25
KAI
My grip tightened on the railing. What did he just say? Did I hear him correctly? I looked at him. His face was pale, strained. The confident, untouchable CEO everyone admired suddenly looked… human. Terrified and sad all at once, like a man standing on the edge of something he couldn't escape.
"What?" My voice came out hoarse.
A gust of wind swept through the rooftop, tugging at his coat. Lucien slipped his hands into the pockets of his cream trench coat, shoulders stiff.
"You heard me," he said quietly. "I'm dying."
He said it again. And I lost it.
"NO!" I shoved him hard against the wall before I even realized what I was doing. "No, you don't get to die! You don't get to do that!" My voice cracked, anger and panic ripping through me. "You can't leave Selena. Don't you understand that's her worst fear? You don't get to leave!"
Lucien stared at me, stunned, his back pressed against the wall. Only then did I realize how emotional I'd gotten. That seemed to happen a lot these days.
My life had been a mess since I let Selena go. Everything that once made sense felt hollow now. For a guy who used to pride himself on never being ruled by emotions, I was suddenly drowning in them. I lived with the guilt of what I'd done to her. The guilt of choosing wrong.
If I could go back in time, I would. I'd rip Jade out of that moment entirely. Hell, if I could find the man I was four years ago, I'd knock him flat on his back. I thought Selena didn't matter to me. I was wrong.
I'd left the only woman I ever truly loved. Not because of sex. Not because of beauty. But because she understood me. She held me together when I was falling apart. She gave and gave until there was nothing left of her to give. Everything good in me existed because of her. And I took everything from her as repayment.
Lucien pushed me away and straightened his coat, brushing imaginary dust from the sleeve. His expression was tight with anger, but his composure was still intact.
"Do you think I want to die?" he asked, voice sharp. "I want to live for Selena. With Selena." His jaw tightened. "I never got the chance to grow old with her. To see her become a mother to my children."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I looked away.
"I try to imagine what our life would've been like," he continued quietly. "But every time I close my eyes, I see her standing beside my coffin. Crying so hard she can barely breathe. Never moving on from that pain." His voice broke. "And I never want to be the reason she hurts."
Silence fell between us. I stared out at the city lights instead of looking at him.
"Is there any treatment?" I asked after a moment, my voice rough. "Any chance at all?" For her sake, I added quietly.
Lucien shook his head. "Kai… my heart is failing. If there was something I could do, believe me, I would."
I dragged both hands through my hair, pacing a few steps away. "This is fucked up," I muttered. Then louder, "This is completely fucked up!" I kicked over a nearby trash can. It clattered loudly across the rooftop.
Lucien looked confused at my reaction. Of course he did. We barely knew each other. But I knew Selena. And she wouldn't survive this easily. I'd already shattered her once. Turned her into a shell of the girl she used to be. If she lost him too… I couldn't even finish that thought.
Lucien suddenly grabbed my collar and yanked me toward him. "Pull yourself together," he said firmly. His grip was strong.
"Kai, I don't know much about you. Selena barely told me about your past. What I do know is that you left her for Jade. But everyone else…" he paused, searching my face, "everyone else believes you're the love of her life. The man she was supposed to end up with."
I stayed silent.
"I know you hurt her," he continued. "You did a terrible thing to her. The worst thing." His voice softened slightly. "But if you've truly changed the way you claim you have… and if my wife still loves you…" He swallowed. "Then I would want her to be with you."
I stared at him.
"I don't want her alone in this world," he said quietly. "I want her to live. To smile. To travel. To have a family." His eyes glistened slightly. "To be in love." He took a shaky breath. "Even if that love isn't with me."
He looked straight at me. "I want that for her, Kai."
"That's what I want for her too," I said quietly.
His gaze sharpened. "Can you become that man again?"
I already knew what he was asking. "What exactly are you asking me to do?"
"I'm asking you to make Selena fall in love with you again." The words hung heavy in the air. "To treat her right this time. To choose her. To build a life with her. To give her peace instead of pain." He studied my face. "I think… deep down, my wife could still love you. Maybe." He exhaled slowly. "You were her best friend for years. You know her better than anyone. If anyone could reach her again… it might be you."
My throat burned. Tears stung the back of my eyes.
"You still love her, don't you?" he asked quietly.
"Of course I fucking do," I said immediately. "I don't think I ever stopped."
He nodded slowly.
"This is insane," I muttered. "She's in love with you. She'll never leave you for me. Selena's loyal."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
I thought about it. Really thought about it. The entire plan sounded insane. Unreal. Something out of a novel. But… what if? Could she ever love me again? Could I earn her forgiveness? Was this how our story was meant to end? With me and Selena finally together, like everyone had always said we would be?
Were we soulmates? Was this why life kept throwing us back into each other's orbit again and again?
Because despite everything… I still wanted her. More than anything in the world. I'd give up every dollar I owned just to see her smile again. And if I could be the reason for that smile… I would spend the rest of my life making up for everything I'd done. This time, I wouldn't screw it up. She'd always been the one. I'd just been too stupid to realize it until I lost her.
"I do need to know something," Lucien said suddenly.
I looked up.
"Is there anything else you did to Selena? Anything at all that I should know before I hand over the love of my life to you?"
My chest tightened. I closed my eyes. I could see her crying. Hear her sobbing. See her on the floor, shattered.
I opened my mouth to confess. To tell him everything.
But then he said, "Because if there's more, I will call this entire thing off."
My eyes snapped open.
"Choosing another woman over her was already unforgivable," he said sharply. "You're lucky life is giving you a second chance." His gaze hardened. "But if you did anything worse than that… I swear to God, Kai, I will make sure you never so much as breathe the same air as my wife again."
Silence swallowed us.
I wanted to tell him everything. How cruel I'd been on her birthday. How I hadn't just chosen Jade. I cheated on her. How I ended things brutally. How she lost everything because of me. How there was a secret between Selena and me that no one else knew. How she bled for me.
But I also knew something else. If I told him the truth… I would lose her forever. I'd never get another chance. And after seeing her again… after realizing how deeply I still loved her… I couldn't bear the thought of losing her again.
I could become the man she deserved. We could burn the past and start over. But none of that would be possible if I told him everything.
Before I could stop myself, the lie slipped out.
"No," I said quietly. "Nothing else."
Relief washed over his face.
"Will you help me make my wife fall in love with you?" he asked softly. "Give her her happy ending… once I'm gone." His voice trembled slightly as he extended his hand.
I took it. "I promise to give Selena her happy ever after."
We shook hands. Then I pulled him into a hug.
"For what it's worth," I said quietly, "you're an incredible man."
And I meant it. What kind of husband reunites his own wife with her former fiancé just so she can have a happy ending? So she'll still have someone to grow old with? Lucien was the kindest man I'd ever met. And I was the biggest asshole alive for not telling him the truth.
He asked me to give his wife a happy ending. What he didn't know was that I was the reason she ever needed one.