Three Little Heartbeats

Chapter 34: Love Never Left

The morning light filtered through the curtains of Alexia's small apartment, casting a soft glow across the room. The tension that had once hung so heavy in the air between her and Sandro had started to lift, leaving behind something neither of them had expected—an undeniable warmth, a familiarity that had never truly disappeared.

Sandro stood by the window, staring out at the quiet street below, his thoughts far away. His mind raced with everything that had happened in the last few days—the revelations, the heartbreak, the confrontations. But despite the turmoil, one thing had become painfully clear to him: the love he had for Alexia had never left. It had always been there, buried beneath the anger and the guilt, waiting to resurface.

Alexia sat on the edge of the couch, watching him in silence. She could see the weight of his thoughts in the way his shoulders slumped, in the furrow of his brow. And yet, there was something different about him now. He seemed softer, more vulnerable, like the walls he had built around himself were finally beginning to crack.

She had spent so long trying to convince herself that their love had been a fleeting thing, something that had faded with time and distance. But as she sat there, looking at him, she realized how wrong she had been. The love she felt for Sandro hadn't disappeared—it had simply been buried under layers of hurt and resentment, waiting for the right moment to come back to life.

"Sandro," she said softly, her voice breaking the silence.

He turned to face her, his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and hope. For a moment, neither of them spoke, as if the weight of their shared past was too much to put into words.

"I've been thinking," Alexia continued, her voice trembling slightly. "About everything. About us. And I realize now that... the love we had, the love we still have... it never really went away, did it?"

Sandro's breath caught in his throat. Her words were like a balm to the wounds he had been carrying for so long, the unspoken truth he had been too afraid to admit. He took a step toward her, his heart pounding in his chest.

"No," he said quietly. "It never did."

For a moment, the room was filled with nothing but the sound of their breathing, the tension between them shifting into something else—something softer, something fragile but real. It was as if the anger and pain that had kept them apart had finally dissolved, leaving behind only the truth of their feelings.

Alexia's eyes filled with tears as she looked at him, her heart aching with the weight of everything they had been through. "I thought I could forget you," she whispered. "I thought I could move on, that I could bury what I felt for you. But I never could. Even after everything, Sandro, I still love you."

Sandro's chest tightened at her words, a surge of emotion rushing through him. He had spent months trying to focus on his career, trying to convince himself that moving on was the only way forward. But every step he had taken away from her had only brought him closer to realizing the truth—he couldn't live without her.

"I love you too, Alexia," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "I always have. And I always will."

Tears spilled down Alexia's cheeks as she stood from the couch, closing the distance between them. For a moment, they simply stood there, inches apart, their emotions raw and exposed. It was as if the weight of all the years apart, all the hurt and heartache, had been leading them to this moment—a moment of truth, where the love they had once shared could finally resurface.

Sandro reached out, gently cupping her face in his hands. His thumb brushed away the tears on her cheek as he gazed into her eyes, searching for the words that could convey everything he was feeling. But words felt inadequate in the face of the depth of his emotions.

Instead, he leaned in slowly, his forehead resting against hers, his breath warm against her skin. Alexia closed her eyes, the feeling of his touch sending a shiver through her. It was a touch she had missed, a connection she had longed for even when she had tried to push him away.

For a moment, they simply stood there, holding each other in the silence, their hearts beating in time with one another. And in that quiet moment, it was as if the world outside had faded away, leaving only the two of them and the love that had never truly left.

"I'm sorry," Sandro whispered, his voice breaking. "I'm sorry for everything—for the time I missed, for the way I let you down. I can't change the past, but I want to be here now. I want to be the man you deserve."

Alexia's heart swelled with emotion. She had been angry with him for so long, blaming him for their broken relationship and the loss of their child. But standing here with him now, she realized that forgiveness wasn't about erasing the past—it was about accepting it and choosing to move forward.

"I know," she whispered back, her voice trembling. "And I want to try. I want to see if we can find our way back to each other."

Sandro pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as if he were afraid to let her go. And as Alexia buried her face in his chest, she felt a sense of peace she hadn't known in a long time. It wasn't going to be easy—there were still wounds that needed to heal, still scars that would take time to fade. But for the first time in years, they were on the same page. They were ready to face the future together, no matter how uncertain it might be.

In that moment, standing together in the soft morning light, they both realized something powerful: love had never left them. It had been there all along, waiting patiently beneath the surface, through the anger, the grief, and the pain. And now, it was finally ready to be seen.

Sandro pressed a gentle kiss to Alexia's forehead, his lips lingering there for a moment longer than necessary, as if sealing a promise between them. And as they held each other in the quiet stillness of the apartment, they both knew that this was the beginning of something new.

A second chance. A new chapter.

And this time, they wouldn't let go.