Chapter 318: No one can save you.
Ava’s heart sank at his words, and she quickly shook her head. "Of course, I like him. But not in the way you’re thinking." She looked up at him, her eyes pleading for him to understand. "Nicholas is a good man... a good friend. I don’t want to lose him."
Dylan’s fingers slowly uncurled from hers, pulling away. A small, almost imperceptible distance formed between them.
Her reassurance did little to soothe the ache in his heart.
Ava was his wife—the woman he loved more than anything in this world. He wanted her undivided attention. But hearing her concern for another man, even if it wasn’t romantic, still left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Ava hated seeing that look on his face. She slowly sat up, inching toward him. She wrapped her arm around his and dropped her head on his shoulder. "But the man I love is you – only you," she murmured. "My heart belongs to you. No one else can be my man but you."
Dylan let out a slow breath, the tension melting from his body. A small, relieved smile formed on his lips. He glanced down and held her chin, making her meet his gaze. "You said this..."
Ava reached up, cupping his cheek, her thumb brushing over his skin tenderly. "I loved you, then hated you. I fell in love with you all over again. My life revolves around you. No one can make me laugh and cry at the same time. It’s you. It has always been you."
The doubts in his heart melted away. His expression softened. "I love you, Ava," he whispered. "I’ll never hurt you again."
His lips captured hers in a kiss—gentle yet consuming, slow yet intoxicating. He poured every ounce of love and devotion into it.
Ava melted into him, her hands gripping his shirt, pulling him closer as if she could sink into him completely.
Just as the kiss deepened, the sharp chime of the doorbell shattered the moment.