CLAIRESSA''S POV

    Gabriel was right.

    God, I hated that he was right.

    I couldn''t keep pretending nothing had happened between us-not afterst night, not after what almost happened on the porch if Adrian hadn''t walked in. This fire between us wasn''t something I could just brush under the rug and keep walking.

    It shook me to my core.

    And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t outrun it.

    I hadn''t been able to focus on anything since it happened. And maybe, yeah—l wanted him to sweat. To feel even a fraction of what I felt when he left me... when he handed me off like I was something to be passed down.

    But now, as my eyes searched his—caught the anguish etched across his face and heard the raw, unfiltered pain in his voice when he said we needed to talk-— something inside me melted.

    He was watching me-those eyes dark, waiting, tense, like he was bracing for another blow. Ready to fight if I pushed him away again.

    For the first time in what felt like forever, I let my walls fall.

    "Gabriel..." I swallowed hard. "You''re right."

    His expression shifted-slowly-like he hadn''t heard me right at first. His brows drew together, then lifted, stunned.

    "I can''t pretendst night didn''t happen," I said softly. "Because it did. And it... it shook me to my core."

    I swallowed again, eyes locked on his. "I''m sorry, Gabriel. I''m sorry for acting like

    it didn''t matter. For brushing you off when you tried to talk to me this morning. That wasn''t fair."

    He stepped closer. I didn''t stop him.

    "It''s a lot," I whispered. "We went from silence to you saying you want me back- emotions, passion, almost losing control. It''s too much, too fast. I don''t even know what I feel right now."

    I drew a breath, voice quiet. "I just... I need time to process it."

    "Then let''s process it together."

    He reached across the small space between us, his fingers curling around mine in a warm grip.

    "We''ll face it side by side. No more running. No more pretending. It''s you and me, iressa-through all of it."

    God, why did that sound so right?

    I wanted to believe him. Desperately.

    "I want to," I whispered. "But I can''t. I can''t just forget everything."

    Gently, I slipped my hand from his.

    This time, he looked hurt-but not angry.

    "Why not?" he asked quietly. "What''s stopping you? Stopping us?"

    “Because I''m scared, okay?" The words burst from me, small and shaky.

    "I''m scared that if I trust you again... if I open my heart and give it to you the way I did before... then when things get messy, you''ll shut me out. Or disappear into yourself like you always do when it gets hard.

    I don''t trust that you''ll be able to see this through to the end."

    His gaze intensified, something fierce shing behind his eyes-like my words had stirred something primal in him.

    "I know my actions in the past gave you every reason not to trust me," he said gently. "But not this time, baby. Not this time."

    He stepped in closer, his presence overwhelming every one of my senses.

    "I swear to you... I''ll see this through. All the way."

    I rolled my eyes and looked away. It was easy to make promises now-easy to

    say the right thing-until the moment came when he''d have to face the weight of losing his son.

    He noticed. He always did.

    But this time, he didn''t push.

    Instead, he let the silence settle... then shifted the conversation.

    "You never told me if you liked the mini home I created for you in my house," he said quietly.

    I blinked, then smiled softly. "You''re right. I didn''t."

    He gave a light shrug, but I could see the anticipation behind his eyes.

    "It was perfect," I said, meaning every word. "The details... the thought.

    Everything I wanted, you gave me without me even asking. It made me feel seen. Heard. Loved, even."

    His eyes lit up-truly lit up.

    "I''m d you loved it."

    I studied him for a moment. "But why? Why go through all that? Especially when

    you weren''t even speaking to me. When it felt like you hated me."

    "I could never hate you," he said, his voice tight. "I hated myself. For how I

    handled everything. I behaved like an ass. And I regret every second we spent apart."

    He exhaled slowly.

    "Every single thing I put into that

    room... was everything I wish I''d done for you in person. Every time worked on it, it felt like I was close to you again. It was the only way knew how to show you how much I stiff cared. How much I still wanted

    us."  ?wnovel

    His hand found mine again-slowly this time. His thumb brushed gently across

    the back of my hand before he reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my

    ear.

    "Just... don''t give up on us," his voice was low and rough. "Please. Give us one more chance."

    He leaned in, his lips barely a breath from mine, warmth rolling off him in waves.

    "I want this," he said. "I want you. I''ve never wanted anything like this

    before. I can''t think straight, iressa. My life''s unraveling without you. I nearly lost it in that meeting with Randolph today-because all I could think about wasst night. The way you moaned my name. The way you looked at me... like I was the only thing you needed. And this distance

    between us-it''s driving me insane."

    "Gabriel-"

    He surged forward, kissed me—just a brush.

    "Don''t say no," he murmured. "Just say you''ll think about it. That''s all I''m asking.

    Think about it... and give me an answer."

    Gabriel wasn''t just asking for forgiveness.

    He was asking for us to be lovers again.

    And if I was being honest with myself, the time I spent with him had been the happiest of my life. I missed those intense, love-drenched days—days when the world faded and it was just him and me.

    And maybe just maybe I was finally ready to stop running... to surrender to the fire between us that refused to die.

    The car screeched to a halt, signaling our arrival at Randolph''s private resort for his three-day birthday celebration.

    Gabriel had arranged the ride, saying he''d be waiting for us at the venue.

    A strange mix of anticipation and dread swirled in my chest-mostly thanks to Adrian and Nicole, who hadn''t stopped chattering the entire way. Kould already sense drama waiting to happen. And I needed to stay far, far away from it.

    Part of me wished it had just been Gabriel and me.

    It would''ve been quieter. More intimate. Maybe even... easy. Maybe even fun.

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