Page 201 of Broken Destiny

Her expression softened instantly.

“I love you, Caleb Evans… always and forever.”

The words wrapped around my heart like a promise—unbreakable and eternal.

“Always and forever, Jiya Flores,” I whispered, cupping her face gently. “I’ll love you… always and forever.”

For a moment, we simply stood there holding each other beneath the quiet night sky.

Then I leaned in again.

A heartbeat later, my mouth claimed hers.

53

JIYA

The next morning, I walked downstairs with Caleb right behind me, his presence so close that warmth brushed against my skin even before I turned around.

The moment we stepped into the kitchen, the children’s faces lit up.

I had come back home with him.

Even now, the reality of it felt almost fragile and unreal.

The waiting, the pain, the longing, and the years apart had finally broken down the walls between our hearts. In the quiet darkness of the night, every touch felt both tender and desperate, as though we were trying to relearn each other all over again.

Caleb’s hands slipped beneath the thin barrier of fabric, tracing my skin slowly, reverently, as if he needed reassurance that I was truly there beside him. My lips brushed his neck and shoulders, lingering against warm skin while his breathing deepened beneath my touch.

We let go of pride, fear, and the distance that had kept us apart for far too long.

And when we finally came together, it was not driven by desire alone, but by forgiveness, healing, and the aching need to find our way back to each other again.

That night had been transcendent in a way words could barely capture.

It had been ours.

The memory glowed softly inside my chest as we sat at the breakfast table with the children, exchanging lingering glances and soft touches. Now and then, Caleb’s fingers brushed mine beneath the table as though he needed reassurance that I was still there.

And each time, I squeezed his hand back.

Then the doorbell rang.

The sound cut through the calm, and instinctively, I stood up.

“I’ll get it,” I said, wiping my hands on a dish towel before walking toward the door.

As I reached for the handle, a strange flutter stirred inside me, though I had no idea why.

I opened the door.

Standing on the other side were Caleb’s siblings, their spouses, and Randall.

For a brief second, none of us spoke.

Then Sophia stepped forward, tears already streaming down her cheeks.

“Jiya,” she said brokenly. “We’re sorry. We’re all truly sorry for what we thought about you and for how we treated you.”