thighs.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice a low whisper.
I didn’t realize I was already on my feet until I glanced down. She stepped forward, closing the distance between us, the scent of shampoo and conditioner filling the air around me.
“I should be the one asking you that.”
“Well, I’m not the one looking all gloomy,” she said teasingly, a small grin tugging at her lips.
She was so beautiful. So natural.
“I thought I’d lost you.” The words left my mouth before my brain could even register them.
“Were you worried about me?” Her voice was sweet and tender, her eyes sparkling in a way that melted my heart.
Worry’s an understatement. I was terrified,I thought.
My lips parted, but no words came out.
When her right hand found mine and our fingers intertwined, a flutter rose in my chest. She looked up at my face, her eyes boring into mine as though she was searching for something.
“About what you said earlier,” she began. “What happened today wasn’t your fault—”
“Yes, it was.”
“Don’t do that.”
“If I had been there with you….”
“Shhhh.” She placed her manicured fingers over my lips. “You can’t change what happened. You can only learn from it and forge ahead.”
I stared at her in silence, more vulnerable than I’d ever been.
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m still alive because of you,” she continued. “You’re the reason I’m standing here right now, Karik. You.” She cupped my face in her palms.
My heart was warm with something unknown, unnamed. Whatever it was, it prompted a small, genuine smile on my lips. “I’m proud of you, Ellie.”
