The night stretched on in comfortable quiet, the soft glow of candlelight casting flickering shadows across the dining table. Martina sat across from Elias, still holding his hand, still replaying his words in her mind.
"I love you."
It wasn’t as if she had doubted it before. Elias had shown her in a thousand ways—through every battle they fought, through every moment of unwavering loyalty. But hearing it aloud, spoken with quiet certainty, had left her momentarily stunned.
She squeezed his hand again, grounding herself in the warmth of his touch. “You’re not just saying that because I’m carrying your child, are you?”
Elias huffed a small, amused breath, his thumb tracing absent circles against her skin. “You think I needed a reason?”
Martina smirked. “No, but you’re not exactly the ‘
