LIANA’S POV
I woke up to a soft kiss on my lips and a low, raspy “Good morning, baby” from Killian. My eyes fluttered open, and there he was, standing beside the bed with a tray of food in his hands, looking like he hadn’t slept a damn second. His hair was slightly damp, his eyes heavy, and there was something quiet about his presence, as if he was trying to hold himself together but didn’t have the strength anymore.
I blinked a few times, disoriented. The room felt a bit too bright, as if morning had gone too far without me noticing. I quickly turned to the clock and gasped. “It’s past ten?” My eyes widened. “Oh my God, I overslept.”
I sat up so fast the blanket slipped down from my chest. I never slept this late. Ever.
“Ryan,” I gasped, heart skipping.
“Mother took him to school,” Killian said quietly, his voice soft, tired.
I froze for a second, then nodded. Right. Things were different now. It wasn’t just me and Ryan anymore. We were surrounded by family, his mother, my dad… people who cared, people who could step in. And due to that, I’d been letting myself rest a little. Too much, maybe.
“Baby,” Killian called, and the second I looked at him, my heart squeezed painfully. He looked exhausted. No, he was exhausted. I could see it in the way his shoulders slumped, in the dark circles under his eyes, in how dull his usually bright blue eyes looked. Since the moment he came back yesterday, he hadn’t really rested. He’d spoken to my dad, gotten his blessing, made love to me like his life depended on it, told me the most heart–shattering truth about himself, watched me go silent, then dressed me at night, and now… now he was bringing me breakfast.
“Did you sleep at all?” I asked gently.
He didn’t answer. Just picked up a spoon and brought it to my mouth. “Eat.”
“I haven’t brushed.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he muttered, not meeting my eyes.
I reached for his hand, stopping the spoon halfway. “Killian…”
Still, he wouldn’t look at me.
“Killian… please. Look at me.”
And then it happened.
A tear. One. It slipped down his cheek before he quickly wiped it away like it betrayed him, like it had no right being there. He blinked fast, masking it with a blank expression, but I saw it. I saw all of it. And my heart shattered again.
I hugged him. Tight. Pressed my body to his and wrapped my arms around his waist, hoping maybe he’d hug me back. But he didn’t. He just stood there, still as stone.
“Baby,” I whispered again, voice trembling.
He slowly pulled away. Placed the tray on the bed and stood up. “I have a lot to do today. I might return late,” he said, already walking toward the door.
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My chest clenched.
I jumped out of bed, not caring that I was still half–naked, and ran to him, wrapping my arms around his body from behind. “Don’t walk away from me. Please.”
He paused.
I rested my cheek on his back and said the one thing I needed him to hear, over and over again. “I love you. Please don’t be too hard on yourself. I love you just the way you are.”
His body stiffened, and then slowly, so slowly, he turned around and pulled me into his arms, his grip almost bruising, as if he was afraid I’d disappear if he let go.
“I was scared,” he said into my hair.
“Why?”
“Because you wouldn’t talk to me. You were quiet. You didn’t even look at me. I thought… maybe you hated me because I-”
“What? No!” I pulled back to look him in the face. “Killian, no! I wasn’t angry because of that. I was never angry about that. I was just… hurt. Because you didn’t tell me sooner. I felt like maybe you didn’t trust me enough. Like you were hiding something from me when all I ever wanted was for us to be honest with each other.”
His jaw clenched, and he looked down, ashamed. “It’s my fault. I didn’t tell you because I was shamed. I didn’t know how you’d take it. I didn’t know how you’d see me after. I just… I kept telling myself it wasn’t the right time
but there never seemed to be a right time.”
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I took his face in my hands and forced him to meet my eyes. “I love you. You’re my mate, Killian. I don’t care if we can’t have another baby. We already have Ryan. He’s everything. And you are everything.”
His lips parted, his expression broken and grateful all at once, and then he groaned like he was in pain and crashed his lips onto mine in the most desperate kiss.
When we finally pulled apart, breathless, his forehead rested against mine and he whispered, “What would I ever do without you in my life?”
I smiled, whispering back, “Nothing. We’re stuck together for life.”
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