I Want You Forever
RONNY’S POV
I couldn’t stop staring at her.
Even when we were finally back home, with the chaos behind us and the nightmare left in that rotting house, my eyes refused to leave her.
She was curled on the couch in one of my shirts, her knees tucked beneath her, her hair falling over her cheek in loose strands. The bruises on her wrists looked too raw, her cheek was still swollen, and though she tried to hide it behind a brave little smile, I saw the exhaustion clinging to her bones.
She was safe. She was here. She was mine.
And yet—I felt like if I blinked, she’d vanish. Like she’d dissolve into thin air and I’d wake up alone, the way I always feared I would.
Every time she shifted, I tracked it. Every sigh, every tilt of her head, every small, stubborn smile she gave me when she caught me staring. My lungs didn’t remember how to breathe without her in the room.
“Ronny,” she murmured, her voice gentle, coaxing, like she was speaking to a wounded animal. “I’m fine.”
The words cut through me.
Fine.
As if that could possibly describe what she’d been through. As if the bruises on her wrists, the red marks across her ankles, the swelling on her cheek were nothing. As if her trembling breath, the way her fingers kept brushing her stomach without her realizing it, were details I could just ignore.
“You’re not fine,” I said sharply, harsher than I meant to. My throat ached as I ran a hand down my face, dragging in air I couldn’t find. “You got hurt. You—fuck, Liliana. You could’ve died.”
Her eyes softened, glistening under the low light of the lamp. She reached across the couch and took my hand, her fingers warm, grounding.
“I just have a few bruises from the ropes,” she said softly. “And my swollen cheek will heal in no time. You don’t need to look at me like I’m broken.”
But I couldn’t help it.
Because she wasn’t broken—she was everything. And the thought of her in pain, the thought of someone laying their filthy hands on her, was enough to make my blood turn to fire again.
I tightened my grip on her hand, staring at her like she was the last thing tethering me to this world.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I rasped.
Her brows furrowed. “Tell you what?”
“That you were going to the hospital.” My jaw locked, my chest tightening, “That you were going to find out if you were—”
I stopped, my throat catching. The word felt too big to force past my lips, too fragile to risk shattering if I said it wrong.
She swallowed, her gaze dropping to her lap. Her fingers played with the hem of my shirt on her thighs, twisting the fabric nervously.
“I just wanted to be sure,” she whispered. “I didn’t know how you’d react. I didn’t know if you’d want this… if you’d want me—like this.”
Her voice cracked on the last word, and my entire chest split open.
God.
She thought I wouldn’t want her. She thought I wouldn’t want us.
I slid off the armchair and onto my knees in front of her, taking her face in my hands. Her skin was warm beneath my palms, soft even with the bruises.
“Liliana,” I breathed, my voice rough, my heart pounding like a war drum. “You’re my life. My light in the dark. Of course I want this child. Of course I want you. There’s no version of this world where I wouldn’t.”
Her lips parted, trembling, and her eyes—those eyes that always gutted me—shone with tears that spilled free before she could blink them back.
“My parents might have been shitty,” I went on, my thumb brushing a tear from her cheek, “but I’m not them. I won’t ever be them. I’ll love this child. I’ll love you. I’ll never abandon you or our baby. I’ll protect you both with every piece of me. Because you, Liliana—you’re the only woman I’ll ever want. The only one I’ll ever love. The only one I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
A sob broke from her throat, soft and beautiful, and I hated and loved the sound all at once.
“Don’t cry,” I begged, my chest aching as I kissed her damp cheek. “Please, baby girl. I hate it when you cry.”
“They’re tears of joy,” she whispered, her hands sliding up to cup mine. “I can’t help it. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
I pressed my forehead to hers, closing my eyes, drinking her in. Her scent, her warmth, the way her breaths came shaky but steadying as we leaned into each other.
“I mean it,” I murmured. “Every word. You and our child—you’re my whole world.”
Her smile wobbled, sweet and broken and whole all at once. “Ronny…”
I couldn’t stand the distance between us anymore. In one swift movement, I scooped her into my arms, carrying her to the bed. She squeaked in surprise, her laughter breaking the heaviness for a moment, but she didn’t resist. She curled into me like she was always meant to be there.
I laid her down gently, then climbed in beside her, pulling her against my chest. Her body molded perfectly against mine, her head resting just under my chin.
She sighed, soft and content, and for the first time in days—hell, maybe years—I felt like I could breathe.
“My mom would be so happy,” she whispered after a moment, her voice thick with emotion. “To know I’ve found someone like you. She would’ve loved you so much.”
A lump formed in my throat, sharp and heavy. I kissed the top of her head, inhaling the scent of her hair.
“I’m sure she’s watching over us,” I said quietly. “I’m sure she already knows.”
She nodded against my chest, her arms tightening around me. Then she burrowed closer, her breath warm against my skin. Within minutes, her breathing evened out, soft and steady, sleep finally claiming her.
But I couldn’t sleep.
Not when she was lying here in my arms, safe but still fragile, her body carrying my child. Not when the image of her tied up, her skin marked, her voice screaming in defiance still replayed in my head like a broken record.
I stared down at her, at the way her lashes fanned against her cheeks, at the way her lips parted slightly as she dreamed.
What did I do to deserve this?
Her.
This light, this warmth, this fierce, stubborn, beautiful woman who turned my cold, broken life into something I could finally call home.
I thought I was destined to walk through fire alone, to let the darkness eat me whole until there was nothing left. I thought I’d never have more than blood on my hands and emptiness in my chest.
But then she came.
She gave me laughter. She gave me softness. She gave me something worth burning for.
I wanted this forever.
Her. This child. This life we could build together.
I wanted her to be mine forever.
And as I lay there in the dark, listen
ing to her heartbeat against my chest, I knew I’d do whatever it took to make that happen.
Whatever it took.
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