Page 68 of Ex- Factor
His hand stilled. His gaze sharpened. “Say them, baby.”
I took a shaky breath.
“Silas Wright…
You are my proof that broken doesn’t mean unworthy. That a man can carry scars and still hold a woman gentle. You’re my protector, my peace, my mirror. You make me brave.
I promise to never let you forget who you are when the world tries to break you down.
I promise to laugh with you when it’s good, hold you when it’s bad, and remind you, always, that you are enough.
You’re already enough.”
Tears welled in his eyes, but he smiled through them—slow and reverent. He leaned in, kissed me long and deep, until I felt like my soul was pressed against his.
Then he rolled over, his weight covering me, his mouth still on mine. His voice was a growl against my lips.
“I want to make love to my wife.”
And as he pushed into me, the ocean roared, the wind rushed through the room, and the world blurred into nothing but him.
Epilogue
Four Months Later
Silas
I used to think peace was a myth. Some shit people talked about, but I didn’t think I’d ever get to live it.
But this? Right here?
Watching Ekon make a mess on the living room rug while Eshe and Angel whispered like teenage girls on the couch—this was it.
We’d finally moved out of that house next door to Donte. Should’ve done it sooner.
I was this close to putting that man in a grave.
He was persistent.
Every time I saw him, I remembered what Eshe told me he did to her. It wasn’t healthy being that close to him. Wasn’t smart. And I wasn’t gonna let that energy bleed into the life we were building.
So we moved into Eshe’s grandmother’s house.
It was different now. Again.
Different from what she grew up in.
Different from what Donte had paid for.
Renovated. Reinforced. Reborn.
Like us.
The walls were ours. The future was ours.
I stood in the hallway, just out of sight, listening to her and Angel talk. I was eavesdropping on purpose.
“I don’t know how to tell him,” Eshe said. “He said he didn’t want kids. And what happened with Donte got me scared as fuck.”
