Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 514

Chapter 514

Madeline’s POV

Morning filtered through the hospital room window, that soft, golden light that made everything feel gentler than it really was. I’d been sitting in the chair beside Marcus’s bed for nearly an hour, just watching him sleep.

Aurora was in my arms, asleep too, warm and safe against my chest. She’d nursed about half an hour earlier and was completely relaxed now, her tiny lips making those little sucking motions even in her

sleep.

Marcus had been moved from recovery to a private room the night before, but when I arrived, he was still groggy from the anesthesia. We’d only managed a few quiet words before he drifted off again, his hand loose in mine, his face pale against the white pillow.

But now, with the morning light touching his features, he looked better. More present. More alive.

As if he could feel my gaze, his eyes slowly opened. He blinked a few times, focusing, adjusting to the light. Then his eyes found mine.

And he smiled.

That smile. That damn smile that had undone me from the very first moment we met. The one that made me forget how to breathe. The one that made everything feel possible.

“Hey,” he said, his voice rough from disuse and medication.

“Hey,” I answered, tears immediately rising. Tears of relief. Of joy. Of a love so intense it hurt.

He tried to sit up, grimacing when the movement pulled at his injured shoulder.

“Easy,” I said right away. “Don’t push it. You just had surgery.” I kept Aurora steady as I leaned in to help him settle back against the pillows.

“I’m fine,” he said, though his breathing was a little faster. “Just… sore.”

“Sore?” I repeated, lifting a brow. “Marcus, you were shot.”

He gave me that crooked grin of his.

“Oh. Just that? I thought it was something serious.”

I laughed despite the tears, shaking my head.

“Idiot,” I murmured fondly.

His eyes dropped then to the bundle in my arms. To Aurora. And I watched something melt in his expression. Every bit of bravado, every attempt to look tough, disappeared-leaving only awe. Love. Raw, unguarded vulnerability.

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Chapter 514

“Can I…” he started, his voice faltering. “Can I hold her?”

“Of course,” I said, moving closer to the bed.

I helped him position his good arm, propped it with pillows, made sure nothing pulled on his injured shoulder. Then, with all the care in the world, I placed Aurora in his arms.

He held her like she was made of glass. So gently. So reverently.

“Hey, little one,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “Hi, Aurora. Daddy’s here.”

I sat on the edge of the bed, watching them. My husband and my daughter. My family. Alive. Together. Safe.

“She’s perfect,” Marcus said, his eyes never leaving Aurora’s face. “Madeline, she’s absolutely perfect.”

“She is,” I agreed, wiping at the tears now freely falling. “And she has you. We have you.”

His free hand found mine, lacing our fingers together, squeezing tight.

“I thought I’d lost you,” the words spilled out before I could stop them. “When I saw you fall. When I saw the blood. I… I thought you were dead. That you’d left me. That Aurora would grow up without knowing her father.”

My voice completely broke, sobs tearing free.

“I thought I’d lost you,” I repeated, barely more than a whisper.

Marcus squeezed my hand harder, pulling me closer.

“Hey,” he said softly. “Hey, look at me.”

I lifted my eyes to his blue ones that were filled with determination.

“I’m not ready to go anywhere,” he said, every word firm and clear. “Not now. Not yet. Especially not now that I have you and Aurora. You two are my whole life, Madeline. I’m not leaving you. Not if I can help it.”

I leaned in, resting my forehead against his, careful not to jostle Aurora between us.

“Promise?” I whispered.

“I promise,” he said without hesitation.

We stayed like that for a long moment. Just breathing together. Existing together. Grateful to be alive.

Eventually, I pulled back, wiping my face with the back of my hand.

Marcus was looking at Aurora again, but there was something different in his expression now. Something heavy. Guilty.

“What is it?” I asked, recognizing that look.

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He sighed.

“I just… I’m sorry I couldn’t do more,” he said quietly. “It feels like… like I was useless. You went alone to face Dominic. You were the one who had to deal with everything. And I just… passed out and stayed on the floor while you-”

“Stop,” I cut in firmly. “Stop that right now.”

He looked at me, startled by my tone.

“Marcus,” I said, cupping his face with my free hand, “you thought of everything. The car tracker. The tag you put on me without me even realizing it. Warning Christian before we went into that warehouse. You were not useless. You were… you were brilliant.”

I saw something shift in his eyes.

“If it weren’t for you,” I continued, my voice growing stronger, “I might still be there. Or worse. Christian would never have found us in time. The police wouldn’t have arrived when they did. Everything that went right happened because you planned. Because you were thinking three steps ahead even in the middle of chaos.”

I squeezed his hand.

“You saved me, Marcus. You saved your daughter. And not just then. You’ve been saving me since the day we met. Since the day I jumped on your motorcycle without even knowing your name. You gave me a way out. You gave me hope. You gave me love. You gave me a family.”

The tears came back, but I kept going.

of

“And now, finally, we’re free from any situation where either of us needs to be saved. You can let go that weight, love. You can rest. The nightmare is over. And as soon as you recover, we’re going home-to live a beautiful, simple life and raise our daughter surrounded by love.”

I watched the emotion cross his face. Tears filling his eyes. The tension he’d been carrying finally starting to loosen.

“And bring back the glory of Sullivan Parks,” he added, that crooked smile returning.

I laughed. I really laughed. Loud and genuine.

“You can’t stop thinking about work for even one second, can you?”

He shrugged-and immediately winced when the movement pulled at his injury.

“When there’s no psychopath trying to destroy my family,” he said with a smile, “I kind of have a lot of

free time to think about other things.”

I smiled back and leaned in to kiss him. It was a soft, gentle kiss-mindful of Aurora sleeping between

us and of how fragile he still was. But it was full of promise. Of a future. Of everything we were still going to build together.

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When we pulled apart, I rested my head carefully against his uninjured shoulder, looking at Aurora nestled in his arms.

“Our family,” I whispered.

“Our family,” he echoed, kissing my hair.

And for the first time in so long-maybe for the first time since everything began-I felt peace. Real

peace.

The nightmare was over.

And our life.was only just beginning.

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