Chapter 4 - The Fragile TruthWe sat on a bench overlooking the ocean,
the sky turning a bruised purple as the stars began to appear.
Marcus sat a respectful distance away,
his hands clasped between his knees,
looking smaller than I ever thought possible.
"I didn't tell you because I didn't want my baby to be an 'asset',"
I said,
watching a seagull dive into the water.
"I didn't want our child to grow up in a house where silence was a weapon,
and where love was measured in carats."
He winced,
the honesty of my words hitting him harder than any physical blow.
"I was trying to build something for you,"
he argued,
though the fire was gone from his voice.
"I wanted you to have everything,
to be safe,
to never want for anything."
"I wanted you,
Marcus,"
I countered,
turning to face him.
"I wanted the man who used to take me to the park,
the man who laughed at my bad jokes,
not the man who sold his soul to Chicago."
He looked at my stomach again,
and this time,
he didn't ask for permission.
He reached out,
his hand hovering in the air for a moment before I nodded.
He pressed his palm against the fabric of my dress,
and at that exact moment,
the baby kicked.
Marcus gasped,
his eyes widening in pure,
unadulterated wonder.
"He's real,"
he whispered,
"or she."
"She,"
I said,
a small smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.
"It's a girl."
He closed his eyes,
leaning his forehead against my shoulder,
and I felt the tension bleed out of him.
"I've dismantled the organization,
Elena,"
he said,
and I pulled back in shock.
"What?"
"I stepped down,"
he explained,
looking back at the sea.
"The night I found those papers,
I realized that if I died tomorrow,
the only thing people would remember was how much money I made."
"I don't want that to be my daughter's inheritance."
I looked at him,
searching for the lie,
searching for the trap,
but all I found was a man who was finally awake.
"It’s dangerous,
Marcus,"
I warned.
"They won't just let you walk away."
"I know,"
he said,
his eyes turning hard again,
but this time,
it was for the right reasons.
"That's why I need you to trust me,
one last time."
"I have a plan to keep us safe,
but I can't do it alone."
I looked at the water,
May you like
then at the man I had loved for half my life,
and I felt the old spark of hope.
