Chapter 59
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Lily
Song- goldenhour, JVKE
There’s a low rumble of an engine outside the house, it’s deep and unmistakably expensive. I peer out of the window, my stomach dipping. It’s definitely not Drago’s car. Dad hasn’t come home either.
“Your car is here!” Charlotte calls up the stairs.
Wait. Is that Conan’s new Rolls-Royce that Hallie was telling me about?
My pulse stutters.
I smooth down my dress and check myself one last time in the mirror. My hair is curled, soft waves framing my face, the rest is in a bun, and I’ve gone with a classy makeup look. Nothing heavy. Just a touch of liner and gloss on my lips.
The dress Drago bought me does all of the work. It hugs in the right places, elegant without screaming for attention. Like it was chosen with intention. Like he sees me. It’s similar to the dress I wore for the opening party of my gallery years ago.
I head downstairs, my heels tapping softly against the wood, and Charlotte is waiting at the bottom with a knowing smile. “You’re a knock-out, Lily. Drago is going to die when he sees you.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks. I can’t help but blush.
“This is all a bit much, isn’t it? For a date?” I whisper, suddenly aware of how hard my heart is pounding.
Charlotte laughs. “I’ve never seen Drago date. Ever. But this is how I imagined he’d do it, everything perfect down to every last detail. That’s Drago.”
I swallow, my throat tightening.
I am not perfect. I’m quite the opposite. I’m messy. I’m not very well organized. I sometimes can’t even breathe properly. I overthink. I feel too much.
My dad always called me a whirlwind as a kid.
“Stop doubting yourself, Lily,” Charlotte says gently. “You are enough for any man. For anyone.”
Her words settle somewhere deep, stitching themselves into cracks I didn’t even realize were still open.
I smile at her. Day by day, I feel more at home here than I ever have in my life. The Quinns. Bella. Hallie. Charlotte. Drago. They’re not just protecting me. They’re healing broken parts of me and making me stronger.
“Go get your man, Lily.”
I breathe in once, steadying myself, and head outside.
A suited Conan is resting casually against his blacked-out Roller, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
“Lily,” He says, opening the passenger door with a knowing smile.
I slide inside, and he shuts it gently.
“Hallie has requested updates immediately. Please send them to her; she misses you. I think she’s feeling lonely at home with a baby.”
Oh my god. We’ve been texting a lot, but I haven’t seen her since I came here. “Shit.” I hiss. She’s always there for me. Always checking in. And I’ve been so wrapped up in my own head, my own mess, that I haven’t checked on her.
“Lily. Stop.” Conan says quickly. “Sorry, I meant she’s excited for you. She’s not upset with you. I’ll bring her round tomorrow, okay?”
Relief floods me so fast it makes my chest ache. “I’ll call her first thing.”
Conan hums along to a song as he pulls into traffic, one hand resting casually on the wheel.
“So,” I say, trying to sound light. “What did Drago have to do to persuade you to be my chauffeur then?”
“Nothing.”
He’s lying.
“Do not lie to me, Conan Quinn. Or I’ll phone Hallie right this second. You won’t ever lie to her.”
He exhales, then grins. “Promised he’d get in the cage with me so I can practice for my next match.”
I slap his arm. “You’re an idiot. Stop trying to find victims for your cage.”
He rubs his arm, chuckling. “Look, you can come and watch. Your man is more of an animal in a fight than I am.” His lips snap shut.
“That’s kinda hot.”
He laughs. “And that is why you and Hallie are best friends.”
I pout. “Bad taste in men?”
He clutches his chest dramatically. “How dare you!”
The car slows, and I frown as we pull up outside the theatre.
It’s… quiet.
The lights are on, glowing warm against the evening sky, but there’s no crowd. No buzz. No line. I check the time. Seven fifty. I’m early.
“Conan…” My voice dips. “Where is everyone? Are we at the wrong place?”
He shakes his head, utterly unfazed. “Lily. This is a grand gesture. A man on his knees begging for you to have him. Did you really think he was going to allow a crowd?”
He tuts, like this is the most obvious thing in the world, then helps me out of the car.
My head spins. “But that would cost a fortune? That’s crazy!”
He chuckles as I loop my arm through his. “This costs nothing to men like us, Lily. Get used to it.”
We head toward the back entrance, where the twins are waiting, suited and alert. They both smile, even Reggie, which shocks me.
Inside, soft classical music plays through the space, calming my erratic heart.
It’s beautiful. Chandeliers glitter overhead, gold ornamentation catching the light, deep red carpet stretching beneath my feet.
