Our Forever After
661 Words
One year later.
The King penthouse was different now. Warmer. Alive.
Baby laughter echoed through the halls. Our son, Adam King, had Alexander's dark eyes and my stubborn smile. He was six months old and had already wrapped his daddy around his tiny finger.
Alexander was not the same man who bought me for 10 crore. The ice had melted completely.
He was on the floor right now, wearing a pink plastic tiara, having a tea party with Adam. The billionaire devil of the city was now a whipped daddy.
"Mr. King," I teased, leaning against the doorway. "The board meeting is in 20 minutes. Should I tell them the CEO is busy with Princess Adam?"
Alexander looked up and grinned. That real, warm smile that still made my heart skip. "Tell them the CEO is busy with the two most important people in his life. Business can wait."
He picked up Adam and walked towards me. He kissed me softly, then kissed Adam's chubby cheek.
"How did I get so lucky?" he whispered against my hair. "A year ago I was dying alone. Now I have everything."
I put my hand on his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat. The heartbeat that was supposed to stop. The miracle heartbeat.
"You didn't buy me, Alexander," I said. "You found me. And I found you."
He pulled me closer. "My mother is in prison now. For trying to kill my father, for trying to hurt you. Justice was served."
I shivered remembering her cold words. "I still can't believe you went through all that alone. Pretending to be a monster to save me."
"I had to," he said. "I couldn't let you love me and then lose me. It would have destroyed you. So I made you hate me instead. It was easier to see you angry than to see you broken."
I touched his face. "You don't have to pretend anymore. Not ever again."
Adam gurgled between us, as if agreeing. We both laughed.
"Marry me," Alexander said suddenly.
I blinked. "We... we are married?"
He shook his head and got down on one knee, holding Adam with one arm. With his free hand, he pulled out a ring. Not a cold diamond from a business deal. A simple band with a tiny sapphire. My birthstone.
"Marry me again, Amelia. For real this time. Not because my grandfather's will said so. Not because I bought you. But because I choose you. Every day. For the rest of my life. Will you be my wife? For real?"
Tears filled my eyes. Happy tears this time. The first happy tears since this whole nightmare started.
"Yes," I whispered. "Yes, Alexander King. I'll marry you for real."
He slid the ring on my finger and stood up, pulling me into a kiss that promised forever.
Later that night, after Adam was asleep, we stood on the balcony. The same balcony where he told me I was just an investment.
"Do you remember what you said to me on our wedding day?" he asked, his arms around me from behind.
I smiled. "Go to hell, Mr. King?"
He laughed. "Yes. Best words I ever heard. Because it meant you would fight me. And I needed someone to fight for me. To fight with me."
I turned in his arms. "I love you, Alexander. Not the 10 crore. Not the penthouse. Not the name. Just you. The broken, scarred, amazing man you are."
He kissed me again. "And I love you, Amelia King. My wife. My heart. My miracle. You were sold for 10 crore. But you gave me something worth more than all the money in the world."
"What's that?" I asked.
"You gave me a reason to live."
The city lights glittered below us. But our future was even brighter.
We weren't a business deal anymore. We weren't buyer and seller.
We were a family. We were forever.
And our story? It was just beginning.
- Writer
