Chapter 140
Until this moment, Elizabeth finally admitted the truth she'd been too afraid to face.
She loved him.
She didn't know when it started, but this man who had once been nothing more than a pawn in her revenge, had quietly slipped into her heart. His dominance, his tenderness, his possessiveness, his almost humble pleas for her genuine affection—all of it had made her fall.
Jacob looked into her eyes as if he could see through every thought in her mind. He smiled, and that smile carried a sense of relief and deep satisfaction.
"Elizabeth," he said softly, "only today did I realize my wife has been keeping so many secrets."
He paused, then spoke each word deliberately, "You're with Nightfall. Aren't you?"
Elizabeth's breath caught.
She looked at him, at those deep, dark eyes. There was no interrogation in them, no anger—only an almost reverent trust and love.
She nodded.
"Yes." Her voice finally emerged, hoarse and trembling. "I'm with Nightfall. From the very beginning."
Jacob looked at her, the curve of his lips deepening.
"Anything else?" He asked. "How many more secrets are you keeping from me?"
Elizabeth bit her lip, wanting to tell him she was Nightfall's leader, wanting to tell him she'd been reborn, wanting to tell him everything about her previous life.
But in that moment, Jacob kissed her again.
This kiss was deeper than before, more lingering, more intense. He parted her lips, his tongue tangling with hers as if he wanted to devour her completely. His arms held her so tightly she could barely breathe, yet that pressure made her feel utterly safe, utterly warm.
Behind them came another massive explosion. Flames shot skyward, painting the entire sky crimson-gold. The heat wave rushed toward them with scorching intensity, but they held each other close, as if nothing else in this world mattered.
After a long while, Jacob slowly released her.
He cupped her face, looking into her eyes, speaking each word slowly and seriously, "Elizabeth."
"I don't care who you are. Whether you're the Windsor Family heiress, or with Nightfall, or whatever other identity you have. No matter how many secrets you're keeping from me, no matter how many lies you've told me."
"I just need you alive. I just need you by my side. I just need you to," his voice trembled slightly but remained utterly firm, "truly love me."
Tears spilled from Elizabeth's eyes.
She nodded hard, too choked up to speak.
Jacob smiled, that smile carrying a tenderness and satisfaction he'd never shown before. He lowered his head again, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, then looked up at the sky painted red by firelight and said softly, "Elizabeth, I love you."
Elizabeth's whole body shook.
She heard him say, "From the moment you found me in that filthy pipe, I knew that for the rest of my life, I couldn't live without you."
"You were willing to risk everything to find me, willing to protect me with your life, willing to do all this for me—that's the genuine heart I wanted."
He looked down at her eyes, speaking each word deliberately, "So I'm giving you my heart too. All of it."
Tears blurred Elizabeth's vision, but her heart had never been clearer.
She reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, stood on her toes, and kissed him first.
In that moment, flames erupted behind them, painting the entire sky a brilliant crimson-gold. The sea wind howled and the wave surged, but they held each other tightly, as if no force in this world could tear them apart.
A voice rang out in her heart, so clear, so certain, 'I love you too.'
In the distance across the water, Nightfall's speedboat was racing toward them. The people on board saw the embracing figures silhouetted against the flames, saw the couple kissing against the backdrop of explosions.
The scene was so beautiful that it took one's breath away; like the final moment before the apocalypse, when two lovers used the last of their strength to confess to each other.
The people on the speedboat watched quietly, no one breaking the silence.
Only after the lovers’ emotions had gradually settled did someone throw down life preservers to pull them aboard.
Inside the cabin, Elizabeth sat in the corner wrapped in a blanket. Her hair was still dripping and her face was pale, but her eyes had regained their usual calm. Jacob sat beside her, one hand constantly holding hers, his thumb gently stroking her knuckles as if confirming she was still alive.
Both of them were soaked through and bedraggled, but neither spoke.
The silence lasted a long time, until the speedboat slowly approached a larger vessel—Nightfall's rescue mother ship deployed in advance on the water, brightly lit and heavily guarded.
As they boarded, Elizabeth's steps faltered.
On the deck stood a figure.
Uri.
He still wore his seawater-soaked suit, and behind his wire-rimmed glasses, his eyes held a trace of relief at having survived along with barely concealed worry. Seeing Elizabeth, he visibly relaxed and hurried forward.
"Ms. Windsor," he corrected himself in time, his gaze lingering for a moment on her pale face before turning to Jacob beside her with a slight nod. "Mr. Smith."
Jacob didn't respond; he only looked at him coldly.
Uri didn't seem to mind, gesturing with one hand, "Please follow me. The lounge is ready."
He turned to lead the way, his steps steady, as if the explosion and near-death experience had been nothing more than a routine business trip incident.
Elizabeth watched his retreating figure and smiled faintly. Uri was always like this—no matter how dangerous the situation, he could maintain that reassuring composure.
Jacob noticed her smile, and his grip on her hand tightened slightly.
Elizabeth turned to look at him and found him staring at Uri's back, his expression impossibly complex. She hesitated, wanting to say something, but he pulled her forward.
In the rest cabin, Elizabeth changed into clean clothes and sat on the sofa by the window. Jacob stood behind her, one hand gently pressing on her injured shoulder, examining the scrape.
"Not deep," he said, his voice low. "But it needs disinfecting and bandaging."
Elizabeth nodded without moving.
Just then, there was a knock at the cabin door. Uri's voice came from outside, "Ms. Windsor, Mr. Smith, may I come in?"
"Come in," Elizabeth said.
Uri pushed the door open, holding a tablet computer. His expression was more serious than before as he walked to Elizabeth and handed her the tablet, "There's a situation."