Chapter 124 Chapter 22 of the spin-off

Chapter 124 Chapter 22 of the spin-off
Bastião Lennox

"To try to lessen what I felt for you, I chose the easiest and cruelest path: pushing you away. I couldn't control myself around you anymore. I wanted to touch you, kiss you, have you under my control... but my fear of rejection turned me into a monster."

His expression falls completely, the coldness giving way to raw vulnerability.

"I'm so sorry, Axel. I hurt you because of my insecurities. When I said you were mine and you kissed me, I went into a trance. It wasn't until I was on the plane that I realized you might feel something for me too. I never thought I was enough for you. I thought you deserved someone better, someone young, handsome... not a forty-four-year-old man."

Tears begin to sting my eyes, but I don't stop. I need to let everything out.

"When I said love was bullshit, I was being defensive. I was scared. They say only fools fall in love, but I couldn't stop myself from falling in love with you. With your rare smile, with that serious expression you wear so no one dares disrespect you... I'm sorry for everything. I planned to confess as soon as I got back to France. I was going to tell you even if the answer was no. Because I can't keep living without you."

The tears fall now, hot and unstoppable. I feel the weight of every word, every mistake I've made.

"Because of my fears, I humiliated you and abandoned you. You have every right not to forgive me, Axel. I'm sorry."

With a painful effort, I lift my good arm and place it over my eyes, trying to hide the sobs shaking my entire body.

The room is completely silent, broken only by my muffled sobs as I wait for the final verdict from the man who owns my soul.

I feel his hand touch mine with a tenderness I don't deserve. I lower the arm covering my eyes and look at him, finding his gaze unguarded now, clear and open.

"It's true that you hurt me a lot, Bastião," he begins, and every word carries weight. "I felt humiliated and unwanted. And, to be honest, I was insecure too. I thought you hated me for taking over the Mafia."

"I never hated you for that," I interrupt quickly, urgency in my voice.

"I know that now." He gives a slight nod. "But before, I thought you hated me. I would've given you the Mafia if you'd asked because I took on a powerful position and lost the person I loved."

My heart starts beating so fast that it actually hurts a little.

"I wanted so badly for us to go back to being friends, even if it might have hurt me. I just wanted you by my side, Bastião. And, of course, I understand... insecurity makes us do things we're not proud of. I was ready to give up on you, Bastião."

He confesses it, and my chest aches even more.

"I was ready to confess my feelings and tell you I'd leave you alone because I thought you didn't feel anything for me. But knowing that you love me... knowing that everything we went through could've been resolved if we'd just sat down and talked... we could've been together a long time ago."

He takes my hand with extreme care, as though I'm made of glass, and kisses each of my fingers one by one.

"I love you, Bastião. I love you so much. And you know I've never been in love before and don't understand anything about love, but I want to learn. I want to be with you. But if you're going to run, if you're not going to act on this... then we should each stay in our own place."

I squeeze his hand with what little strength I have left.

"I want you, Axel. I want you so fucking much. As my husband, boyfriend, lover, friend... whatever you want to be. I was a coward because I was afraid you'd reject me, and knowing that you're not backing away... who am I to back away now? I want you. I want you to be mine, only mine."

He smiles, that rare smile that has always dismantled every one of my defenses.

"Promise me you won't change? Promise you won't run?"

"I promise you, I won't run anymore. Just give me one more chance to show you."

He nods, his eyes shining with a mixture of relief and possessiveness.

"All right. Now you're mine, Bastião."

He carefully leans over me, avoiding my injured shoulder, and presses his lips to mine in a lingering kiss. The contact is gentle, but it carries the weight of years of silence and suppressed desire.

"And you'd better not run away like a coward again," he whispers against my mouth.

I let out a soft laugh, feeling the first spark of genuine happiness I've experienced in a long time.

"Yes, darling."

He caresses my cheek and places a tender kiss on my forehead.

"Stay here with me," I ask in a whisper, my voice filled with a neediness I've never allowed myself to show. "Lie down here."

Axel smiles openly, without the defenses he usually wears, and gets up. He walks around the futon with light steps and carefully settles beside me, lying against my good arm.

I pull him closer, burying my face in his hair and breathing in his scent. It's a mixture of cologne and that unique fragrance that belongs only to Axel.

At that moment, even though I'm in a foreign country, I feel as though I'm finally home.

He returns the embrace, burying his face against my neck. The warmth of his breath against my skin sends shivers up the back of my neck, but it's a good feeling, one of belonging.

"Now, get some rest," he murmurs against my skin, his voice soft. "The faster you recover, the sooner we can go home."

I close my eyes, feeling overwhelming relief and immense happiness overflowing in my chest.

Now Axel is mine.

Finally mine.

Something I never thought would be possible is happening here, in a quiet room on the other side of the world.

I fall asleep listening to the beat of his heart against my body, and this time it isn't an escape into oblivion; it's the deep rest of a man who has finally found his place in the arms of the person he loves.