Six months later, the air was thick with the scent of salt and expensive tobacco.
Jake stood on the sprawling balcony of a glass-walled villa overlooking the cliffs of a secluded island. Below, the private cove shimmered under the moonlight. Leaving the city hadn’t meant leaving his life’s work behind; he had sold his shares in the Manila bars and established a high-end, boutique lounge on the island that catered to the elite who sought privacy—much like he and Camila did.
The glass door slid open with a whisper. Camila stepped out, her silhouette draped in a gown of emerald silk that flowed like water. The haunted look in her eyes had been replaced by a quiet, steady glow. She stood beside him, and Jake instinctively wrapped his arm around her, his hand resting on her waist, no longer a stolen touch, but a permanent, public one.
“Mico’s room is ready for his visit next weekend,” she whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder.
The legal battles had been brutal, but Jake had used every resource at his disposal. John had fought with fury, but eventually, the silence of the empty mansion and the weight of Jake’s legal team had led to a cold, brokered peace. Jake had settled a massive sum into a trust for Mico, ensuring his brother’s financial empire remained untouched in exchange for time with the boy.
“He’ll love the beach,” Jake said, kissing her temple. “I’ve already hired the best instructors for when he wants to learn to swim.”
Camila looked out at the horizon, where the lights of Jake’s new bar glowed in the distance. “You’ve built all of this for us, Jake. Sometimes I still wait to wake up and find myself back in that house, waiting for a phone call that never comes.”
Jake turned her to face him, his eyes dark with the same intensity that had sparked their first night. “That house was a prison, Camila. I didn’t just take you away; I built a new world where you’d never have to feel invisible again.”
“I know,” Camila replied, her fingers tracing the sharp line of his jaw. “But the world still talks. They see the successful Jake and his brother’s wife. They see the scandal, not the love.”
Jake let out a short, dry laugh. “Let them talk. I spent years being the ‘lesser’ brother, the one who lived in John’s shadow while building my own bars in the dark. If the price of having you is a ruined reputation, then I got the better end of the deal. I’d lose every cent and every bar I own just to see you stand in the sun like this.”
He pulled her closer, his grip possessive and firm. He was still the man who had aggressively claimed her on a kitchen counter and marked her in the guest room, but now that fire had a hearth to burn in.
“We traded a perfect lie for a very expensive truth,” Jake said, his voice dropping to a low rumble. “And I would pay it all over again. Every single day.”
Camila smiled—a real, vibrant smile that reached her eyes. She pulled him down for a kiss that no longer tasted of goodbye or desperation, but of a future they had bought with their own blood and courage.
The island was quiet, the waves were steady, and for the first time in his life, Jake didn’t feel the need to build something new to forget his pain. He had everything he needed right here, in the ruins of the life they had left behind.
THE END.
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