Winter had ended, spring had come and gone, the colors changing from pale to vibrant, and just like that, it was summer again. Much had changed in the past months, beginning with Fredericka filing a lawsuit against Karolina Martin on his behalf. Although the case was ongoing, the redheaded lawyer believed it was only a matter of time before Karolina was forced to pay a hefty fine in lieu of jail time, and Fredericka would make sure it was enough to bankrupt his ex-mistress for good.

Another major and rather unexpected incident was the revelation that his test results had been largely doctored. The hospital had since fired Dr. Armand Colbert and had been intensely grateful when the billionaire had declined to press charges against them. He had been issued a new set of results, of course, this time from a trusted psychiatrist, and with the help of the latest technology, Christien had been issued a clean bill of health, neurologically speaking.

Thoughts of suicide cross people’s minds all the time, Dr. Charles had then told Christien. And that’s normal. You can’t control where your mind drifts, but you can decide what to hold on to so those thoughts won’t sweep you away. I know what I’m telling you isn’t conventional medical advice, but I also believe there are things in this world that science can’t always solve on their own. Sometimes, you just need a little faith. So trust in yourself a little more, Mr. di Luca. And most of all – find someone to love, and love with all your heart. Just love, love without expectations, love and give yourself freely – and you’ll be surprised at how happy that can make you.

And so here he was, back in Connecticut, back where it all started---

And it felt like the most terrifying thing he had done in his life.

The billionaire parked the car at the end of the driveway, choosing to go on foot rather than risk alerting Kharis to his presence with the sound of his sports car speeding up the driveway.

By the time he made it to the house, he saw that it was completely empty, just as Paul had assured him it would be. When he had first called Kharis’ grandfather about wanting to reconcile with Kharis, the billionaire had expected Paul to simply hang up on him.

But instead, the older man had only said gruffly, “It’s nice to hear from you again, son.”

And the billionaire had not been able to speak right away because he had realized just then it had been the first time for Paul to call him that.

From there, the conversation had been brief, gruff, but emotional all the same, with the billionaire asking for Paul’s forgiveness for hurting Kharis.

He had expected a lecture after that, but again Kharis’ grandfather had surprised him. People make mistakes all the time. I never told you this because I knew it would mean I’ve already accepted that you’ll take my granddaughter away one day, but I always knew…I knew from the start. And Paul had taken a deep breath before saying in a voice that slightly shook with emotion, Kharis is everything to you.

And so she was, the billionaire thought as he climbed up the stairs leading to Kharis’ bedroom. She was everything to him, but that was no longer the question now, was it? She would always mean everything to him…but it was her choice if she wanted to know – wanted to feel – what being his everything meant.

When he made it to the third floor, the billionaire stood outside it for a long time, quiet and unmoving. It had been seven months – seven long damn months – since they had last seen each other. A lot could change in seven months, and his own life was testament to that. She could have moved on already, could’ve even fallen in love with someone else – and she had a right to do all those things because from the very start, he had always been the one to hurt her.

And it had never been the other way around, the billionaire thought bleakly.

Over and over he had left her and pushed her away, over and over he had left her---

And yet she had always been there, patiently waiting for him, never losing hope, always loving him.

So was it right to go back to her, he asked himself tautly, knowing how much he had hurt her?

Wasn’t it better to stay away and let a better man come along to love her the way she deserved?

The billionaire had already turned away by the time his thoughts ended, preventing him from seeing the bedroom door silently open---

He loved her. Loved her with all his heart, just like the doctor had said, loved her without expectations. His mind told him that should be enough, but his heart – this heart of his that still sometimes struggled to remember it could keep beating now – his heart told him he was only making the same mistakes again.

If he loved her, and if he truly believed that she was the only woman for him, then wasn’t it time to act like it? Wasn’t it time to believe that he was also the only man for her?

It was this crippling fear that he could hurt her and that he didn’t love her enough that always made him end up hurting her. So wasn’t it time, once and for all, to kill those fears for good and trust in---

Rainbows, a familiar, sly voice echoed in his mind. Because that’s what you’re thinking, right? Rainbows, clowns, winking maniacs, vegetable monsters –

It was Death again, of course, but this time the imaginary voice didn’t sound as forbidding. It was almost like a long-lost friend, one he’d eventually meet again…but not for a long, long time.

Have I forgotten anything else? Death asked.

Yes, the billionaire thought. She’s also my little maniac…and I’m going to spend the rest of my life with her.

Will it be a long, happy life, boy?

Centuries, if I have my way.

We’ll see. Death’s tone was noncommittal, but the billionaire could’ve sworn there was a grin in it.

Death, grinning, the billionaire thought. Imagine that.

But this, in turn, had his lips twitching as he turned, finally ready to grovel for forgiveness and beg Kharis to take him back---

Only she ended up scaring the fuck out of him.

Again.

“Holy fuck!”

She was standing by the doorway, and for a long while already by the looks of it, with a thin veil covering her face and the rest of her body. She looked like the Corpse Bride come to life, only a thousand times more terrifying.

“What the fuck, Kharis?”

She lifted her veil, revealing a silk nightgown, and as the veil inched higher, he saw her slim shoulders shaking hard---

Ah, God.

And she was crying, tears rushing down her face.

Was he too late then? Were they over for good? Could he only love her from afar?

These were the things he so badly wanted to ask, but the words were somehow stuck in his throat, and when he did speak, his tone was clumsy and hoarse--- “Early Halloween costume?”

She shook her head, still crying, still not saying a word.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. This was Kharis, the sweetest girl in the world. Didn’t this mean it was already over, only her tender heart couldn’t make her say the words out loud?

So what now?

The billionaire shoved his hands deep in his pockets. “Have you…” God, it was so fucking hard to speak. “Have you been standing there for long?”

A tiny nod as she wiped the tears from her eyes, and then her words came out in a barely audible mumble. “I’ve been watching you…through the peephole.”

His chest constricted at what she wasn’t saying, and he said heavily, “Then you saw.”

“I did.” And her tear-stained eyes met his. “I saw, and I knew you were about to leave me again.”

“But you didn’t call me back.”

“I didn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because I know you only ever think of leaving me when it’s for my sake---”

Ah God.

“And b-because I knew you’d eventually come back to me---”

And the billionaire’s own eyes started to sting---

“Because you love me so, so much.” Her voice broke. His heart crashed against his chest. And then in the next moment, he had hauled her close, and she was sobbing in his arms.

“You’re supposed to make this harder for me,” he tried to joke, but the words came out too shaky and uneven.

“How c-can I when you already make things too hard for yourself?” Her arms tightened around him then, and just as he thought she couldn’t be any more damn sweeter, Kharis proved him wrong by saying the words first.

“I love you, Christien.” Trembling lips pressed against his, and as her tears seeped into their kiss, she whispered painfully, “Even when I was mad, even when I was hurt, and I felt so b-betrayed, I never really stopped.” And he saw in her eyes that it was true. “I will always love you---”

Ah God. His entire body shaking at the strength of his emotions, he crushed her mouth under his, words no longer enough to express what he felt---

And that was that he loved her---

But more than that, more importantly than that, she was his life, and he would live for her.