Chapter 116 Reconciliation
Kristen's POV
"Is it true?" I ask Calhoun when he returns.
"What?" He glances at me curiously.
"I heard everything." I blurt out, fumbling with my hands. All the knots in my chest are loosening, including the weight of cheating and heartbreak is subsiding.
Calhoun holds my gaze and sighs.
And I can feel this dull pain spreading through my chest.
"Is it true you were drugged?" My voice is cranky because my throat is thick from the emotions in me.
Calhoun raises his fist to his mouth, bites into it, and stares at me for the second time. Before nodding.
"You never touched her?" I want to be sure it's true. That I did not mishear him earlier when he was confronted by Emilia's father. Because I hid in a corner and eavesdropped on their argument.
"I don't think I did. She drugged both me and Bruce with food. I passed out before I could recall anything." Calhoun explains himself with so much sincerity in his eyes.
And I don't even know how to feel at this point.
If I should be relieved or I should just burst out crying.
But different waves of emotions are cascading through me at this point. That I can feel my breath getting caught up in my throat.
Calhoun nears my side, before putting his hand on my cheek.
And I don't pull away this time. I let him.
My heart is pacing faster than normal, and I can feel my throat getting dry. That I take a gulp.
"I would never cheat on you, Kristen," he tells me softly, "it was all a setup. To tear us apart."
I'm lost for words at this point.
The heartache and endless tears were all in vain?
He didn't cheat on me. And now I feel so stupid that I made a fuss over nothing. Refused to listen to him even when he tried to defend himself.
But on the contrary, I had every right to react that way. Seeing Emilia like that made my insecurities manifest themselves. And then Calhoun who was naked and asleep.
"God, I'm so glad it's all over," his voice is tough as he pulls me into a hug.
And tears are welling up in my eyes, even my bottom lip is starting to quiver.
I thought it would end between us because I felt if I accepted him back into my life, Emilia would still be in the picture and he would one day leave me, just like he left my mom for me.
But I am so relieved that it's all over. That he was innocent all along. He was drugged, otherwise nothing of such would have taken place.
Calhoun hugs me tighter, as if, if he lets go, I'll disappear out of his sight.
I have missed us being this way.
Calhoun disengages from the hug and hurries to examine my face, upon hearing my sniff.
"Are you, crying, Kristen?" He seems worried.
Slowly, I nod. And the tears just drip down my cheeks.
"I thought...you got..bored of me.." I'm not even sure Calhoun can hear me right now because I am doing more crying than talking. Each time I try to talk, the sobs just tear out of my throat, ruining everything.
And I feel so embarrassed that I am crying this way in front of him, like a child. I can't even control my tears even when I want to.
"I would never see anybody but you, Kristen..no one else matters except you," he wipes the tears off my cheeks.
"I am so sorry that you had to go through so much pain these few days,"
Sniffing, I nod and put my hands on his that are already on my face.
"It's all over, Kristen. No one can take away from you,"
I throw my hands around him and sob harder in his chest.
The four days we were apart from each other felt like four long months because I kept thinking about the video, trying to measure it up to the blissful moments I shared with Calhoun.
I slept with a heavy heart throughout.
And now, it's just so relieving that it's all over.
Calhoun never cheated.
It was all Emilia Dante who got jealous of our relationship and tried
to separate us.
I can still remember how desperate she had looked, demanding her father make Calhoun marry her.
Calhoun doesn't pull away from the hug, instead, he keeps holding me and burying his face in the crook of my neck like he always does.
My hands stroke his back. Loving the feel of his warm and protective body against mine.
The satisfied sigh he lets out is homely.
I am glad he took me away from Ben's and brought me here. If he
hadn't, I wouldn't have learned about the truth.
When Calhoun takes his head off my shoulder, I tip my head up to
kiss him on his cheek.
Calhoun quickly turns away and captures my mouth with his.
What I intended to be a peck, turned into a deep kiss.
"I missed you so much that it hurt to breathe," he blurts out and
kisses my neck.
Calhoun is holding my waist with caution because of the bump creating a little gap between us.
And I close my eyes in their sockets. Savouring every bit and scent of
this man.
We pull apart from each other when someone creaks the door open.
It's Bruce. Calhoun's beta.
"Am I interrupting anything?" He looks from me to Calhoun.
"Why are you here?" Calhoun glares at him.
"I don't know, I heard sobbing earlier so I wanted to check to see
what was happening," Bruce scratches the back of his head
awkwardly.
"Just go," Calhoun orders, and it's almost like he's losing his patience, judging from her hard his voice comes out.
"I think we'll be enemies with the Starlight pack for life," Bruce
stops at the door and turns swiftly.
"Leave," Calhoun growls.
"Welcome back, Kristen." He offers me a small smile before
eventually leaving.