The Empire We Built

The house didn't feel cold anymore.

The floors still creaked in the hallway. The kitchen still had that too-perfect marble island I never used. But it wasn't a stranger's space anymore. It was lived in now — with soft blankets tossed over the couch, half-read books on the nightstand, a pink stuffed bear always peeking out of the laundry bin.

It felt like us.

Aurora babbled in my arms as I walked her around the living room. She was almost a year old now. All wild curls, bright eyes, and an attitude that rivaled mine. Dominic called her "my karma." He said it with a grin that still made my stomach flutter.

"Say 'Mama,'" I teased, pressing my nose to her cheek.

She blew a raspberry.

Close enough.

Dominic came down the stairs in sweatpants and a hoodie — still somehow the sexiest man I'd ever laid eyes on, even with a pacifier hanging from his back pocket and a burp cloth tossed over his shoulder.

He looked at me and smiled, slower now, easier. There wasn't that tension in his eyes anymore — no fear of losing control, or losing me.

Just love.

"You want coffee?" he asked.

"Already made," I said, nodding toward the counter. "But if you're offering to make me breakfast…"

"I'm offering to marry you again."

I blinked.

Wait.

"What?"

He stepped closer, his hands stilling my arms as Aurora clutched at his hoodie.

"No contract. No empire games. Just me. Just you. And our tiny queen right here."

I stared at him.

Not because I didn't want to say yes.

But because this time… I believed him.

This time, it wasn't about control or promises. It wasn't built on desperation or terms. It was built on healing. On everything we lost and then fought to earn back.

I pressed my forehead to his, breath catching. Aurora squealed between us.

"Yes," I whispered, tears stinging. "Yes."

He kissed me like we hadn't wasted a single day.

And for the first time in my entire life… I felt free.