The storm in their room had quieted, settling into a warm, breath-heavy silence. Sara lay against Kairo's chest, her face tucked beneath his chin, their legs tangled under the sheets as if they weren't two people but one heartbeat stretched across two bodies.
Her skin still shivered with leftover emotion, not lust but that vulnerable ache that rises after intimacy hits too deep.
Kairo felt it immediately.
He smoothed his palm down her back in slow, quiet strokes, each movement gentle enough to rewrite whatever hurt was still clinging to her.
"You okay, darling?" his voice came out soft, lower than usual, like he didn't want to disturb the calm settling over them.
She hummed, but he could tell it wasn't enough. Her breath was uneven, the same way it got whenever something emotional tried to surface.
He shifted, rolling her slightly so he could see her face. She blinked up at him, eyes a little glassy, lips swollen from his kisses. Kairo cradled her cheek with his thumb, brushing it tenderly. "Baby…" he whispered, leaning in to kiss her forehead, slow and grounding. "Still hurt?"
"No," she whispered, voice small. "It's just… everything...." She couldn't finish the sentence again.
Kairo exhaled softly, the kind of breath that carried more affection than air. He pulled her up onto his chest again, adjusting the blanket around her like he was tucking in the most precious thing he owned.
Sara curled into him immediately, fingers gripping his waist. Kairo kissed the top of her head, then the side of her temple, lingering like he was trying to press love into her skin.
"You're mine, you know that?" he murmured, rubbing slow circles on her hip. "Not just because you are my wife. Because of who you are. Because you're the only one my heart keeps choosing even when it's tired."
A soft sound caught in her throat. Tears silently slipped from her eyes; it wasn't out of pain but out of overwhelmed love, and he could feel her tears on his skin.
"And I'm not letting that man," his jaw tensed slightly, "or anyone, make you feel like you're unwanted. Not in this lifetime."
Sara pressed her forehead to his chest, breathing him in, trying to stop her tears. He tightened his hold, wrapping her fully in his arms, and whispered, "You're safe, my love. I've got you. You don't have to carry anything alone, not when I'm here."
Her throat clenched painfully, the soundless sobs twisting into a hiccup.
He shifted again, reaching for her water bottle on the nightstand. He nudged it gently against her lip. "Drink," he whispered. "Your body worked hard."
She let out a tiny laugh between sobs and tears. She drank the water, and Kairo smiled. He wiped her tears and the corner of her mouth with his thumb before kissing her again, this time feather-light.
He looked at her teary eyes... kissed her eyelids gently. "Don't strain your eyes, baby."
She looked at him then, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, breathing steadier.
He watched her for a moment… then dipped forward and kissed her flushed, slightly runny nose. She chuckled, pushing him away at his nasty gesture.
He laughed quietly and stole a quick kiss from her lips, then another. A warm trail followed… her cheek, the curve beneath her jaw, the soft line of her neck, then lower to her chest, nuzzling a little too much, where she burst into giggles at the tickle of his hair brushing her skin.
Her laughter filled his chest with something bright. Real, warm.
His hands kept moving in slow, absent circles, tracing the lines of her hips, the subtle curve of her waist, the gentle rise of her chest, and finally stopped at her throat. A tender rhythm that soothed her back into calm, intimate even as his gaze stayed locked with hers, steady, adoring, unhurried.
She brushed her fingers along his lower lip, and the moment her touch lingered, he leaned in, catching her mouth in a slow kiss. She cupped his face, moving with him, soft, warm, a little breathless. Not enough. Never enough.
They pulled back, lips parted, trembling due to the sensation, "I love the way you breathe, baby." He whispered, and her heart folded into itself, tender. She smiled. He pecked her lips, smiling along with her. he snuggled into her neck, his messy hair brushing her jaw, tickling, his hands kneading her soft skin, like he was not enough of touching her.
She slid her fingers down the length of his spine, slow and deliberate. He groaned softly and let his hands wander on her. Hips, her thighs, cupping her butt cheeks, squeezing gently, making her laugh. He laughed with her, face hidden in her neck, while his hands continued roaming.
"Kairo," she called.
"Hm?"
"Why do you love me so much?"
His hands froze. He lifted his head, staring at her as she'd just asked the most ridiculous question ever.
"What?" The look on his face made her laugh instantly.
