Finally, You / Final Chapter

Finally, You / Final Chapter
Six months had passed since Lila vanished from his life, and Damien had done the unthinkable.

He built a bakery.

A quiet place. A simple place. A place that kept his hands busy while the ache in his chest never eased.

Damien, Blade, and Rex were in the open market that afternoon, weaving through the noise and colorful stalls as they gathered ingredients for the bakery. Rex pushed the cart while Blade argued with a vendor about the freshness of an orange.

Damien barely listened. His eyes were always searching, scanning every corner, every shadow, every unfamiliar face.

Then he saw her.

A woman with long dark hair, petite, graceful, walking just ahead of the crowd. The tilt of her head. The way she held her bag and the quiet softness in her movements.

It hit him like a blow to the chest.

Damien froze as his breath caught.

His heart slammed painfully.

“Lila,” he whispered, the name leaving his lips before he could stop it.

Then he ran.

He pushed past people, ignoring the startled looks, ignoring Blade calling out behind him. His steps were desperate, fueled by months of longing, guilt, and sleepless nights. He reached her in seconds and grabbed her arm, spinning her around as hope flooded his face.

“Lila,” he said again, breathless, his eyes shining with excitement.

But the moment her face came into view, his smile faltered then died entirely.

It wasn’t her.

Not even close.

Damien’s chest tightened painfully as he slowly released her arm. The woman looked startled, confused, but he bowed his head slightly, lowering his voice to a gentle apology.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I mistook you for someone.”

Blade and Rex finally caught up to him. Blade’s eyes softened the moment he saw Damien’s expression.

“You good, boss?” he asked cautiously.

Damien didn’t answer.

He only stared at the ground for a long moment, the familiar ache settling deep in his chest before he turned back toward the market stalls.

“Let’s go,” he muttered, voice low and tight.

Because even after all these months, even after building a new life, even after telling himself he would learn to live without her…

He still searched for Lila in every crowd.

Everyday.

Everywhere.

Inside the warm, flour-dusted shop, Graves and Thorne stood at one of the wooden tables, sleeves rolled up, hands deep in dough.

Graves worked with steady, practiced movements. Thorne, however, looked seconds away from tears as he held a soft mound of dough in both hands.

“I never believed that someday I would be holding dough instead of a knife,” Thorne muttered, his face twisted in dramatic sorrow.

Graves let out a tired sigh. “Shut up, Thorne. It’s been over six months already. You should get used to this life like everyone else.”

He slapped his dough on the table with purpose. “Come to think of it, aren’t you glad we can all live peacefully without thinking of attacks or anything?”

Thorne paused, actually considering that. His expression softened. “True. All thanks to Lila,” he said with a small smile.

“Yeah,” Graves agreed quietly. “We just pray she comes back to the boss soon.”

“Or the boss should find another woman?” Thorne suggested cluelessly.

The bakery door opened right after the words left his mouth.

Damien, Blade, and Rex walked in.

Graves’ eyes widened slightly while Thorne swallowed hard and whispered, “I’m dead.”

“What did you just say, Thorne?” Damien asked calmly as he walked toward him.

Thorne immediately stepped back, fear flickering in his eyes. “Boss, that’s not what I said. I mean that’s not how I meant it. I meant to say no woman can ever look like Lila in your eyes,” he blurted out, words tripping over each other.

A few quiet chuckles slipped from the others, but Damien didn’t crack a smile. He just stared at Thorne as if he were one second away from snapping his neck.

Before the tension could thicken, a loud voice cut through the bakery.

“I want some bread!”

Lucien’s booming announcement echoed a second before the door swung open and he walked in, looking entirely too cheerful for the hour.

Damien scoffed. “Are there no bread on the shelves again?”

Lucien grinned, brushing flour off one of the counters with a casual sweep of his hand. “You know I like it fresh from the oven,” he said with a wink.

Damien only shook his head and walked away.

Lucien, despite his dramatic entrance, had changed too. He had gone into the textile business, importing and exporting fabrics from different countries, and yet he never missed a day of stopping by the bakery, to check on his friend, to tease him, and to help ease the ache Damien kept so carefully hidden.

Damien reached the bakery shelves only to find several loaves crooked and out of line. His jaw tightened and set to work immediately, straightening each bread with quiet precision; anything to keep his mind steady.

The bell chimed softly as the front glass door swung open.

Tessa stepped in first, followed by Asher. Both froze at the sight of Damien standing behind the counter in an apron.

Shock flickered across their faces.

“Sir?” Tessa breathed, her voice cracking into a sad smile. “How have you been? I… I actually went to your estate, but you weren’t there.”

Damien exhaled slowly, a tired sigh that carried the weight of months. He nodded once.

“Yeah,” he murmured. “I moved to Astoria. Hoping I might see her… even just once… among the crowd.”
Tessa’s eyes softened.

Asher, who had always bristled at the sight of Damien, found himself staring quietly. He had expected arrogance, annoyance, anything but the hollow grief in Damien’s eyes. And against his will, something like sympathy tugged at him.

