Melissa stood at the window of her penthouse apartment, the city stretching out in glittering chaos below her. Eve slept peacefully in her bassinet nearby, a soft coo escaping her now and then, oblivious to the maelstrom unfolding outside these walls.
Melissa, however, felt anything but peaceful.
Since returning from the hospital, her life had become a swirl of media frenzy, invasive questions, and silent battles with Max that left her drained and furious.
She had cut herself off from almost everyone as Lorato ran interference with the FireThreads team, her mother fielded concerned family calls, and Melissa hid.
She didn't want anyone seeing how deeply broken she felt.
Because if they did, they'd see the truth: she was terrified.
Terrified that this fleeting moment of almost-family was a lie.
Terrified that loving Max again would destroy her a second time.
Terrified of the storm she could no longer outrun.
There was a knock at the door.
Melissa stiffened. Eve stirred.
Heart hammering, she moved quickly and scooped her daughter into her arms before crossing the room.
When she opened the door, Max stood there.
Not in his usual tailored perfection, but in a simple black hoodie and jeans, hair messy, dark circles under his eyes.
In his hand was a plain manila envelope which was not flashy, not expensive just... real.
"Can I come in?" he asked quietly.
Melissa hesitated, instinct screaming to slam the door. But Eve stirred against her, and she realized she couldn't keep shutting the world out.
Wordlessly, she stepped aside.
Max entered, closing the door softly behind him. For a moment, they simply stood there, facing each other like strangers who remembered too much.
Melissa rocked Eve gently, giving her something to focus on other than the rising tide of emotion in her chest.
Max held up the envelope.
"I'm not here to fight," he said. "I'm here to fix this... if you'll let me."
Melissa said nothing. She simply waited.
Max exhaled shakily and pulled out a set of papers.
"A marriage contract," he said bluntly. "Legal. Fair. No tricks. You keep everything that's yours. Eve's trust stays intact. Botho Global stays under your daughter's name without interference from me or my board."
Melissa's fingers tightened on Eve's blanket.
"And what do you get out of it?" she asked, voice brittle. Max met her gaze, raw vulnerability shining through.
"You."
The word hung between them, so heavy, so unbearably fragile.
Melissa shook her head, feeling anger and grief and longing swirl in her chest.
"You're trying to fix this with paperwork?" she whispered. "You think a contract will heal the years you abandoned me? That a signature will erase what you did?"
Max's face crumpled, and for once, he didn't hide it.
"I don't expect it to," he said hoarsely. "I know I don't deserve you. Or her. But I can't pretend anymore, Mel. I love you. I never stopped. And if the only way to prove it is by handing over every weapon you could ever use against me, I'll do it."
Melissa's breath hitched.
She wanted to believe him. God, she wanted to.
But the walls she had built around her heart were made of concrete and blood and tears. They didn't crumble that easily.
"You don't get to walk back into my life and demand everything," she said, voice trembling. "You don't get to rewrite history just because it's convenient now."
"I'm not," Max said, stepping closer. "I'm asking you to give me the chance to write a new chapter. One where you're not alone. Where Eve grows up seeing what real love looks like."
Melissa closed her eyes, Eve's weight grounding her.
"I don't know if I can forgive you," she whispered.
Max's voice broke,"Then let me spend the rest of my life trying."
Silence stretched between them, deep and raw.
Finally, Melissa opened her eyes and met his.
"Leave the papers," she said, her voice barely audible. "I'll think about it."
Max nodded, blinking rapidly. He placed the envelope on the side table and pressed a kiss to Eve's forehead so lightly it was almost a prayer.
Then he left, the door closing behind him with a soft click that echoed like a gunshot in Melissa's chest.
The next days were a blur as Melissa buried herself in Eve's care, in business meetings through Lorato, in silent battles with herself.
Her heart warred with her mind every waking moment.
Every time Eve smiled in her sleep, her tiny hands waving in the air, Melissa felt a longing so fierce it terrified her.
Was it wrong to want to give Eve a real family?
Was it wrong to still crave Max's touch, his love, even after everything?
The media storm didn't help.
Speculation about the Botho fortune ran rampant. Every tabloid had a different version of the "Baby Billionaire Heiress" story. Commentators painted Max as everything from a ruthless businessman to a failed father trying to save face.
Only Eve's publicized trust fund calmed the investors who had started to question Botho Global's stability.
Max's mother, ever the queen of PR warfare, refused interviews and simply posted a photo of Eve's tiny hand wrapped around hers, no caption needed.
The world adored her and it made Max's isolation even more glaring.
Melissa watched all this unfold with a cold, detached numbness.
Until Rama called.
She almost didn't answer. But something in her chest ached for the familiar warmth of an old friend.
"Mel," Rama's deep voice said the second she picked up. "I heard about everything. You okay?"
Melissa closed her eyes, sinking into the couch, Eve snoozing on her chest.
"No," she said honestly.
"You don't have to do this alone," Rama said. "You never did."
The tenderness in his voice nearly broke her.
But when she thought of Max's raw confession, of the marriage contract lying untouched on her desk, of Eve's tiny heart beating against hers Melissa realized something, she didn't want to run anymore!
Not from her pain.
Not from her love.
Not from the life she had fought so hard to build.
She wanted to choose.
Freely. Fiercely. Without fear.
Melissa opened her eyes.
"Thank you, Rama," she said softly. "I'll be okay but please come back the work needs you"
Even if it destroyed and it terrified her she would fight for her future on her own terms and when Max came for her again, as she knew he would, she would be ready.
This time, she would decide whether their love was strong enough to survive the wreckage they had made.