Chapter 22

The city lights shimmered beneath them, through the tall windows of Sebastian's apartment. The world outside buzzed, oblivious to the longing, and the truth unraveling behind closed doors.

Emilia stood by the glass, her arms crossed, Her eyes reflected the skyline, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Inside her chest, emotions swirled like a hurricane—rage, confusion, heartbreak… and desire. God, so much desire.

Behind her, Sebastian watched her like a man holding his breath, afraid the wrong move would break everything. "Emilia," he said gently, his voice deep, edged with worry. "If you want me to give you space, I will. Just say it."

She turned slowly, and for the first time in days, their eyes locked. Hers were glassy. Vulnerable. Determined.

"No," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want space. I want… I want you.. I want us."

She crossed the room and stood before him. "I've been holding myself together for so long, Sebastian. My family, the company, the lies—they've all demanded a version of me that doesn't exist anymore. But with you… I don't have to pretend."

His hands reached for hers instinctively. "You never had to pretend with me."

Her lips trembled. "Then let me be real now."

She leaned in and kissed him—not soft, not tentative. It was full of heat and hunger, but there was pain in it too, the kind that made it honest. Her hands gripped the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer like she needed to feel his skin against her soul.

He responded instantly, kissing her back hard, his hands threading through her hair, grounding them both. It was messy, desperate, a clash of emotions they'd buried too long.

"I need this," she whispered against his mouth, her fingers tugging his shirt over his head. "I need you."

They stumbled back toward the bedroom, shedding the last barriers between them—fabric, pride, restraint. Her blouse fell to the floor, followed by his jeans. Their kisses deepened, turned rougher, hotter, until they were on the bed in a tangled rush of limbs and want.

Sebastian paused, eyes dark with emotion. "Emilia, are you sure?"you want this now?

Her answer was in the way she guided his hands, the way she pressed herself to him, claiming him.

Emilia groaned in frustration and pulled back just enough to glare at him. "Sebastian—"

"Don't make me beg," she said, breathless, her voice raw. "I want you. All of you."

And so, he gave her exactly that.

He smirked, his thumb tracing the curve of her jaw. "You're in charge tonight, aren't you?"

"Yes," she hissed, her voice trembling. "So stop teasing me."

Sebastian's teasing stopped when he saw the flicker of pain in her gaze. His hands came up to cup her face, grounding her. "Hey… I've got you. All of you."

Her lips trembled. "I can't lose this. I can't lose you."

"You won't," he whispered. "You won't."

Emilia kissed him again—harder now, driven—and he let her take control, letting her body say the things her voice couldn't. She claimed every inch of him, anchoring herself to the one thing in her life that made sense. Him.

Their bodies moved in rhythm, wild and sweet, slow and savage. He touched her like a man who had waited a lifetime. She kissed him like he was the only thing keeping her sane. There were moments of softness, where she shivered beneath his fingers, and others where she arched up to meet him with power and fury, like she wanted to burn it all down and rise anew.

And when it was over—when the storm had passed and their breaths were ragged and mingled—she laid her head on his chest, listening to the heartbeat that had grounded her when everything else felt like quicksand.

Sebastian held her close, their bodies damp with sweat, the sheets tangled around their legs.

"I don't know what this is," he said after a beat, his voice husky. "But I know it's not casual."

She nodded against him, fingers tracing the lines of his chest. "It's not."

He tilted her chin gently until she looked into his eyes. "Then what are we?"

She smiled softly, exhausted and glowing, her heart no longer hiding.

"We're ours, Sebastian. That's what we are."

For the first time, what they shared had a name.

"Love."

Not perfect.But real.

And theirs.