The first headline appeared before breakfast.
BLACKWOOD POWER COUPLE TO HOST JOINT GALA.
Elara stared at her phone, thumb hovering as notifications kept pouring in.
"This feels… big," she said softly.
Dominic glanced at the screen once. "It is."
She looked up at him. "Are you sure about this? About putting us out there like this?"
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he crossed the room, took the phone from her hand, and set it aside. His focus was entirely on her now.
"I've hidden my life for years," he said. "My work. My decisions. My mistakes."
Her breath slowed.
"I won't hide you," he continued. "Not from the world. Not from history."
Something in his voice made her chest ache.
"Then we do this together," she said.
His hand came to her jaw, thumb brushing lightly—not possession, not control.
Agreement.
---
The preparations moved fast.
Designers. Security briefings. Media strategies.
Elara found herself seated beside Dominic in meetings she once would've only read about. People listened when she spoke. Adjusted plans when she disagreed.
After one long session, she leaned toward him and whispered, "You're enjoying this."
His mouth curved faintly. "Watching them realize you're not an accessory?"
"Yes."
She smiled. "Maybe a little."
---
That evening, they attended a small public function—nothing extravagant, just enough to introduce the idea of them.
Cameras flashed.
Questions flew.
"Mr. Blackwood, is this gala a business move or a personal one?"
Dominic didn't hesitate.
"Both," he said calmly. "My wife is the most important decision I've ever made."
Elara's breath caught.
She turned to look at him, but he was already looking at her.
The world faded.
Later, in the car, she finally spoke. "You didn't have to say that."
"Yes," he replied quietly. "I did."
She reached for his hand, fingers intertwining naturally now, without thought.
---
At home, the city stretched endlessly below them.
"Do you ever regret letting people see this side of you?" she asked.
Dominic shook his head. "No."
A pause.
"I regret not doing it sooner."
She stepped closer, resting her forehead against his chest. His heart was steady. Real.
"I feel like we're building something," she murmured. "Not just for us."
He closed his eyes briefly. "We are."
And somewhere deep inside him, guilt whispered that buildings made of truth always collapsed harder.
---
Across town, Victor Hale watched the interview replay.
Dominic's voice.
Elara's expression.
Unmistakably in love.
Victor smiled slowly.
"Good," he said. "Now there's something worth destroying."
---
That night, Elara fell asleep dreaming of the gala.
Of lights.
Of applause.
Of a future that finally felt earned.
Dominic lay beside her, awake—
Knowing the closer the celebration came,
the louder the past would knock.