THE CEO RUN AWAY BRIDE

THE BLACKWOOD WIFE.

The flight landed at 6am.

Coming home felt different this time.

The name on the immigration form: ELLA BLACKWOOD

The name on Kemi’s school emergency contact: MRS. ELLA BLACKWOOD

"Welcome home, ma," the driver said as he took our bags.

Adrian had his arm around me the whole ride.

"Are you nervous?" he asked.

"About what?" I said.

"About being home. About the name. About everything being real now."

I thought about it. "No. I’m ready."

The house was full of flowers.

White roses. My favorite.

"Welcome home, Mr. and Mrs. Blackwood," the house staff lined up and said.

I laughed and covered my face. "That’s going to take some getting used to."

Kemi ran out in pajamas. "Mommy! Daddy!"

He jumped into Adrian’s arms first, then mine.

"We’re home," Adrian said, kissing the top of Kemi’s head.

Christmas was in 9 days.

The whole week was a blur of unpacking, cards, and visitors.

Mrs. Blackwood came with 3 boxes of decorations.

"First Christmas as a married couple. We’re doing it big."

We put up the tree together.

Kemi insisted on putting the star on top while standing on Adrian’s shoulders.

Adrian framed our wedding photo and hung it in the living room.

Right next to a photo of him holding Kemi the day we came back from Dubai.

That night, I couldn’t sleep.

I went to the balcony.

Adrian found me there 10 minutes later with 2 mugs of tea.

"Can’t sleep, Mrs. Blackwood?" he teased.

I took the mug. "Still getting used to that."

"Good," he said. "Because I’m never calling you anything else."

We sat in silence for a while. The city lights below us.

"Are you happy?" he asked quietly.

I looked at him. At my ring. At the house that finally felt like mine.

"I spent 10 years running," I said. "From Damian. From my past. From myself."

He nodded, listening.

"For the first time, I’m not running," I said. "I’m home. And I’m safe. And I’m loved."

Adrian set his tea down and pulled me onto his lap.

"That’s all I ever wanted for you," he whispered. "Safety. Love. Home."

"Thank you," I whispered back. "For choosing me. Even when I was broken."

"You were never broken," he said. "You were surviving. There’s a difference."

We stayed there until the sun came up.

No threats. No court dates. No running.

Just us.

Later that morning, Kemi came in with a drawing.

It was the 3 of us. Holding hands.

Under it he wrote: "The Blackwood Family. Forever."

Adrian put it on the fridge.

"Season 1 done," he said, wrapping his arms around both of us.

"Season 2 starts now."

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THE END OF SEASON 1

Thank you for reading ❤️

Season 2: "The Blackwood Family" - Coming Soon