His Heir, Her Secret - Chapter 21: Chapter 21
You are reading His Heir, Her Secret, Chapter 21: Chapter 21. Read more chapters of His Heir, Her Secret.
Lucien
Standing here, in this kitchen—our kitchen—feeling Isla’s hand in mine, I realized how much had changed. And how much still needed to. It was surreal, like waking from a long nightmare to find the person you feared lost forever still there, fragile but real.
She was smaller than I remembered, but no less fierce. Maybe fiercer. The kind of woman who fought battles in silence and still stood tall. I admired her for it, though I hadn’t told her that enough, not when it mattered.
I squeezed her hand gently. The warmth in that touch grounded me, pulling me back from the edge of every regret and fear that had haunted me since the moment I left.
“I don’t want to mess this up,” I said quietly, voice rougher than I intended. “But I’m terrified I already have.”
Her eyes softened in that way that made my heart twist. “We both have scars, Lucien. The question isn’t whether we’ve messed up—it’s about what we do next.”
Her words settled over me like a balm. I’d been so obsessed with the past—everything I’d lost, everything I’d done wrong—that I forgot to see the possibility of a future. With her. With Leo.
I exhaled slowly. “I want to tell you everything. Not just the easy parts, but the real reasons I left. The parts I was too ashamed to admit, even to myself.”
She nodded, unwavering. “I want to hear it when you’re ready.”
That moment—the way she waited for me, patient and open—was the kind of grace I hadn’t earned but desperately needed.
I pulled up a chair and sat down, keeping my fingers intertwined with hers. The kitchen was quiet except for the hum of the refrigerator and the distant sound of Leo’s soft breathing upstairs. Our son, peacefully asleep, unaware of the storm of emotions swirling between us.
“I wasn’t just scared, Isla. I was overwhelmed. The world I come from…it’s brutal. The deals, the threats, the people I have to keep at arm’s length—they’re not things you can just walk away from.”
Her gaze never faltered. I could see the pain flicker there, but also something else—a fierce determination to understand.
“I thought that if I stayed, I’d put you and Leo in danger. So I left, convinced that absence was protection.”
The confession weighed on me, raw and heavy. “But I was wrong. I see that now. I see how much I hurt you. How lonely I left you.”
She took a deep breath, steadying herself. “You did hurt me, Lucien. But I also fought for us. I fought for Leo. Even when I thought you’d given up.”
Her words cut through the guilt like a blade, but I deserved every one of them.
“I’m sorry,” I said, voice breaking. “For every moment I wasn’t there. For every tear you cried alone.”
She squeezed my hand tighter. “We have a long road ahead. Trust isn’t given back with apologies.”
“I know,” I whispered. “And I’m ready to earn it. Every day.”
I told her about the endless nights in boardrooms and back alleys, making impossible decisions to keep our family safe—even if that meant pushing her away. About the calls I made in the dead of night, threats whispered into my ear, and the weight of a world that demanded more than I could give.
But none of that mattered if it didn’t include her and Leo.
When I finished, Isla was quiet, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Thank you for telling me. It means more than you know.”
Her forgiveness wasn’t given freely, but I was grateful for every fragile piece she offered.
I looked toward the staircase, imagining our son’s small face, his tiny hands clutching a favorite toy, his soft breath in the night.
“I want to be the father Leo deserves,” I said fiercely. “No more running. No more hiding. I want to be here, really here.”
Isla smiled, tears finally spilling down her cheeks. “And I want to be the woman you don’t have to protect. We’ll face this together.”
I pulled her into a slow embrace, holding her like she was the only thing keeping me tethered to the world. Because right now, she was.
For the first time in years, hope didn’t feel like a lie. It felt like a lifeline.
Standing here, in this kitchen—our kitchen—feeling Isla’s hand in mine, I realized how much had changed. And how much still needed to. It was surreal, like waking from a long nightmare to find the person you feared lost forever still there, fragile but real.
She was smaller than I remembered, but no less fierce. Maybe fiercer. The kind of woman who fought battles in silence and still stood tall. I admired her for it, though I hadn’t told her that enough, not when it mattered.
I squeezed her hand gently. The warmth in that touch grounded me, pulling me back from the edge of every regret and fear that had haunted me since the moment I left.
“I don’t want to mess this up,” I said quietly, voice rougher than I intended. “But I’m terrified I already have.”
Her eyes softened in that way that made my heart twist. “We both have scars, Lucien. The question isn’t whether we’ve messed up—it’s about what we do next.”
Her words settled over me like a balm. I’d been so obsessed with the past—everything I’d lost, everything I’d done wrong—that I forgot to see the possibility of a future. With her. With Leo.
I exhaled slowly. “I want to tell you everything. Not just the easy parts, but the real reasons I left. The parts I was too ashamed to admit, even to myself.”
She nodded, unwavering. “I want to hear it when you’re ready.”
That moment—the way she waited for me, patient and open—was the kind of grace I hadn’t earned but desperately needed.
I pulled up a chair and sat down, keeping my fingers intertwined with hers. The kitchen was quiet except for the hum of the refrigerator and the distant sound of Leo’s soft breathing upstairs. Our son, peacefully asleep, unaware of the storm of emotions swirling between us.
“I wasn’t just scared, Isla. I was overwhelmed. The world I come from…it’s brutal. The deals, the threats, the people I have to keep at arm’s length—they’re not things you can just walk away from.”
Her gaze never faltered. I could see the pain flicker there, but also something else—a fierce determination to understand.
“I thought that if I stayed, I’d put you and Leo in danger. So I left, convinced that absence was protection.”
The confession weighed on me, raw and heavy. “But I was wrong. I see that now. I see how much I hurt you. How lonely I left you.”
She took a deep breath, steadying herself. “You did hurt me, Lucien. But I also fought for us. I fought for Leo. Even when I thought you’d given up.”
Her words cut through the guilt like a blade, but I deserved every one of them.
“I’m sorry,” I said, voice breaking. “For every moment I wasn’t there. For every tear you cried alone.”
She squeezed my hand tighter. “We have a long road ahead. Trust isn’t given back with apologies.”
“I know,” I whispered. “And I’m ready to earn it. Every day.”
I told her about the endless nights in boardrooms and back alleys, making impossible decisions to keep our family safe—even if that meant pushing her away. About the calls I made in the dead of night, threats whispered into my ear, and the weight of a world that demanded more than I could give.
But none of that mattered if it didn’t include her and Leo.
When I finished, Isla was quiet, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Thank you for telling me. It means more than you know.”
Her forgiveness wasn’t given freely, but I was grateful for every fragile piece she offered.
I looked toward the staircase, imagining our son’s small face, his tiny hands clutching a favorite toy, his soft breath in the night.
“I want to be the father Leo deserves,” I said fiercely. “No more running. No more hiding. I want to be here, really here.”
Isla smiled, tears finally spilling down her cheeks. “And I want to be the woman you don’t have to protect. We’ll face this together.”
I pulled her into a slow embrace, holding her like she was the only thing keeping me tethered to the world. Because right now, she was.
For the first time in years, hope didn’t feel like a lie. It felt like a lifeline.
End of His Heir, Her Secret Chapter 21. Continue reading Chapter 22 or return to His Heir, Her Secret book page.