Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 433

Chapter 433

Marcus’ POV

Her question hung between us, heavy with all the vulnerability we’d laid bare in the last few minutes. When I finally answered, my voice came out softer than I expected.

“Don’t you see?” I asked, shifting slightly so I could look at her better in the dim light of the elevator. “The time for me to pull away from you has already passed.”

I felt her tense in my arms, like she was bracing for an answer she didn’t want to hear.

“I had two chances,” I went on, letting brutal honesty take over. “One in that hotel bed, after the first night we spent together. Remember? Another when you asked me to go to the Maldives. Remember that? You were desperate, needing to escape everything, and you asked me to go with you on your honeymoon. I should’ve said no. I should’ve let you move on with your life and gone back to mine.”

The memory was so vivid I could almost feel the hotel sheets again, hear her breathing beside me, feel the internal war raging inside my chest.

“But instead I thought, okay, the sex was incredible and I want her again,” I admitted, making Madeline laugh softly.

“So you didn’t let me go,” she murmured.

“And then I had a second chance when we got back from the Maldives,” I continued. “When everything was chaos. When you were dealing with the pressure from your family and from Dominic. I could’ve just disappeared, like we’d originally agreed. I didn’t have to get involved.”

I paused, remembering how that option had crossed my mind, especially after the threatening photos.

“Instead, I asked you to marry me.

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Madeline laughed.

“So what changed?” she asked, her voice curious, not accusatory.

“I don’t know exactly,” I answered honestly. “I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t let you go. Every time I thought about pulling away, about pretending you didn’t mean anything to me, something inside me flat-out refused.”

I ran my hand through her hair, a gesture that had become instinctive whenever I needed grounding.

“I think after so many years of protecting myself from feeling anything real for someone,” I went on, “when it finally happened, it was impossible to ignore. And I… I don’t want to lose my chance to be happy.”

“Do I make you happy?” she asked quietly, an insecurity in her voice that broke my heart.

I couldn’t help laughing, the sound echoing strangely in the confined space.

“You drive me crazy most of the time,” I teased, feeling her shift as she tried to swat me playfully. “Stubborn, impulsive, always making dangerous decisions without thinking about the consequences-”

“Marcus!” she protested, but I could hear the smile in her voice.

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“But the rest of the time,” I continued, my tone turning serious, “yes. You make me happy. Happier than I ever thought I could be.”

Madeline leaned in and kissed me softly, a light touch that carried more emotion than many of the passionate kisses I’d had in my life.

“Now I understand how hard it must have been for you to choose to protect me,” she said when she pulled back, “and not just… ignore everything that comes with me.”

“It is hard,” I admitted without hesitation. “Every day. Needing to be sure that you’re okay, that you’re going to stay okay. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night just to make sure you’re still breathing beside me.”

She went quiet for a moment, absorbing my confession.

“Thank you,” she said finally. “For choosing to stay. For choosing to fight for me, even when it must have seemed easier to walk away.”

“You don’t need to thank me for something I wanted to do,” I replied.

“But you know you can’t control everything, right?” she asked gently. There was no accusation in her voice, only care. “You know you can’t control… life happening.”

“I can’t?” I teased, trying to lighten the weight between us. “I’ve been doing a pretty good job of that for the last few years.”

Madeline laughed, the sound bright and warm as it echoed through the elevator, making my heart speed up.

“Marcus,” she repeated, this time more serious, “you know you can’t control everything. Things happen, and they aren’t your fault.”

I sighed, knowing she was right even as I fought against my instincts.

“I know,” I admitted reluctantly. “Logically, I know I can’t. But being a Kensington, I was raised not to back down easily. Especially when it comes to protecting what matters to me.”

“And I matter to you?” she asked, even though we both already knew the answer.

“You and our baby are the most important things in my life right now,” I said without hesitation. “That’s why it’s so hard to accept that I can’t control everything that might affect you.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes, simply breathing together, letting the closeness and the brutal honesty settle between us. I could still hear the technicians working outside, but it felt distant, like the world had narrowed to just the two of us.

“And now,” I said at last, pulling her closer, “now we’re here, and we’re okay. Right?”

Madeline glanced around the dark, narrow elevator, then looked back at me with an amused expression.

“If you call being trapped inside an elevator okay…”

“We’re together,” I interrupted, my voice filled with a certainty that surprised even me. “We’re okay.”

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