✍ | 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔 | 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐒𝐈𝐗!

●'I'●'I'●'I'●'I'●'I'●'I'●

THE BEGINNING OF FOREVER

●'I'●'I'●'I'●'I'●'I'●'I'●

HE LOVED HER AND, SOMEHOW, SHE LOVED HIM TOO. The room was quiet except for the steady beat of their hearts, both so loud in the silence that it almost seemed as though the world outside had disappeared entirely. The weight of years—years of arguments, bickering and misunderstandings—and months of the strange dance of their marriage of convenience had melted away. At that moment, all that remained was the undeniable truth that they loved each other, and it was more than either of them could have ever imagined.

Lorenzo's lips hovered over Victoria's a breath apart. The air between them was charged with something electric, a promise of something more, something deeper than the surface-level bond they had once shared. And yet, it felt like they had always been here, always tangled together, always meant to be. And then... He kissed her. He kissed her with an intensity that took them both by surprise, as though he was kissing her for the first time all over again, and yet, in the same breath, as if he had kissed her a thousand times before.

They pulled away, but only just enough to look into each other's eyes. Their foreheads pressed together as they stood there, clinging to each other as if the weight of the world could not reach them. Nothing mattered outside the walls of this living room. Not the misunderstandings, not the history of their relationship. The future was uncertain, but in that fleeting moment, it did not matter.

" I love you, " Victoria whispered against his lips, her words soft but sure. There was no hesitation now. It was not just a confession anymore. It was the real and raw truth.

" Say it again, " Lorenzo murmured, his voice low and almost desperate as his grip tightened around her waist, pulling her closer as he let out a ragged breath. His thumb traced slow circles on her back, a silent plea for more of the words that had once felt so foreign between them.

Victoria smiled at him, her eyes bright with affection and something else—something deeper, something more permanent. She cupped his face in her hands, tilting his head gently to meet her gaze.

" I love you, Enzo, " she said, slower this time, letting the words fall from her lips like a promise—no, like a vow that she would keep for as long as she lived.

Lorenzo groaned, the sound raw and filled with emotion. Then he kissed her again, his lips crashing into hers with a hunger that seemed to come from somewhere deep within him, a hunger he had not known existed before this moment. They had kissed before and even were intimate with each other, but now... Now it was different. But in a good way. They kissed like they could not stop, as though they needed each other in ways neither had ever fully understood before. It was as if the world had been holding its breath and now, finally, it could exhale.

Before Victoria even realized it, Lorenzo had her backing up, step by step, until her back was pressed against the wall of their living room. She could feel the cold of the wall against her skin, but it did not matter. The warmth of his body against hers was all that she needed. Their lips parted briefly, both of them breathing heavily now, each trying to catch their breath, but neither of them was willing to pull away. Lorenzo's hands rested on her waist, his fingers flexing as he looked at her with an intensity that left her breathless.

" Marry me, " he said suddenly, his voice a hushed whisper, the words almost too serious, too certain to be anything but truth. His eyes searched hers, as though waiting for a response that would change everything. Victoria blinked, caught off guard.

" I already did, " she said, her brow furrowing in confusion as she chuckled softly, a sound that was filled with warmth, but still uncertain. She was not sure where this was coming from, but in the quiet of the room, she could feel the weight of the moment. She could feel it in the way his hands lingered on her, the way his eyes never left hers.

" Again, " Lorenzo murmured, his breath mingling with hers, the words a soft command, a request that felt like a promise. " I want you to marry me again, Vi. "

Her heart skipped a beat, and for the briefest of moments, she forgot how to breathe. He wanted to marry her again. Not out of obligation, not because their families wanted them to, but because he wanted to. Because after all this time, after all the distance they had put between them, after everything they had gone through in these months while being married, he still wanted her. But now he wanted her in a different way, he wanted her for real this time.

Victoria's lips parted, but no words came out at first. She was overwhelmed by the rawness of his request, by the vulnerability that trembled in his voice. But as the moment stretched on, she realized it was not a question—he was not asking for her permission. He was asking for something deeper, something more than just a ceremony or a contract. He was asking for her heart. For her to be his.

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips, a smile that spoke of joy, of wonder, of the kind of love that neither of them had ever expected. Victoria cupped his face, her fingers brushing against the slight stubble on Enzo's face.

" I will marry you a million times if needed, Lorenzo DeLuca, " she said softly, her voice a whisper.

The smile that spread across his face was the kind of smile she had never seen before. It was full of relief, full of joy, full of all the love he had been holding back for a long time. He kissed her again, but this time it was not frantic, it was not desperate. It was slow, tender, and full of the promise of everything they were about to begin again.

As their lips met once more, Victoria realized something profound: this was not just about a second wedding or a second chance, this was not about acting in front of other people to keep up a façade of happy couple. This was about building a life together, from the ground up. A real life. This was about love. True love. The kind that did not need to be perfect. The kind that only grew stronger with time. And as she melted into his arms, she knew without a doubt that this was the beginning of something that was fully theirs, of something new—something beautiful, true and raw.

The beginning of forever.

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