Page 88 of The Billionaire's Betrayal
My voice broke slightly on the last words.The anxiety of her rejection was choking me.
She bit her lower lip and looked away.That gesture, which I knew so well, tore me apart.
"Talk to me, Eva, tell me something..."I pleaded, moving toward her."Tell me you hate me if that's what you feel, but talk to me.I can't stand this wall between us anymore."
Despair was taking hold of me.Every second of silence was torture.
She remained motionless, silent, eyes downcast, and I was beginning to despair when she finally took a deep breath.
"What guarantees do I have that you won't start looking at another woman again in five or ten years?"
Her voice, barely more than a whisper, was filled with sadness and mistrust.The pain in her eyes stabbed my heart.Seeing her doubt me so much was breaking me, but at least she was finally talking to me.
"What happened with Audrey will never happen again, because I'll be more careful from now on," I said, struggling to keep my voice steady."If I had kept Audrey at a distance from the start, none of this would have happened.I was arrogant and reckless, convinced I could play with fire without suffering the consequences.I thought I could enjoy the excitement of first emotions without jeopardizing what mattered most."
My throat tightened.The next words cost me, but they were necessary.
"My behavior was inexcusable, and I'm ashamed of myself.Shame eats away at me every day.I've learned my lesson.I'll never take our relationship lightly again.I love you, Eva, more than anything.Without you, nothing else matters.I'm asking for your forgiveness for taking so long to realize how essential you are to my life.If you agree to give me a second chance, I promise to choose you every day.I'll never let another woman get close to me again."
She stared at me in silence, weighing my words, and I held my breath before she continued.
"What hurt me the most wasn't Audrey...It was when you stopped talking to me, when you erased me from your life as if I had never mattered to you."
Tears slid down her cheeks, and they burned me like acid.Each tear was a silent reproach that tore me apart.
"That's what terrifies me, Tristan...That you could erase me from your life...Do you remember the day you told me I was suffocating you?"
The blow hit home.Had I really said that to her?The memory floated for a moment, painfully precise.Yes, I remembered.Cornered by my confused feelings, I had spat out those words like a defense, without measuring their destructive impact.
I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of my guilt crushing me.How could I have been so cruel?
"What if our love became toxic, like your parents'?"she continued.
"We won't let that happen.I swear you'll always be my priority," I replied with a fervor.
"What if I can't do it?What if I don't know how to love you anymore without feeling this betrayal?"
The vulnerability in her voice was breaking my heart.She was so fragile, so wounded because of me.Slowly, I moved my hands toward her, keeping them a few inches from her skin, respecting that invisible barrier she had erected between us.
"Then I'll keep trying...for as long as it takes," I murmured in a soft voice, my throat tight with emotion."Because I love you, Eva.And I'll never stop fighting for you."
I felt each word resonate deeply within me, like an oath carved into my soul.Love is a choice.Every day, you choose to stay committed, to continue loving despite doubts, wounds, and silences.
"Love is a choice, andI choose you,Eva.Now and forever."
A long silence settled between us.Her tears continued to flow softly, and each one pierced through me.I wiped them away with my fingertips, struggling to contain my own.I had hurt her so much, but I would spend my life making her happy.She closed her eyes at this gesture, and when she reopened them, the invisible distance separating us seemed to have faded, just a little.
My heart raced with hope.
I leaned down gently and kissed her with all the tenderness I could muster, as if not wanting to frighten her.Eva melted into my arms, and I held her close, relieved to finally feel her defenses crumble.
Little by little, desire awakened between us, chasing away the shadows of the past.Our gazes met, charged with a new intensity that took my breath away, and time seemed to stop.My fingers brushed her cheek, tracing a line of fire along her neck in a caress that was hesitant at first, then more confident.Her breathing quickened as my lips found hers in a kiss that tasted of reconciliation and promise.
"I love you," I murmured against her lips."I love you so much, Eva."
She responded by pressing her body against mine, her hands gripping my shirt as if she was afraid I might disappear.This vulnerability, this trust she was granting me again, overwhelmed me.
Slowly, I rediscovered her body with wonder.Every curve, every beauty mark, every tremor under my caresses rekindled the passion between us.I worshipped every inch of her skin as if it were sacred, lingering on those secret places that made her moan my name.Her sighs resonated within me like a forgotten melody I was finally finding again.
