Chapter 120
The scent of lilies and roses filled the air, petals fluttering in every direction as sunlight poured through the windows of the shop. I arranged the bouquets with a smile that felt real–no longer forced, no longer hiding bruises behind makeup or fake laughs behind broken trust. For the first time in years, I was living for me.”
Customers poured in one after another, asking for custom orders, complimenting the arrangements, even taking pictures of the little wooden sign that said Samantha’s Garden. It still stunned me that this dream had come true.
Beside me, Inigo held a clipboard, pretending to be busy but failing to hide the way his eyes kept drifting toward me.” “What?” I asked, trying to hide my smirk.”
He leaned in, voice low. “You look happy. And dangerously pretty.“}
Naughed, brushing my hand against his. “Dangerous?“}
“To my sanity, yes.“[
We shared a smile–the kind that lingered longer than necessary, the kind that tasted like warmth and second chances.\ “Remember when we used to hate each other?” I teased.}
He scoffed. “I never hated you. I just hated that I wasn’t the man you loved.“\
I froze, caught off guard by how honest that was.”
Inigo didn’t wait for me to recover. He took my hand, the one still stained with rose thorns and ink, and dropped to one knee in the middle of the flower shop.”
My breath caught.
“Inigo–“[
“I know you’re scared. I know you’re still healing. But I also know I want to be there every step of the way. Not as your escape, not as your revenge-but as your future. Marry me, Samantha. Be mine–not because you’re running from the past, but because you’ve finally found a future worth choosing.“}
Tears filled my eyes. The customers clapped softly, some gasping in delight.”
I couldn’t speak, so I nodded. Again and again, until he rose and kissed my forehead, then my lips, and the world around us fell away.”
No one was trying to tear us apart this time.”
No more stolen happiness.[
Until the phone rang.
I stepped outside to answer it. “Hello?”
It was my old lawyer. His voice was low, hesitant. “Samantha… I thought you should know. Jackson’s looking for you.” I stiffened.
“He offered a reward to anyone who gives information about your whereabouts,” he continued. “There are flyers. Posts. He’s desperate.“%
“Because he’s losing his investors,” I said flatly.”
“Yes,” the lawyer confirmed. “After the videos you leaked… his company is bleeding.”
“I don’t care,” I said coldly. “He bled me for years. Let him know that. I’m done. Tell him I’m gone.“”
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t find you,” the lawyer promised.!
“Good.“%
But the moment I ended the call, a sharp pain shot through my head. My knees buckled. The sidewalk swayed.”
Then everything went black. When I woke up, everything was white and quiet, save for the steady beep of the heart monitor beside me. Inigo was sitting at the edge of the bed, his fingers locked around mine, his brows furrowed in worry.”
“You’re awake,” he whispered, brushing a hand across my forehead.”
I tried to sit up, but he gently held me down. “Hey, easy. You fainted.“\
“I… fainted?”
“Due to stress,” he said softly. “The doctor said your body just couldn’t take it. You’ve been running on empty for too long, Sam. You need rest. And therapy. Real care.“”
I bit my lip, tears welling up in my eyes. “I’m scared, Inigo. What if he finds us? What if he ruins this too?”
He shook his head, eyes fierce now. “He won’t. I promise. I’ve done everything to erase our trail. He won’t touch you again.“”
I stared at him, at this man who had once been my enemy and was now my entire sense of peace. His hand was warm, steady.”
“I’m cafe?” I whienared?
11:01 AM
“I’m safe?” I whispered.\
He smiled. “You’re home.”\
The next few days passed in a gentle rhythm. Inigo canceled all the shop’s events. He cooked for me, held my hand through nightmares, even read to me when I couldn’t sleep. He never rushed me. Never demanded anything but my healing.” He laughed with me when I tried to make bouquets while still weak. He kissed my forehead when I got frustrated. He carried me when my legs failed.\
And slowly, my strength returned.”
So did my courage.
ww
One evening, as we sat in the shop surrounded by lavender and moonlight, I turned to him and whispered, “I’m ready.”
He looked up. “For what?“&
I reached for his hand. “To marry you.”
Wach
It wasn’t a decision I made in a moment of weakness. It wasn’t an escape, or a way to bury the pain Jackson left behind. It was clarity.[
Inigo had seen me at my lowest. He saw the bruises beneath my skin, and the shadows in my eyes. He never tried to fix me he just stayed. Patient. Gentle. Constant. And somewhere between the silence of early mornings and the laughter blooming between petals and coffee cups, I realized… I wasn’t surviving anymore.
was living.
I had spent years being someone else’s version of a wife–obedient, quiet, grateful. But with Inigo, I wasn’t a role. And that was enough.”
was me.
He never asked me to forget the past. He never promised a perfect future. But he offered his heart with no conditions, realized that love didn’t have to come with chains or bruises. It could be safe. It could be kind. It could grow–like a garden finally kissed by the sun.”
He blinked. “You mean it?”
“I want to marry you,” I said firmly, my voice steady. “Not because I’m broken. Not because I’m afraid. But because with you–l finally feel whole.”
So yes, I wanted to marry him. Not because he rescued me, but because I finally remembered who I was… and with him, I had finally come home.
He kissed me then, long and sweet, as if sealing a promise not just between us–but to the universe.
No more running.
No more fear.”
Just love. Just us. Just forever.
