Free Web NovelChapter 250: Chapter 250 Second Chance
Christina’s POV
I frowned. "Who brings their husband to work?"
"Don’t think of me as your husband. Think of me as your assistant," Hudson said with that irresistible half-smile that made Akira practically purr inside me.
I considered it. "Fine."
He kicked the covers up and dragged them over both of us. "Come back to bed, it’s still early."
I tucked myself against his chest, curled into the space under his chin where I fit perfectly.
I hadn’t even shut my eyes when I felt his hand sliding down my back, tracing the curve of my waist.
The nap never happened.
It was as if Hudson had just discovered that stamina was a competitive sport and I was the trophy. Soon, I was sore everywhere, and my spine had melted into the mattress.
Then he started again.
I nudged his chest, eyes blurred. "I can’t. Hudson, please—"
"Okay," he muttered, but his pace didn’t slow. At all.
By the time he stopped, I couldn’t tell if I was breathing or hallucinating. Everything buzzed. My brain lagged behind my body like it needed a reboot.
I was barely conscious when I felt him take my hand.
I blinked blearily and watched him slip my ring off.
In his other hand was another ring, one I hadn’t seen before.
My head cleared just enough to choke out. "What are you doing?"
"The first one was custom, but it was rushed." He held the new ring higher. "This one’s from the same designer, but done with more time and thought. I wanted it right."
The band was platinum, narrow, clean-lined. A row of tiny diamonds circled it, sharp and bright. The center stone was round, larger, set low. Light scattered across the duvet in narrow streaks, blinking off the wall.
My eyes stung, from the light and from the tears forming at the corners.
My throat tightened. "Why?"
He was half-kneeling in front of the bed. "Because I want to ask you properly this time. Will you marry me?"
My fingers clenched the duvet. "So this is... a proposal?"
"Yeah."
"We’re already married."
"That wasn’t real. You had your reasons. So did I. But none of it was clean. I want to fix it. You never got a real proposal. Or a wedding. You deserve both. So..." He looked into my eyes. "Will you?"
He stayed there, holding the ring up like a reverent offering.
My vision blurred.
I reached up and brushed my fingertips against the edge of the band. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Then my hand jerked back and I shoved it under the covers.
His brow pulled tight. "What’s wrong?"
I rubbed the spot where the ring had touched. "We need to talk."
It sounded ominous, even to my own ears.
"What is it?" Hudson’s expression told me he felt the same way.
I hesitated, lips dry. "There was a woman, someone who... You’ve been in love with her for a long time, haven’t you? It was before you came back to Highrise City."
The second I said it, I felt both lighter and heavier. Finally, I’d gotten it off my chest. But saying it out loud didn’t make it better. It made it worse.
A wistful look came into Hudson’s eyes. It softened all his facial features. His eyes crinkled with a genuine smile, like whatever he was thinking of had brought him real joy.
And it brought me real pain.
The nod he gave was without hesitation. "Yeah." fгeewebnovёl.com
I’d prepared myself. Still, it felt like I’d been kicked in the ribs. Akira whined softly, curling into herself.
I forced my expression steady. "What’s she like?"
"She’s—" He paused.
The look he gave me was surprise mixed with confusion, like he didn’t understand why I would ask that.
He swallowed whatever he was about to say and instead asked, "What do you think she’s like?"
Why would he ask me that? The man had just proposed to me less than two minutes ago, and now he didn’t even look the slightest bit embarrassed talking about his ex-flame. Was he that thick-skinned, or was I missing something?
I recalled what little intel I’d gathered from Cassian. "She’s a dancer, also in Highrise City. Isn’t she?"
"What?" Hudson shot to his feet.
The baffled look on his face must have mirrored my own. We stared at each other.
He finally exhaled hard. "Where the hell did you hear that? That’s—Moon Goddess, that’s not even close. What dancer? There’s no such person."
"There isn’t?" I blinked. "But... you just admitted there was someone. Someone you’ve been in love with for years. If it’s not the dancer, then who—"
"No." He spun around and started pacing.
It was rare to see him this agitated.
He paused abruptly in front of me, leaned down close until all I could see was his face.
"The person I’ve been in love with this whole damn time is you! You’re my fated mate!"
"Me?" I searched his eyes, saw nothing but my own reflection and his absolute conviction.
Now I wanted to pace.
"That’s impossible. My fated mate is Niall..." But Akira had been wounded after the rejection. She couldn’t recognize a fated mate anymore. I had no feelings left for Niall, but with Hudson, that flutter, that pull, was it just love, or was it the mate bond too?
My brain was chaos.
Hudson gripped my hands in his. "You never recognized me. I was afraid if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. So I waited for you to notice, for your wolf to heal. But you’ve been so oblivious, so clueless."
"I am your second chance mate. If you couldn’t figure it out, that’s fine. Even without the mate bond, I wanted you to fall for me. I wanted to be with you. That’s why I kept trying, staying by your side."
I sat stunned by this sudden confession, this revelation that changed everything.
Hudson continued, "When you said you wanted to try with me, when you said you wanted to be with me, sleep with me, when you said you liked me—do you know how happy that made me? I felt like the luckiest Alpha in the world! I can’t let you think I’ve loved someone else while proposing to you. I won’t let misunderstandings keep us apart anymore."
