Chapter 135 I forgive you

Chapter 135 I forgive you
DANDELION.

We were having breakfast at the dining room one morning.

Alexander and I sat at opposite sides of the long table.

We had greeted each other and politely asked about our days, and even shared brief conversations, but the emotional strain between us was still painfully obvious.

Tristan has alrwady gone to work, he had insisted on skipping breakfast.

So we were left with Grandma Winifred, she sat right at the head table, quietly observing our stiff, awkward interactions.

Suddenly she placed her teacup down on the saucer with a loud, sharp clatter that made both of us jump slightly.

"This is absolutely ridiculous," Noona snapped, her sharp eyes darting between Alex and me. "You two survived explosions, kidnappings, and a literal mafia war. You both fought the enemies that killed both your moms and tried to ruin your lives, you both protected each other. But here you both are, sitting in this dining acting like complete strangers. And I've had enough of it already."

I looked down at my plate, my cheeks burning with a sudden flush of guilt.

"Uhmm Noona I don't want to force things, it was my fault in the first place, so I'll patiently wait. No matter how long." Alex said, I could feel him staring at me.

Grandma Wini sighed.

"Dandy I know it won't be easy to let go of the past, but we have to move on." she said, reaching into the pocket of her cardigan. She pulled out a small white business card and slid it across the table toward me. "You are surviving, but you are not living my dear. I want my grandson and my granddaughter back to the way they used to be before those terrible things happened. You should both go for therapy."

I slowly picked up the small card. It had the name of a highly respected private marriage counselor in Greenville.

I looked across the table at Alex. He looked hopeful, his bright green eyes silently begging me to agree.

He wanted us to heal from the same damage he had caused.

I took a slow, deep breath, resting my hand over my stomach.

Honestly I wanted my baby to grow up in a home filled with genuine warmth and love, not just polite, suffocating silence and awkward conversation between us.

"Okay," I agreed, slipping the card into my pocket. "We will go."

I could see the relief flood grandma Winifred's face.

"Thank you." Alex whispered gratefully.

......................

Two days later, we walked into the quiet, softly lit office of Dr. Evanston.

The room smelled faintly of lavender and old books. There was no desk separating us from the therapist. Instead, there were three comfortable soft sofas arranged in a small, intimate circle.

"Please, sit wherever you like," Dr. Evanston invited, taking her seat at the middle seat with a warm, encouraging smile.

Alex and I hesitated. We naturally moved toward the remaining two sofas facing each other.

I sat down heavily, adjusting the fabric of my maternity dress. Alex took the seat opposite mine.

He looked completely out of his element. The powerful billionaire CEO, the ruthless man who easily dominated every single boardroom he walked into, sat rigidly on the edge of his chair, his hands clasped tightly together between his knees.

The silence in the small room was incredibly heavy. We were forced to look directly at each other without any distractions.

Dr. Evanston opened a small notebook.

She properly introduced herself first and also asked us to introduce ourselves. Then she didn't waste time with her small talk.

She asked us a few questions at first, I felt really uncomfortable with the questions because it forced me to see things differently and I guess it was the same with Alex. It was quite obvious from his facial expressions.

Then she looked seriously at us.

"So tell me, what is the hardest part about getting genuinely back together?" Dr. Evanston asked, her voice gentle but firmer this time.

I looked down at my hands resting on my lap. "I am scared to trust fully," I admitted, the honest words burning my throat. "I do love him, and I know he loves me. But I just don't know how to forget how he looked me directly in the eyes, and told me he forgot I existed and I was nothing more than a stranger. He lied to me just to send me away, and he almost lost me anyway by lying. So I'm terrified that if I let my walls down again, he will find another reason to push me away, just to protect me if something happens again."

Dr. Evanston nodded as if understanding me perfectly, then she turned towards Alex. "And you, Alexander?"

Alex swallowed hard. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly in his throat. He looked at me, the raw, agonizing vulnerability visible in his eyes.

"I am terrified of failing her again," Alex confessed, his deep voice cracking slightly in the quiet room. "I broke her trust, now every time I look at her, I see the pain I caused, and I am still terrified that one day she will realize I am too broken to fix, because I just can't help but do desperate things....just to protect her."

My heart physically ached inside my chest. Hearing him voice his deepest, darkest fear out loud made him suddenly seem so human filled with his own flaws. He was not a monster. He was just a man who had made a terrible, devastating mistake out of panic.

This first session was really emotionally exhausting. We spent the rest of the hour unpacking our deepest feelings and confessing our lies.

Dr. Evanston had forced us to revisit the fake amnesia.

