Chapter 144
Chapter 144
Asher’s POV
The moment I stepped through the front door, the weight on my shoulders didn’t disappear, but for the first time in what felt like forever, I could breathe. The fight was over. The mafia was done. And I was finally home.
I didn’t stop to take off my coat or set down my bag. I moved through the house with one thought in my mind, Ivy.
She was in the living room, curled up on the couch with a book resting on her lap. Her hair was pulled into a loose bun, strands falling around her face. She looked tired, lost in thought, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the edges of the pages.
For a second, I just stood there, taking her in.
Then, as if sensing me, she looked up.
Her eyes widened, and the book slid from her lap as she shot to her feet. “Asher?”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. The second she said my name, something in me snapped, and before I knew it, I was closing the distance between us.
She barely had time to react before I pulled her into my arms.
Her breath hitched against my chest, but she didn’t hesitate. Her arms wrapped around me, her fingers gripping the back of my shirt like she was afraid to let go.
I buried my face in her hair, inhaling the familiar scent of her shampoo, the warmth of her skin. I hadn’t realized how much I needed this, how much I needed her, until now.
“You’re home,” she whispered.
I tightened my hold. “Yeah. I’m home.”
She pulled back just enough to look at me, her hands moving to my face, tracing the lines of exhaustion, the faint bruises that hadn’t fully faded. Her brows furrowed. “Are you okay?”
I let out a slow breath. “I am now.”
Her lips parted, but whatever she was about to say disappeared when I kissed her.
It wasn’t soft or hesitant. It was desperate, aching, months of distance and sleepless nights pouring into the way my mouth moved against hers. She didn’t pull away. She met me with the–same intensity, her fingers tangling in my hair as she pressed closer.
When we finally broke apart, she rested her forehead against mine. “I missed you.”
Guilt twisted in my chest. “I know. I missed you too.”
Her eyes searched mine. “Is it really over?”
I exhaled. “Yeah. It’s over.”
She let out a shaky breath, and for the first time in weeks, I saw something other than worry in her expression.
I cupped her face, brushing my thumb over her cheek. “I’m sorry I was gone so long.”
She shook her head. “You were doing what you had to.”
“That doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt you.”
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15:36 Wed, 9 Jul
Chapter 144
Her throat bobbed. “I just didn’t know how much longer I could keep waiting for you to come back to me,”
I pressed my lips to her forehead, lingering there for a moment. “You don’t have to wait anymore.”
She closed her eyes, her fingers tightening around mine.
For the first time in a long time, I meant it.
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