Chapter Twenty-five #4
“Hey, come here.” Konflict pulled me into his arms. “You’re allowed to cry, you know.
She was your sister and you didn’t even know it.
Hell, I just found out she was my cousin.
But I want you to understand that none of this is your fault.
She was abused, yes, but she made her own choice to become as bad as the people who hurt her.
That was her decision, Serenity, and you did what you had to do.
I know she’ll leave a void because you were close, but I promise I’ll do my best to fill that space.
If I have to take you on a trip every weekend and fuck you every time you get sad, my dick and I are ready for you.
You can let go with me. Cry and I’ll give you my shoulder.
Then I’ll dry your tears and bring back your smile. Okay, baby?”
I sniffled against him, his words hitting me straight in the heart before I looked up to meet his eyes.
“Okay, baby.”
Konflict put his hands on my cheeks and gently cradled my face before kissing me with tenderness and care, as if I were something precious he didn’t want to break.
When we separated, my breath was shaky and my lips were swollen from his kiss.
“Now, let me give you a bath and fuck the stress out of your body. I need you to relax, Mama.”
I nodded and let him lead me to the bathroom. He undressed me slowly, then took off his own clothes and we stepped into the shower together. He washed me from head to toe; his touch was gentle and his kisses soft. When I was clean and relaxed, he dried me off and carried me back to bed naked.
Konflict settled between my thighs in missionary, my legs wrapped around his waist.
“Let me put you back to sleep. You want good night dick, right?” he whispered, kissing my neck.
“Yes, please,” I moaned, already craving the moment I would feel him inside me.
He didn’t hesitate before he entered me, making love to me slowly and deeply until I was too exhausted to think about everything that had happened earlier. My husband always knew exactly what I needed.
When I was spent, he gently pulled me on top of him so I could fall asleep on his chest. He slid his dick inside my pussy because he knew I needed that too. I needed him.
“So, we’re expecting a baby?” Konflict asked, caressing my head softly.
“Uh… yes. I hadn’t meant to tell you like this. I wanted you to come to my next appointment and hear your baby’s heartbeat. But, well… that’s out the window,” I replied, my eyes heavy.
He held me tighter and kissed me gently. “I already knew.”
I lifted my head slightly to look at him, surprised.
“How?” I asked.
“Dr. Kalvin told me on our wedding anniversary. When we came to rescue you from the Sawyer’s, I already knew you were carrying my child.”
“And you didn’t say anything? Is that why there hasn’t been a single bottle of alcohol on the yacht?”
“Yup! I didn’t want to pressure you to tell me and didn’t want you to think I was fighting for a second chance just because you were pregnant. I love you, Serenity. I always have. And my love isn’t conditional on you carrying my kid—though I’m happy about it.”
His words moved me. That’s part of what I’ve learned to love about Konflict—the way he truly sees me, the care he gives me.
I never would have imagined this side of him if I’d only judged him by how he acted during our first year of marriage but thank God I got the chance to really know him, to meet the real man underneath.
“Do you know what today is?” I rested my head on his chest and gently stroked his arm, grateful to have a husband unlike any other.
“No?”
“Today’s the day I’m supposed to give you my answer, whether I want to stay married or not. You said you’d give me a divorce if I didn’t want you anymore.”
I let the silence settle for a long moment. Only our breaths filled the quiet until Konflict finally broke it.
“Are you trying to kill me with suspense, Serenity? What’s your answer? Do you want a divorce, or do we get a chance to be a family?”
A small smile spread over my lips. I took another few minutes before looking up to meet his eyes. I wanted him to see all the sincerity I held for him.
“Since the day you saved me from that pool, I dreamed about spending my life with you. I pictured myself standing at the altar, looking you in the eyes and saying yes forever, because I never imagined a life without you, even when it felt impossible. Then I lived through a nightmare that made me want to bury my feelings for you so deep, no one could ever reach them again. But you found that hidden place. You went inside me and pulled every thread of love back to the surface, and you made my feelings grow. Every day, you show me how I should be treated, how I deserve to be loved, and I’ve become so addicted to you that if I lost you for even a day, I think it would kill me.
I want to keep living this way with you.
I want to give you this baby growing inside me, and plenty more babies after that.
I want to keep seeing the pride in your eyes when you take care of my afro, when you make me smile, or when you give me an orgasm.
I want to see your face when you come inside me.
And I want that every single day as Mrs. Korven. ”
His eyes glistened with love as I confessed my feelings. I could feel his heart hammering in his chest. He didn’t need to say a word—I could see in his eyes that he loved me just as wildly as I loved him.
Konflict looked away for a moment and reached for the nightstand, picking up a velvet box. He opened it and took out my wedding ring, the one I had left behind the day I ran away from the estate.
“In that case, would you marry me again, Serenity Korven?” he asked, taking my hand in his.
“I want to take you back to the altar, and this time I’ll do it right.
I’ll watch you walk toward me in your beautiful white dress.
I’ll hold your hand and look into your eyes through the entire ceremony.
I’ll declare my love for you in front of everyone.
I’ll say the vows I denied you the first time.
I want to give you the wedding you deserve, Serenity, because I want to start over and show you how life with me should have been from the start. Would you marry me again, baby?”
My throat tightened with emotion. Thinking of our first wedding and how forced it was—I was so touched that he wanted to do it again.
“Yes, yes, ten times yes, Konflict. I want to marry you again, baby,” I said, my voice filled with emotion.
He slid the wedding ring onto my finger, then cupped my face in his hands.
“I think I’m in love with the woman I was supposed to kill,” he said softly, eyes locked on mine.
“And I think I’m crazy in love with the man who was supposed to kill me,” I replied, holding his gaze.
He kissed me, sealing our love.
A love that was a childhood dream.
An unreachable fantasy.
A living nightmare.
A new beginning.
A forever.
Us.