“I’m sure Lila will come back soon. I’m very certain of that,” Tessa said with a sad smile, stepping closer. “Can I give you a hug?”
Damien nodded, opening his arms. She slipped into his embrace, holding him briefly but firmly, and he welcomed the warmth of her presence.

When she pulled back, Tessa wiped a stray tear from her cheek and gave him a wide, genuine smile. “Asher said they have really nice pastries here. So we came to try them out. Are you here to buy something too?”

Damien smiled softly, a hint of pride in his eyes. “I own this place,” he said simply.

Tessa’s hand flew to her mouth in surprise as she exchanged a stunned glance with Asher. “Whoa… that’s… awesome, sir,” she said, her voice full of admiration.

“I can see you’ve left the bad-guy life behind and started a new one,” Asher said for the first time. Tessa tilted her head and shot him a sharp warning glare.

Damien just smiled and said nothing.

That’s when chaos erupted.

Graves and Thorne came barreling out of the kitchen, flour covering them from head to toe, chef hats askew, aprons dusted in white.

“Because I’m trying to live a good life doesn’t mean I can’t still kill you, you bastard!” Thorne shouted, chasing Graves, who darted behind the shelves and display cases, laughing wildly.

Damien closed his eyes in embarrassment, shaking his head, while Blade and the others spilled out, shouting after the two fools.

“Are you guys out of your minds?” Blade yelled, but the chase showed no signs of stopping.

Lucien and Rex leaned against the counter, doubled over, laughing at the ridiculous scene.
Then, the front glass door opened gently.

A hush fell over the bakery.

The person who stepped inside wore the most shy, beautiful smile, and for a moment, time seemed to stop. Every chaotic sound, every shouting voice, every scatter of flour faded into nothing.

Damien’s breath caught.

Everyone froze.

No one moved.

Because everyone in that room recognized her immediately.

“Lila!” Everyone chorused at once except Damien. He stood frozen, eyes tracing her from head to toe, then back again, every detail burned into his memory.

Lila smiled, though tears stung her eyes. “I’m sorry, guys,” she whispered, her voice soft and fragile.

Her words barely left her lips before everyone except Damien and Lucien surged forward, hugging her tightly. She cried into their embrace, murmuring apologies as the warmth of her friends surrounded her.

“How could you do that to me, Lila? I’m your best friend!” Tessa scolded through tears.

Lila pulled back just enough to meet Tessa’s gaze and smiled gently. “Forgive me, babe,” she said, and then her eyes found Damien’s.
He was staring, tears welling in his eyes, a mix of relief, longing, and overwhelming emotion.

“The boss wouldn’t stop looking for you every day,” Blade said, his voice full of worry. “Where did you go?”

Lila gave him a small, reassuring smile, then turned her steps toward Damien.

His voice broke when he finally spoke, barely above a whisper. “What did I do to deserve this… you, Lila?”

Her lips curved into a tender smile as the bakery seemed to fade around them, leaving just the two of them and the months of longing finally closing in.

“I thought I would be able to live without you, Wolfe. But every day of my life felt like torture without you in it. So I had to come out of my hiding and come back to you,” Lila whispered, her voice trembling with sincerity.

Before she could say another word, Damien closed the distance between them, capturing her lips in a hot, intense, and aching kiss.

Lila responded with equal hunger, every inch of her matching his longing. Around them, everyone else in the bakery blushed, smiling sheepishly at the intensity.

“Jesus, Lila. Who taught you how to kiss like that?” Lucien’s voice broke through, eyes wide as saucers.

Lila pulled back slightly, spotting her uncle. “Uncle!” she exclaimed happily and rushed into his arms. “I didn’t see you!”
“How would you?” Lucien said, pouting playfully. “The only person you had your eyes on was him.”

Lila chuckled softly, resting her head against him. “Forgive me, uncle,” she said, her smile warm and sincere.

“Of course, baby. Thank God you came back to us safe and sound,” Lucien said, and everyone nodded in agreement, relief and joy written across their faces.

Damien stepped forward and gently took Lila from Lucien’s embrace, as if he couldn’t bear to let her go even for a moment. He cupped her face in his hands and stared deeply into her eyes.

“The next time you want to punish me, just kill me instead of torturing me like that, okay?” he said, his voice low, teasing, but heavy with emotion.

“There won’t be such a time again,” Lila replied softly, her eyes shining. “I’m back to stay by your side forever. I love you.”

Everyone in the bakery erupted into applause, cheering for the couple, laughter and joy filling the warm space.

“I love you too, baby,” Damien whispered, a genuine smile spreading across his face for the first time in months. He pulled her close and kissed her again, deep and unrestrained.

“Kiss her very well, boss! You’ve been deprived for months!” Graves shouted, making everyone laugh including Damien and Lila but they didn’t break apart, lost in each other once more.

And in that moment, nothing else existed. Not the chaos, not the months apart, not the world outside.

Only them.
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The End.