Chapter 9 - The Apology
When I returned to the safehouse just before dawn, the storm had finally broken. The first rays of morning light were reflecting off the calm waters of Lake Michigan.
I walked into the master suite, stripping off my wet coat and tossing my weapon onto the armchair.
Elena was sitting in the rocking chair, nursing Maya, while Leo slept soundly in the crib beside her. She looked up as I entered, her tense shoulders dropping the moment she saw I was unharmed.
"It's over," I said softly, crouching down next to her chair. "Sterling is in federal custody. His assets are seized. The mercenaries are gone. You never have to look over your shoulder again."
Elena exhaled a long, shaky breath, closing her eyes as tears of relief slipped down her cheeks.
I gently reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
"Elena," I murmured, my voice thick with emotion. "I spent the last eight months believing you broke my heart because I wasn't good enough. Because my money and my empire meant more to me than you did. And the tragedy is, for a long time, that was true."
She opened her eyes, looking deeply into mine.
"I was arrogant. I was absent," I continued, tears finally breaking past my own defenses. "I built an empire to give you the world, and in the process, I completely abandoned you. I drove you away. And if you want to walk away now, if you want to take the twins and start over somewhere else... I will fund it. I will protect you from afar. I won't fight you anymore."
Elena stared at me. She gently placed Maya into the crib next to her brother, then turned back to me. She took my face in both of her warm hands.
"Julian," she whispered, her voice fierce and steady. "I didn't run away because I stopped loving you. I ran away because I loved you too much to let Sterling kill you to get to the babies. You were a ruthless CEO, yes. But you were also the man who stayed awake for three days straight when I had the flu. You are the man who built an army to save me tonight."
She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against mine.
May you like
"I don't want to run anymore," she breathed. "I want my husband back."
I pulled her into my arms, holding her tighter than I ever had, burying my face in her shoulder as I finally let myself break. The war was over. The empire was safe. But holding Elena, I knew I had already won the only prize that mattered.