“This is your first stop,” Conan says, guiding me to the front desk. “I’ll be getting into position with Finn at the front doors. You’re safe here, Lily. Relax and have fun.”
My shoulders drop at his words.
The older woman behind the counter smiles warmly at me. “You must be Lily.”
“I am.”
“This is for you,” she says, handing me a blue foiled ticket with my name printed neatly on the front. “If you take the elevator behind you and press the button for floor two, you’ll be in your box.”
I thank her and head toward the elevator, my chest tight with nerves and anticipation.
When the doors close, I catch my reflection in the mirrored wall, and I smile.
The one place I thought would make me sick with nerves has instead made me buzz with anticipation.
Burning to finally claim the man who owns my heart.
I no longer feel dread about being in this place; I feel safe, because I’m going to be with him.
The elevator doors slide open with a quiet ping, and I step out onto the private balcony level.
The first thing I see is Drago. He stands there with his hands in his pockets, waiting for me. His black tux fits him like it was made for this moment alone, sharp lines and dark fabric that somehow make his eyes burn brighter.
Fucking gorgeous.
I take a step toward him, my heels echoing softly. He doesn’t move. Doesn’t rush me. He’s watching me like he already knows what’s coming, like he’s braced for it.
I inhale.
And everything stops.
The air changes.
That scent, familiar in a way that hits so deep my knees almost buckle. It wraps around me, sinks straight into my chest, and suddenly I’m not standing in a theatre anymore.
I’m back in the dark. Back in terror and pain and shaking breath. Back in the moment when I was sure I was going to die.
But then all I can feel is safety. His strong arms. This exact scent grounding me when nothing else could.
My heart slams violently against my ribs. No. It can’t be.
My hand flies to my mouth as I stumble sideways, gripping the cool balcony railing. My vision blurs, tears spilling before I even understand they’re coming.
Drago is there instantly. His hands are on my waist, pulling me back from the edge like he always has. Like he always will.
And that’s when I know. Not because he tells me. Not because he explains. Because my body already remembers him.
The scent I’ve spent the last year trying to find. It’s this exact one. The one that keeps me safe. The man I believed was just a shadow in my worst memory.
I was never alone. It wasn’t a stranger who rescued me. I was protected by my soulmate. “It was you,” I sob, the truth ripping out of me as my chest caves in. “Y-you saved me.”
His breath stutters. He tips my chin up gently, thumbs brushing away my tears like they’re something precious.
“I’m sorry, Lily.” He whispers.
I shake my head, breath coming in broken gasps. “W-why? How can you be sorry? It was you… You stopped him. You’re the one I’ve been searching for.”
He lowers his forehead to mine, his voice rough. “I’m so fucking sorry that I didn’t tell you the truth sooner. I should have told you before we fell for each other. I knew your past before you had the strength to tell me.”
I inhale again, deliberately this time. His aftershave calms me instantly, settles something frantic in my chest. “If I could choose any man in the world,” I whisper, my hands curling into his lapels, “who I would have wanted to be the one who saved me that night… it would always be you, Drago.”
Tears spill freely now, but they don’t hurt. They heal. “I’m not crying because I’m upset. I’m crying because it all makes sense. We… are just meant to be. You are my protector. I get it. You wanted me to fall for you… not because of anything in the past.”
He pulls back just enough to cup my cheeks, his gaze searching my face like he’s memorizing me all over again. “I’m glad it was me, too. But that night… it changed a lot for me. I need to–”
My heart races. I know there’s more. I can see it in his eyes. I don’t want to break this fragile, perfect bubble. Not yet. “Can you kiss me, Drago?”
His smile is soft. “I’ve imagined doing this every second since we came back from Monaco.”
And then his lips are on mine. It’s slow. Careful. Like he’s afraid this moment might shatter if he takes too much too fast. His mouth brushes mine once as if he’s testing.
I fist my hands into his jacket. When I kiss him back, the world finally aligns.
The years of fear. The unanswered questions. The ache that never had a name. All of it goes quiet.
His hand slides into my hair, fingers threading through my curls with a familiarity that makes my chest ache.
He tilts his head, kissing me like he’s been holding this back for years. Like this is worship. Like this is home.
This isn’t just a kiss.
It’s an apology without words. A promise he already kept. A vow he never stopped living by.
When he finally pulls back just enough to breathe, his forehead rests against mine, his breath uneven, warm against my skin.
Nothing needs to be said.
The truth lives in the way he holds me. In the way my body knows his. In the way this moment feels less like a beginning…
And more like coming home.