Page 123 of Billionaire’s Heartbreak

“June…” Kai's voice pulled me back. “I want us to be together.”

“Kai…”

“Please.” His fingers tightened around mine. “Give me another chance.” He looked down at our hands. “All of this happened for a reason. It made me realise how much time we've wasted pretending we don't feel what we feel.”

I nodded slowly. We did only live once. Perhaps that was the cruelest thing about life. We could spend years thinking we had time, until suddenly—we didn't.

My eyes burned again. “Trust me. I wanted the same thing too.”

His eyes lifted. “But?”

“But it's not that simple.”

“I know I'm not perfect.” He smiled. “And I know you probably have a thousand reasons to say no.”

I looked at him.

“But I'm asking anyway.” He shifted beneath the sheets.

I immediately frowned. “Don't move.”

He ignored me, taking both my hands in his. His palms were warm, his grip steady despite everything his body had been through.

“June.” His voice changed. No teasing. No arrogance. Just him. “I love you.”

My eyes filled again.

“I have loved you for longer than I should probably admit.” He took a shaky breath. “And I don't want to waste another day pretending I can live without you.” He looked down at our joined hands, then back at me. “Marry me.”

My breath caught. “Kai…”

“I'll kneel if you want me to.”

“You can't even stand.”

“Minor detail.”

I laughed through my tears. He smiled, and for the first time since the shooting, the room didn't feel like a hospital or a battlefield. For one tiny moment, it felt like the beginning of something.

Then a gentle knock sounded at the door. Neither of us moved. The door opened, and the smile disappeared from Kai's face.

Lincoln walked in, followed by Lucy and Cousin Jenny, holding the hand of a little girl.

“Look who’s here,” Lincoln said softly.

I barely heard him. My attention remained on Kai, his hand wrapped around mine, his thumb moving slowly over my knuckles.

“Please say yes,” he whispered.

I opened my mouth, but I didn't know what I was going to say. Yes. No. Not yet. There were still too many things between us, too many lives tangled together and too many people who could be hurt.

Then a tiny voice broke through the silence. “There you are!” A little girl came running toward the bed. “Your hurt?”

“Huan Huan…” Kai's entire expression changed. The tension left his face, replaced by something warm and gentle.

Jenny cradled Huan Huan in her arms. “Come here, sweetheart. Let’s let Uncle Daddy get some rest.”

I blinked at the words Uncle Daddy, completely caught off guard. I looked at Jenny, then Lucy, then back at Kai. Had I heard that correctly? Huan Huan wrapped her tiny arms around Jenny's neck, oblivious to the complicated mess of adults around her.