CHAPTER 174 — A LOVE REKINDLED

DARIUS.

Darius walked carefully down the corridor with his guards in tow.

He’d woke up a few hours earlier, and all he could think about was seeing Brielle. The dream from the day before continued to torment him, keeping him half-awake all night.

Now, all he wanted was to see and hug her tightly. Then he’d apologize for how he had neglected her—the anguish he'd caused her by not being present when she needed him most. And maybe she'd forgive him.

But would she?

The inexplicable torture she went through in Draken Havix's hands, as well as his irresponsible choice to send her out into the wild, was nothing short of horrific. It was unforgivable, and Brielle deserved much better.

She deserved more than to be with a man like that. He was a coward and an idiot who couldn’t even admit that she had transformed him from who he used to be to a better person. But then, he was also a selfish fool, so he wouldn’t let her go.

Not in this lifetime or the next.

Regardless of these thoughts, Darius missed her.

And now, as he walked down the hall, anticipation coursed through him. His pulse raced in his chest, and he felt butterflies in his stomach.

He could hardly wait to see Brielle. He couldn't wait to hear her voice, laugh with her, touch her, and fuck, just see her!

That was all he had wanted for the past few days, lying ill, isolated from civilization, and unable to get up at all. It had been horrible, but at least the physical pain had ended.

And now he was strong enough to talk and make amends, hoping he might be worthy of Brielle again.

As Darius turned the corner to Brielle’s room, his enthusiasm grew tenfold. He drew deep breaths to calm himself as he reached the door.

Coming to a halt, he held his breath before reaching up to knock on the door. He knocked again because he had not received any response. This time, there was a low murmur, which prompted him to push open the oak wood furniture.

When he walked in, he first saw Brielle seated in a chair on the opposite side of the room, resting against the wall with her feet tucked underneath her. Her legs were folded, yet her back was upright. She was staring into the distance, unabashed and immobile.

She didn't turn to see who had entered the room. She appeared to be far away, lost in thought.

"Should I go and inform her of your presence?" One of Darius' guards inquired behind him.

"No." He shook his head without looking away from the woman sitting before him. "I've got this."

The guard nodded and stepped away. Without warning, Darius walked forward, entering her field of sight and standing directly in front of her. Brielle continued to stare into space as if she hadn't observed anything weird going on around her.

Leaning down, he caressed her shoulder, and the gesture startled her. She jerked slightly, staring up at him with startled eyes.

"Lord Darius!" She gasped as she spoke, and Darius smiled at her surprise.

He wasn't sure what reaction he expected because they hadn't interacted in a long time. Nonetheless, the itch that ran down his spine at her reply did not go away.

"Darius, you mean." He sharply corrected.

"Dar…Darius." She fumbled out his name. She tried to get up, but her arms and legs shook violently, prompting Darius to intervene.

"Take it easy, Brielle." He spoke quietly, observing with concern as she regained her composure. "Don't do too much. The doctor advised me you needed to rest more.”

She let out a frustrated humph before obediently returning to her seat.

Darius saw a neighboring seat and swiftly moved it over to face her. He sat on it, leaning in close, and stroked his hands softly through her tangled hair.

Minutes passed, and they rarely spoke, satisfied to observe each other.

Eventually, Darius broke the silence.

"Hey." He smiled warmly, reaching out to touch her face with his thumb. "How are you feeling?"

Brielle shrugged, her eyes falling to her lap. "Fine, I suppose." She paused before proceeding. "Honestly, I feel better now that you're here."

A tear streamed down Darius' face. "Goddamnit Brielle." He took her hands to his lips and kissed them tenderly. "I'm so fucking sorry."

"What? Why are you...?" Brielle paused mid-sentence, perplexity written all over his face.

Darius gulped hard. “For putting you through all of those horrific things. For harming you in this way." He let one of her hands slip and placed it on her lap. "I'm so sorry for treating you like a possession, a plaything, and never letting you know how much you mean to me." More tears collected in his eyes and spilled down his hands. "God, Brielle. I am just..." Darius trailed off, unable to find the appropriate words. There was so much he wanted to say. So much he wanted her to hear.

"I… Darius, you don't have to say all these things."

"No." He shook his head. "No. I have to. I need to." He paused briefly, and a shiver ran down his spine as he braced himself to deliver the next words. "I should not have sent you out that day. Yes, I was angry and devastated, but I took it too far."

"Oh, Darius." Brielle sounded distressed as she reached out to take his free hand.

He continued. "I behaved selfishly and foolishly. I didn't consider you my mate, which made you a target for my enemies. I was so caught up in my pain that I didn't think about you. I should've trusted you. I should've listened to you. I…"

"No, no, please don't say that."

"But I have to."

"No, you don't." Brielle cut in. "Perhaps you do, and that's good, but don't get this wrong. While your actions were bad, so were mine."

"Huh?"

"Everyone makes mistakes. You have yours; I have mine." Brielle closed her eyes and took a big breath. When she reopened them, her expression was firm. "I should have told you the truth about myself earlier. And I should have told you about my visit with my father and what I learned about him. But I didn't, and for that, I apologize, Darius."

Her sincerity warmed him. Regardless of what had transpired, she was willing to admit that she, too, had her faults. And she'd apologized. That in itself was enough to make him cry again.

"Fuck Brielle!" Darius swore silently. "How could I ever think bad about you? Why did I let my stupid feelings cloud my mind?"

"It's all in the past now, Darius, all in the past." She mumbled with a smile. One, he returned, albeit sadly.

"Yes. Everything is in the past. I can now move on and love you without thinking about the anguish of losing you." His hands cradled her face, wiping away her tears.

"I'd hate to lose you, too, Darius. I don't think I'd be able to survive if I did." She admitted, her voice cracking slightly with the final syllable.

Darius kissed her forehead softly. When he pulled back, he began telling Brielle about everything that had transpired at Draken's palace and before.

He told her of Draken’s summon, as well as the horrific images of her he’d sent.

While describing the events, Darius watched Brielle's expression turn cold. It made his heart ache, and he could only guess what was happening in her mind.

Nonetheless, he continued speaking. She had to know he'd executed the bastard and the horrible guards who worked for him. Hell, he'd even burned down the entire building, erasing his uncle's presence from the planet. Darius could only hope that it would bring her some closure.

Brielle listened intently, occasionally nodding, but hardly any emotion was on her face.

After that part of his narration was done, Darius then told her everything that’d happened in his castle during her absence.

He informed her that he had removed all of the submissives and had put an end to his insane practice of purchasing young girls to satisfy his sadistic cravings.

To this, Brielle finally spoke up, wondering why he had done that. And Darius' simple response was - “It's because of you, Brielle. Because of you.”.

"I made a lot of changes and am not ashamed of them. If this situation presents itself again, I would repeat the entire process. So long as you get me all to yourself, it's a fair deal." He finished with a wink, and Brielle laughed, which Darius found pleasing.

"I love you, Brielle."

"And I love you, Darius. Thank you very much." She muttered, moving forward and pulling him towards her till their lips connected.

He kissed her back, and in that moment, nothing else mattered. Not to Darius or Brielle.

Finally, they had found serenity. And bliss.