Chapter 118
Marcus’s POV
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Marcus held Elara against his chest, feeling her tears soak through his shirt. Her whole body was shaking with sobs, weeks of stress and fear and loneliness finally breaking through the surface all at once.
“I don’t hate you,” Marcus said quietly, his hand coming up to stroke her hair. “Elara, I don’t hate you.”
She didn’t respond, just kept crying into his chest like she hadn’t heard him. Or maybe she had heard him but didn’t believe it.
Marcus tightened his arms around her, one hand continuing to run through her hair while the other rubbed slow circles on her back. He could feel how tense she was, how her muscles were locked up tight like she was bracing herself for him to push her away.
“I was angry,” Marcus continued, his voice low and steady. “I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t. When you told me about the contract, about Penelope having it, I was furious. At you, at the situation, at myself for not protecting us better.”
Elara’s sobs quieted slightly, though her breathing was still ragged and uneven.
“But I never hated you, El. Not for one second.”
“You couldn’t even look at me,” Elara said, her voice muffled against his shirt. “For a whole week, you barely spoke to me. You left before I woke up and came home after I was already asleep. You acted like I didn’t exist.”
Marcus felt guilt twist in his chest. She was right. He’d handled this entire situation terribly, letting his anger and fear drive him to shut her out completely instead of talking to her like an adult.
“I know. And I’m sorry for that. I shouldn’t have frozen you out like that. It wasn’t fair to you.”
“I deserved it,” Elara whispered.
“No, you didn’t.” Marcus pulled back slightly so he could see her face. Her eyes were swollen and red, mascara smudged down her cheeks, her nose running. She looked destroyed. “You made a mistake. A big one, yes, but still just a mistake. You weren’t trying to hurt me or sabotage anything. You were trying to protect yourself back when we barely knew each other and you had no reason to trust me.”
Elara wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, smearing the mascara even more. “But I should’ve remembered. I should’ve gone back for those papers months ago. I should’ve-”
“Should’ve, could’ve, would’ve,” Marcus interrupted gently. “We can play that game forever and it won’t change anything. What matters is we got the contract back. It’s gone now. Burned to ash in the fireplace downstairs.”
Elara blinked at him, processing this information. “You burned it?”
“Every single page. Dante and I stood there and watched it turn to nothing. Penelope has no evidence anymore. She can say whatever she wants to the board but without that contract, it’s just her word against ours. And the board isn’t going to believe her accusations without proof.”
16:49 Mon, May 11
Chapter 118
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Fresh tears spilled down Elara’s cheeks, but these seemed different somehow. Less desperate, less broken.
“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for fixing my mess. I don’t deserve-”
“Stop.” Marcus said firmly. “Stop saying you don’t deserve things. Stop apologizing. It’s done. It’s over. We’re moving forward.”
Elara nodded but didn’t say anything. She just sat there looking at him with those big eyes full of pain and hope and uncertainty.
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Marcus reached up and wiped away her tears with his thumbs, his hands cupping her face gently. “I’m sorry too. For shutting you out. For making you feel like you were alone in this. You’re my wife, El. Fake contract or not, you’re carrying my children. I should’ve been there for you instead of punishing you.”
“I understand why you were angry—”
“Understanding it doesn’t make it okay. I hurt you. I can see that now. And I’m sorry.”
They sat there in silence for a moment, Marcus’s hands still on her face, Elara’s eyes searching his like she was trying to figure out if this was real or if he’d go back to being cold and distant tomorrow.
“Are we okay?” Elara asked finally, her voice small and vulnerable.
Marcus thought about the question. Were they okay? The contract was gone, the immediate threat neutralized. But there was still Penelope upstairs plotting God knows what. Still Aurora living in the guest house trying to worm her way back into his life. Still the fundamental issue of their marriage being built on a contract that may be burned but still existed in their history.
But when he looked at Elara sitting there with tears on her cheeks and hope in her eyes, when he thought about the twins growing inside her, when he remembered how empty and wrong this past week had felt without her warmth beside him at night, he knew the answer.
“Yeah,” Marcus said. “We’re okay.”
Elara let out a shaky breath that was half laugh, half sob. “Really?”
“Really.” Marcus pulled her back into his arms, tucking her head under his chin again. “I missed you this week. Missed talking to you, missed sleeping next to you, missed just being around you.”
“I missed you too,” Elara said against his chest. “So much it hurt.”
They stayed like that for a while, just holding each other in the quiet of her room. Marcus could feel Elara’s breathing slowly evening out, her body relaxing against his as the tension drained away.
“How are you feeling?” Marcus asked after a while. “The babies, I mean. Everything okay?”
Elara nodded. “Yeah, they’re fine. The bump is getting bigger though. I’ve been wearing loose clothes to hide it from Aurora.”
Marcus’s hand moved to her stomach, resting there gently. Even through her shirt he could feel the slight swell that hadn’t been there a few weeks ago.
16:49 Mon, May 11
Chapter 118
“We need to figure out what to do about her,” Marcus said. “About Aurora and Penelope both
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“I know. But can we not think about that tonight?” Elara looked up at him with tired eyes. “Can we just have tonight where everything is okay and we don’t have to worry about schemes and plots and people trying to destroy us?”
Marcus smiled and pressed another kiss to her forehead. “Yeah, we can do that.”
“Will you stay?” Elara asked quietly. “I know this is my room and you have your own bed but I just… I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
“I’ll stay,” Marcus said without hesitation. “I don’t want to be alone either.”
They shifted on the bed, Marcus kicking off his shoes and Elara pulling back the covers. They climbed in together, Marcus pulling Elara close so her back was pressed against his chest, his arm wrapped protectively around her waist with his hand resting on her stomach where their children were growing.
For a while, neither of them spoke. The silence was comfortable now, no longer weighted with anger and resentment like it had been all week. Just two people lying together in the dark, finding their way back to each other.
“Marcus?” Elara said quietly.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For coming to find me tonight. For not leaving me alone with all of this.”
Marcus pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder. “You don’t have to thank me for that.”
“I know. But I want to.”
Elara’s hand came up to rest on top of his where it lay on her stomach. Their fingers intertwined, and Marcus felt something shift in his chest. Something he wasn’t ready to name yet, but something real nonetheless.
“Get some sleep, El,” he murmured against her hair. “We’ll figure out the rest tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
Within minutes, her breathing had evened out and Marcus knew she’d fallen asleep. He stayed awake a little longer, holding her close, thinking about everything that had happened and everything that was still to come.
But for tonight, this was enough.
16:49 Mon, May 11