"After all the love I poured out… after everything I confessed… you're still asking this, Baby?" he said, baffled.
She grinned, "That was about how much you love me. I'm asking why."
He stared at her for a beat, thinking… then shrugged with the most honest softness. "I don't know. I just love you. I feel alive when I'm with you."
She studied his green eyes, glowing in the dim room, and he nuzzled his nose against hers. "Stop asking questions like that, baby."
She giggled, brushing her thumb along his cheek. "I just felt like asking… You were different tonight. And I like this version of You."
He laughed quietly. "Then I'll stay like this for you forever."
She thought for a second and shook her head. "No… not always. Sometimes is enough. I still love my old asshole more."
He dropped his head with a dramatic groan, his messy hair brushing her face, making her laugh harder.
He kissed her cheek once, warm and soft, before collapsing into her arms again, still grinning. Then he sneakily pinched her nipple, making her squeal.
"The old asshole, for you, baby," he teased.
She smacked his hand away, and he only laughed more, kissing along her jaw, smug and glowing in her warmth.
They lay tangled in the dim quiet of their room, sheets warm, breaths slow, her fingers lazily combing through his hair while he burrowed into her neck like it was his favorite pillow in the world.
"You know what, baby?" he murmured, voice muffled against her skin.
"Hmmm?" she hummed, still stroking his hair.
"Kael is half-brother to both of us."
Her hand paused mid-stroke. "So?"
Kairo lifted his head just enough to meet her eyes, mischief glinting there. "If we hadn't married… then you and I would've been siblings."
She slapped his chest, glare sharp. "Stop talking nonsense."
He burst into laughter, leaning closer like he wanted to annoy her on purpose. "It's not nonsense. It's true. You'd have been my step-sister."
"Kairo," she pushed him, cheeks heating. He laughed harder, delighted.
"Hello, step-sister," he whispered dramatically, annoying her.
"Keep calling me that, and I'll throw you out of the room," she threatened, narrowing her eyes.
He fell silent for three seconds… then snorted into her shoulder. Sara pinched him.
The laughter faded into a softer atmosphere, her voice gentling without warning. "Kael is very kind… and innocent. He's nothing like Dad."
Kairo's expression mellowed, his thumb tracing lazy shapes on her waist. "Yeah. He's sweet. And goofy. I like that guy."
Sara watched him carefully, something quiet settling in her chest. "I knew he existed since the day he was born… but I never met him. Dad used to talk about his son all the time. He was proud and happy for him." Her gaze dropped. "What about you? You knew you had a brother?"
Kairo shook his head. "No. I first saw him in the restaurant… that day. That's when I realized."
She brushed his fringe away from his forehead, voice warm again. "Anyway… we got a sweet little brother, despite everything."
Kairo clicked his tongue. "If your asshole dad hadn't stolen my mom, he wouldn't have existed."
She slapped his arm, making him laugh again.
"You know what?" she added, tapping his chest lightly. "Even though he's brother to both of us… he resembles you more. Same eyes. Same sharp features. Same Casanova energy. He feels more like your brother than mine."
Kairo thought about Kael's face for a moment, then chuckled. "Mom's genes are dominant. So she wins, always."
Sara smiled, then sighed softly. "To be honest… your mom had produced the most beautiful kids. Even she herself is very pretty. I can't blame Dad at some point."
Kairo kissed her forehead gently. "What about your mom? She produced this perfect soda glass for me." He pinched her nose.
Sara's smile softened. "My mom was pretty too… but not like your mom. Not that level."
Kairo stilled, then cupped her cheek firmly, guiding her to meet his eyes. "She had a beautiful soul. That's how she made you. Outer beauty is temporary, baby. Inner beauty lasts."
Sara's smile trembled, shadows flickering behind her eyes. "What's the point of inner beauty," she whispered, "when you get betrayed, cheated on, and made to suffer… all because of someone else's temporary outer beauty?"
Kairo knew who she was talking about. He swallowed, thumb brushing her cheekbone with unbearable tenderness.
"Your father didn't deserve your mother," he said quietly. "It's his loss. Not hers."
She breathed in, then out, tears glistening but steady. He kissed her forehead again, slow and grounding.
"Let's leave the past behind and move forward," he whispered.
She nodded, smile small but real, her gaze shimmering.
Kairo kissed her eyelids one after the other, sealing the moment gently.
To be Continued....