Chapter 7 - Breaking the IceRicardo took a step into the room, his eyes dark with a mixture of regret and frustration.
“That document was drawn up the week before we got married,” he said, his voice tense. “I wanted to make sure that if you hated living here, you had a guaranteed way out. I wanted you to know I wasn't holding you hostage forever.”
“That was three months ago, Ricardo!” Elena cried out, stepping closer to him, her eyes bright with angry tears. “What about now? Is this still just a contract to you? Was last night just part of the settlement terms?”
“No!” Ricardo roared, stepping right into her space, his hands coming up to grip her shoulders firmly. The raw emotion in his voice echoed off the walls. “It’s not a contract to me anymore, Elena! It hasn't been for a long time!”
Elena froze under his grip, her heart hammering against her ribs. “Then why keep this?”
“Because I was terrified!” Ricardo confessed, his fingers tightening gently against her velvet sweater, his face inches from hers. “Look at me, Elena! I am a man built on control, business, and cold numbers. And in three months, you’ve completely unraveled me. You turned this dark penthouse into a home. You made me look forward to waking up. I kept that paper because I believed that a woman like you could never truly love a man who bought her freedom!”
Elena stared up at him, breathless. The cold, unfeeling billionaire was gone. Standing in front of her was a man completely undone by his own love for her.
“You didn’t buy my freedom, Ricardo,” she whispered, leaning into his touch, her hand coming up to rest against his beating chest. “You saved my family. And you gave me a home when I thought my life was over.”
Ricardo’s breath hitched. He stared down at her lips, his pulse racing under her palm.
May you like
“Say it,” he begged softly, his forehead resting against hers.
“I don't want the divorce,” Elena whispered. “I want you.”
