Chapter 26: The Redemption
The silence between them wasn't awkward—it was thick with everything they hadn't said, couldn't say, until now.
Dominic led her to the living room, his steps careful, like any wrong move might make her disappear.
"I didn't prepare a speech," he said quietly.
Ava sat, fingers tracing the edge of the wine glass he'd handed her. "Good. I don't want pretty words. I want real."
He nodded. "Real is all I have left."
He sat across from her. Not too close. Giving her space. Respect. She noticed.
"Why didn't you fight for me sooner?" she asked. "Before Juliana. Before everything exploded."
His jaw tightened. "Because I didn't think I deserved you."
Her heart twisted.
Dominic looked down, voice low. "I thought if I could give you money, security, a way out for your mom… maybe that would be enough. But it never was."
She whispered, "I never wanted enough, Dominic. I wanted you. Not the man with power. The man with heart."
Their eyes met.
Something shifted.
Soft. Sincere.
He rose, walked over, and knelt in front of her.
"I love you, Ava," he said. "Not the deal. Not the idea of you. Just you. Even when you hate me. Even when I hated myself."
She stared at him.
Then slowly, her fingers reached for his.
"I'm still scared," she whispered.
"I'll wait," he said.
"But I want to try."
That broke him.
Dominic leaned in, slow and hesitant, like a man tasting hope for the first time. Ava met him halfway.
Their lips brushed—light, hesitant, then firm. Real. No pretense. No mask. Just truth.
And for the first time in forever…
Ava kissed him because she wanted to.
---
Later That Night
They didn't rush. No firestorm, no tangled sheets. Just soft touches. Foreheads pressed together. Her head on his chest. His arms around her.
Their hearts beating the same rhythm.
He whispered against her hair, "You're the only thing I ever did right."
Ava smiled through the tears she didn't even realize had fallen.
"Then don't screw it up," she murmured.
---