Sunlight filtered gently through the hospital curtains.
Lisa blinked awake to the sound of soft humming — a lullaby she didn't recognize at first. She turned her head slowly and saw Alex cradling their baby girl, swaying gently in the rocking chair beside her.
For a moment, she just watched.
His expression had changed — it wasn't the cold, strict CEO anymore. It was something softer, rawer. A man who had almost lost everything... and finally understood what truly mattered.
"Hey," Lisa whispered weakly.
Alex turned immediately. "You're awake."
Lisa looked down at the small bundle in his arms. "Is she okay?"
"She's perfect," Alex whispered, walking to her side and gently placing the baby in her arms. "Just like her mother."
Lisa's heart trembled.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I left without saying goodbye. I just... I thought you didn't want me. Or her."
Alex sat beside her, his fingers brushing a strand of hair from her face.
"I was cruel," he admitted. "I didn't realize how much I needed you until you were gone. All this time, I thought I was in control. But Lisa... you were the only one who ever truly loved me without wanting anything back."
She looked down, her eyes filling. "I was so scared. I didn't want our family to be ashamed. I didn't want her to grow up in pain."
Alex placed a hand over hers. "Then let her grow up in love. Let her grow up knowing her father will move heaven and earth to protect her — and her mother."
Lisa met his gaze — it was no longer unreadable.
It was warm. Honest.
"You... still want us?" she whispered.
"I never stopped."
—
Six months later, the villa was blooming again.
Laughter echoed through its halls, the scent of fresh flowers filling every room.
Mia had broken off the engagement with grace and moved overseas for a new chapter. Eli and Zia now walked the hospital halls together — not just as surgeon and nurse, but partners.
As for Lisa and Alex?
He no longer sat alone in his office late at night.
Instead, he rushed home to help bathe their daughter, to press kisses to Lisa's temple, and to fall asleep with her tucked under his arm.
At the backyard, under the same stars Lisa used to cry beneath, she now stood with a quiet smile — her baby cooing in her arms, and Alex wrapping a protective arm around both.
He kissed her forehead.
"You're not just mine after years, Lisa," he murmured, "You've always been mine."
Lisa leaned into him, tears falling silently down her cheek — not from sadness, but peace.
Because after all the waiting, all the heartbreak, all the silence —
She was finally loved.
And this time, she didn't have to hide it.
⸻
THE END