She made Alex listen quietly while I explained the feeling of suffocating loneliness, of sitting in that resort room on Canvas Island, starving myself because my grief was too heavy to carry.

I watched his eyes fill with regret as I described the complete horror of realizing the man I loved had orchestrated my misery.

Over the next few weeks, we attended sessions every Tuesday and Thursday.

But of course therapy was not a magic fix. The sessions were incredibly messy, painful, and difficult. Sometimes it left us quite for a long while, that we wouldn't say a word to each other on our way home.

Although Dr Evanston said it's actually a good thing, it meant we were progressing.

And Dr. Evans gave us strict communication exercises. We had to learn how to express our actual needs without hiding behind our defensive walls.

"You cannot simply assume you know what is best for her, Alexander," Dr. Evanston instructed during our fourth and final week. "You have to ask. You have to use your words, not your protective instincts. Isn't that right Dandy."

I nodded.

"Yes, I'll feel anxious when you don't tell me what you are planning," I agreed with her, looking directly into Alex's eyes. "So I need you to treat me like a partner, not a fragile glass doll."

"I hear you," Alex responded, repeating the exact phrases we were taught. "I will not make decisions for our family without you. I promise."

I took a deep breath.

"Then, Alex....I forgive you, I'm ready to be like we used to and even better." I said genuinely, My voice was low, barely a whisper, but it was steady.

Alex stiffened. He looked really shocked, as if he wasn't expecting things to get better so quickly.

"Dandy," he started, his voice thick with emotion. "You don’t have to decide so quickly...."

I reached out my fingers and he hesitantly reached out too and held my hand. "I need to, Not just for you, Alex. I need to do this for me, for our child."

He watched me with a reverence that made my throat tighten.

"What you did really hurt me," I continued. "I felt discarded. I felt like the stranger you called me. But I’ve had time to think. I’ve had time to see the man beneath the Ghost Blade persona. You were trying to protect us in the only way you knew how."

I looked down at our entwined hands. "It was wrong and cruel. But your heart....your heart was trying to do something right, to protect me. I can’t condone the lie, but I can understand the love that drove you to it."

Alex’s eyes welled with tears, He looked at me like he had no right to be forgiven.

"Angel, I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you," he promised. "Every single day. I will earn every second of your trust. I will never keep another secret from you as long as I breathe."

I looked at him, and for the first time since a long while, I saw the man I had fallen in love with. The man who had once been a cold stranger, then a contract husband, and finally, my husband.

"I'm counting on it," I said softly, smiling genuinely.
............

An hour later, we walked out of the therapy center heading to the quiet parking lot.

We reached the side of his black car. I stopped walking and leaned my back against the passenger door, letting out a long, tired sigh.

I rested my hand against the side of my stomach. The baby had been really active all afternoon, twisting and turning like it was excited.

Alex unlocked the doors, he was about to pull the handle open.

Suddenly, a sharp, powerful kick struck the inside of my ribs.

I gasped softly, my eyes widening in surprise. "Oh, wow."

Alex immediately froze. His eyes dropped directly to my stomach. He watched the thick fabric of my maternity dress shift slightly as the baby moved again.

He swallowed hard, looking really surprised by the movement. I guess it was a surprise to him, since we haven't been close enough for a long time.

"Angel?" Alex called, his deep voice was a bit hesitant.

"Yes?" I whispered, looking up at him.

"Can I....Can I feel the baby kick?" He asked.

My heart completely melted inside my chest.

We've been so distant that he had missed so many precious moments of my pregnancy while we were separated by his lies and my anger.

I smiled and reached out to grab his right hand. I pulled him gently closer, completely closing the distance between us. I flattened his palm and pressed his hand directly against the center of my round stomach.

Alex froze, His eyes locked directly on my tummy, waiting desperately for the tiny movement.

For a long, agonizing second, the baby was still.

Then, a sudden kick pushed directly against the center of his palm.

Alex gasped loudly. His entire body jerked with shock. His mouth fell slightly open, and a breathtaking smile stuck on his lips.

The baby kicked again, much stronger this time, right against his warm fingers.

Alex laughed softly.

"Hi, little one," He gently stroked his thumb across my stomach, completely mesmerized by his first interaction with the baby, "I am right here. Your daddy is right here."

I watched him smile happily over our child, and the very last brick of the wall surrounding my heart completely crumbled.

God, why do I love him so much.

Alex looked up from my stomach. He met my gaze.

Very slowly he leaned down, his face stopping just an inch away from mine. He waited, giving me the chance to pull away.

But I didn't move. I closed my eyes, ready to welcome him.

And right there in the parking lot, we both shared a very emotional and intimate kiss.