Page 137 of Blades of Obsession

“Of course, I love everything you design because you’re so good at it.” I kiss her forehead.

She beams even brighter, taking my hand and leading me around the space, first the living room then the bedroom. Her pride is evident as she points out each carefully chosen detail, from the fabrics to the custom furniture. Of course, I don’t give a rat’s ass about home decor, but she wouldn’t know that by how I excitedly listen and ask questions, engaging in her interests with her.

When we reach the canopy bed, I can’t help but joke, “Looks like we need to break in the new bed. This one doesn’t even have your scent on it yet. Maybe I should also put some permanent restraints on all four of the bedposts.” My hand glides over the expensive comforter, smirking.

Her eyes dart to mine, and she fixes me with a sharp, yet lighthearted stare. “Stop being so horny all the time. Besides, that’d be dangerous for a baby to stumble upon.”

We finish taking in the new space together. It’s not just a room, it’s a symbol of the new chapter in our lives. The whole house is.

She’s been through a lot with me, most women probably would’ve stopped loving me a long time ago. But she’s still here. Still mine. And most importantly, I still have her heart.Something that I promise to handle with absolute care for the rest of my days.

As she stands in front of me, I loosely grip my hand around the back of her neck, playing with the necklace. Our breathing is synchronized like we’re two halves of the same whole. “You’re everything, you know that, right?”

She nods. “I do. But I want to know why.”

“What do you mean?”

“I want to know why.” She turns around and looks me dead in the eye. A torrent of questions spill from her lips in a frenzied rush. “Why me? Why are you an asshole to everyone else but completely different with me? Why do you love me? Why are you obsessed with me? What if—”

I reach out and grab her neck, this time adding more pressure. A lot more. I could see it in her eyes that she was going into panic mode, doubting, overthinking. Going to that dark place where she questions everything. And me grabbing her neck, with force, always grounds her and pulls her back from the edge.

“Now, I’m going to let go, and when I do, you’re going to be calmer and breathing normal, right?”

She nods, and her eyes are starting to gloss over. Which is better than the fear that was in them a second ago.

“Right?”

“Yes, Blade,” she breathes out, and I hum in satisfaction.

I slowly remove my hand from her neck and wait to make sure she’s fully calm before I speak. “What if? I couldn’t even let you finish that sentence, because are you seriously askingwhat if? Amelia, I can’t live without you. Before you came along, I was lost, drowning in my own darkness. But you—you’re my light. Just being near you floods my brain with so much dopamine it almost hurts sometimes. You scratch an itch in my brain, an itch that I didn’t even know could be scratched.”

I brush a strand of hair from her face as a tear slides down her cheek. “I love that you love all the fucked-up parts of me. You don’t just accept them, youembracethem. I love every single thing about you. There’s not an inch of you that I don’t. Your mind, your heart, your body, your personality, your care for others, your passion. And you’re the only one who makes me feel… enough… whole. I love you. That’s just it. I loveyou.Ti amo.”

She smiles, that beautiful heart-stopping smile that makes everything else fade away. Another tear rolls down her cheek, and this time, I don’t reach to wipe it away. I want to see it, to feel the weight of it. It’s a physical representation of her emotion. Emotion forme. “I love you, too.”

“If you ever doubt my love for you again, I’m gonna tie you up and make sure you never forget it.” I pull her closer with a firm grip on her ass.

She laughs through the tears, nodding.

“Now, finish showing me the decor. We haven’t made it to the kitchen yet.”

Her eyes light up. “Oh! The kitchen is my favorite part, why I was saving it for last.”

“I’m glad you took over the design because if it were up to me, everything would be black, and the bedroom would just have a bed, TV, and mini fridge.”

“Home decor is a lot like fashion design. It’s an outlet for me.”

“Maybe I’ll have to buy a couple more houses so you can have more space to design.”

“Oh my God, stop!” She playfully hits my chest like she usually does whenever I say the first thing that comes to my mind. But I was serious. If she wanted me to, I’d buy ten more houses just so she could have space to do the things she loves.“This house is enough for me. Because it’s ours. Now we just have to make it a home.”

“It already is. Home is wherever you are, angel.”

Epilogue 1

AMELIA

3 Years Later

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