chapter 108: The night she chose me

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Chapter 108 – Ethan's POV

"The Night She Chose Me"

I didn't know what time it was when I woke up. The room was cloaked in darkness, but the fever that had tortured me all day had finally eased into something manageable. My body still ached, but the heat had broken, replaced by the faint coolness of sweat-damp sheets and a pair of soft hands curled against my skin.

My eyes fluttered open slowly.

And there she was.

Amara.

Sleeping beside me, her breathing slow, steady, her lashes casting shadows on her cheeks in the dim glow of the moonlight that filtered through the window.

For a moment, I thought I was dreaming.

That her touch, her scent, the warmth of her body close to mine—was just another hallucination from the fever.

But when I shifted slightly, the light fabric of the blanket slid over my bare chest, and I remembered.

Everything.

Not just the kiss.

Not just the way she touched me.

But how everything that happened between us last night wasn't about lust. It wasn't just comfort or convenience.

It was release. Connection. Trust.

It was her choosing me.

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I remembered the moment clearly.

I was drifting in and out of sleep, the fever making my thoughts fuzzy, my limbs heavy. But then I felt her hand on my chest… and her lips pressing softly against mine.

At first, I thought I was imagining it.

But when I responded, when I kissed her back, she didn't pull away.

She leaned into it.

And in that kiss was everything we'd both tried so hard to bury. Every unspoken word. Every glance we shared in the office when we thought no one was looking. Every aching moment of silence between us that screamed louder than any argument ever could.

One kiss turned into another.

One touch turned into two.

Clothes were removed in quiet urgency. There were no grand declarations, no rushed passion—just slow, burning honesty.

Her skin against mine. Her hands, her lips, her breath.

And when we finally gave in to everything that had been simmering between us for months, it didn't feel reckless.

It felt right.

It felt like something real had just been born in the dark.

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Now, hours later, I couldn't bring myself to look away from her.

She was still wearing my shirt, her legs tangled in the sheets, her lips parted slightly in sleep. And despite everything we'd done—despite how much of ourselves we gave each other just a few hours ago—she looked so peaceful. Unafraid. Beautiful.

I let out a slow breath, my chest tightening with something I hadn't felt in a long, long time.

Gratitude.

Because she stayed.

After everything I put her through. After a year of distance, after the birthday night we never talked about again, after every wall I built between us—she still came.

She stayed when I was weak. When I was sick. When I was quiet and broken and sweating through my sheets.

She stayed.

She could've walked away like last time.

She could've slipped out the door after we fell asleep, left me with only memories and the familiar ache of regret.

But she didn't.

That meant everything.

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I didn't want to wake her. I didn't even want to move.

I just wanted to remember this—her curled against me in the stillness, trusting me with her heart and her presence.

I reached for her hand beneath the covers, linking my fingers with hers gently.

She stirred, but didn't wake.

I smiled to myself.

I would tell her everything soon.

I'd tell her how she saved me last night—not just from the fever, but from myself. From the life I'd built around control and pride and pretending I didn't care.

I'd tell her she mattered.

That I loved her.

That this—whatever we had—was something I never wanted to let go of again.

But not now.

Now, she needed rest.

And surprisingly… so did I.

I pressed a soft kiss to the back of her hand and closed my eyes, letting her warmth pull me back into sleep.

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The morning could wait.

Because for the first time in a long time…

I wasn't afraid of waking up.

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End of Chapter 108 – Ethan's POV