Chapter 141 EPILOGUE: PART 2

Chapter 141 EPILOGUE: PART 2
Axel Cornell

He's still wearing the clothes he went out in, his shirt sleeves rolled up and a dark, intense look in his eyes that I've never seen before. He slowly walks into the room, his gaze fixed on me.

"You shouldn't have come in here, Axel," he says, his voice low, filled with a tension that makes the air in the room grow heavy. "This place... was where I kept my sanity when I thought I'd never have you."

"You watched me for years?" I ask, my voice faltering as I try to process the sheer magnitude of those walls covered with images of me.

He looks away, his jaw clenched.

"I didn't want you to know about this. Ever."

I look back at the password-protected folder on the laptop. My curiosity burns hotter than my embarrassment.

"What's in this folder, Bastião?"

"You don't want to see it, Axel. Let it go."

I cross my arms, maintaining my posture as a leader even though I'm wearing nothing but his shirt.

"Bastião. Open it. Now."

He takes a deep breath, knowing I have no intention of backing down. He approaches, his fingers swiftly typing a complex password. The first video opens, and a shock runs down my spine.

It's Henry, one of the guys I tried to go out with years ago. He's tied up, covered in blood, begging not to die. In the background, I hear Bastião's cold voice telling him he shouldn't have coveted something he could never have.

I look at Bastião in absolute shock.

"You... you killed Henry? And how did you know I was going out with him?"

He runs a hand over his face as though a weight has finally been lifted from his shoulders.

"I cloned your phone back then."

My eyes widen.

"You cloned it?"

He nods.

"Every time that little shit sent you a message, I got it too. So I went there and killed him before you arrived."

I run a hand over my face, stunned. The pieces of the puzzle finally fall into place.

"Don't tell me that every time I got stood up, waiting at a restaurant or a bar... you were responsible."

He's silent for a long moment, but the look in his eyes tells me everything.

"You killed all of them?"

"Yes. I killed them. If I couldn't have you as mine, I wasn't going to allow anyone else to touch you or even desire you. I watched you from a distance, protected you from a distance... and loved you from a distance."

He lowers his head, his voice growing hoarse.

"I only came into this room so I could breathe. When you're not here, I come here, look at you on these walls, and love you even more."

I slowly approach him, stopping inches from his chest.

"At least tell me you removed the cameras from my old bedroom."

He looks at me in surprise, as though he expected a punch or a shout of disgust.

"Wait... you're not angry?"

I look at him in confusion and let out a sigh.

"Why would I be angry? I'm just surprised to find out my husband is this obsessed with me. Honestly, it actually makes me happy because now I know you truly love me on a level I never imagined."

The mixture of relief and confusion on his face makes me laugh softly.

"I really only feel sorry for the people who had to die," I comment, although deep down, the idea of being the center of his universe excites me.

He crosses his arms, regaining some of his executioner demeanor.

"If you couldn't be mine, I wasn't going to let you be with anyone else. Even if it was selfish, I'd do it all over again. Without a single regret."

I smile slightly and move closer to the laptop.

"Well... then just delete the videos of me masturbating. It's way too embarrassing seeing that projected at this size."

"What? I'm never deleting those."

I look at him in shock.

"Excuse me?"

"Of course I'm not deleting them, Axel. Your videos are precious to me. They're relics."

I laugh in disbelief.

"Bastião, you can have me live now! Whenever you want!"

He shakes his head, unwavering.

"Your videos are sacred, and there's no fucking way I'm deleting them."

My mouth falls open, stunned by his stubbornness.

"Yes, you are! I won't be able to sleep knowing my husband is in here jerking off while watching me masturbate on a screen!"

"I'm watching my husband, that's all. I'm not deleting them. That would be a crime. You're not going to walk into my sanctuary and tell me what to do with my precious treasures."

"Yes, I can, considering I'm the subject of all this!"

"I'm not deleting anything," he declares, gripping my face possessively. "This is my sanctuary, and you're my peace. But I like having my refuge preserved."

I let out a sigh of feigned defeat.

"You know what? Do whatever you want. But if you secretly record any more videos of me and come in here to have fun by yourself when I'm not around, I'm going on strike."

His eyes widen instantly.

"Don't you dare do that to me, darling."

I walk past him laughing, heading toward the door.

"Just try your luck, dear husband."

I hear him growl behind me.

"You wicked man!"

I burst out laughing and left the "sanctuary," feeling absolutely wonderful. Knowing that my husband is, in fact, red-flag-level obsessed with me should probably scare me, but who am I to say I don't like it? I love it.

And maybe... maybe I should start my own Bastião sanctuary somewhere.

"Darling!" I hear him whine from the hallway, and I start laughing to myself.

I love this man. And our life, with all its madness and obsessions, is exactly the way it should be.

THE END