Marriage of Convenience

Chapter 28

Chapter 28: XXVIII
Two

"Klaus?" Caroline approached Klaus' office later that night.

As soon as they had returned from court, Klaus buried himself in work. It was nearly midnight before Caroline decided to go get him herself.

He looked up from his desk. His eyes were weary and sunken in. She could tell that these trials were draining the life out of him.

"The INS wants to meet with us in two days." He told her. "That's the day before we find out the verdict."

"You think they planned it like this?" She asked Klaus. It was weird to Caroline that the INS would randomly call during the trials and demand paperwork a day before Klaus found out if Mason was his real father.

"I know they planned it like this." He sunk his head in his hands for a moment before looking back up at her.

"I meant what I said." He started to explain to her. "I was never going to force you to get pregnant. I was never going to force you to do something I know you didn't want. I said and did a lot of things I'm not proud of. I know I hurt you. I know I can't take it back, but I want to make it better." He pushed out his chair and walked in front of Caroline.

He grabbed her face between both of his palms and looked her directly in the eyes. "I don't want to be my father, Caroline. And the only way I can do that is if I let you go. I can't even trust myself around you. I'm no good for you and in the end all I'm going to do is break your heart."

"I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions when I found you and Tyler alone the night of our welcome home party. I should have talked to you. I should have listened. He's been hung on you for years and I should have known he would pull something like that. He threatened to out us because he was so obsessed with you.

"And I treated you the same. I threatened you. I manipulated you in every way I shouldn't have. What happened the night before we got married? That shit shouldn't have happened either. I should have told you about her. I should have told you long ago about that because you deserve more than that. You deserve more than me and that's why I'm letting you go. I love you enough to do that. I love you so much that it fucking hurts right here." He placed one of his hands on his heart.

"I don't ever want to see you upset or suffer again because of something I did or said. I want you to be with someone for all the right reasons and Caroline, I'm so wrong for you in every way."

"You love me?" She asked.

"Caroline I don't think that –"

"You love me?" She asked again cutting him off.

"I love you, Caroline. I mean it, I do. I don't know how it happened, but I fell in love with you. My world was a dark lonely place and you've changed it. You brightened it to the point where I didn't even know how to handle it. You're my sunshine, Caroline. I told you that it hurts. It hurts so fucking bad that I can't sit still anymore, but you deserve better."

"Stop saying that." She told him. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I don't want to force –"

"You don't have to force me to do anything. I chose to stay. I want to stay."

"Are you –"

"Klaus." She stopped him from speaking once again. "Shut up and kiss me." But he didn't because Caroline was the first to wrap her arms around his neck and capture his lips.

He lifted her off of the ground and deepened the kiss. She opened her mouth allowing him entrance, but quickly ended it because she had other information to tell him.