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Joran exhaled slowly, his jaw clenching. He picked up a purple lion, making it dance absently in front of Laith. The baby reached for it, but Joran barely noticed. His movements were stiff, his energy radiating frustration.
“Because he deleted your text messages,” he admitted, his voice rough. “He didn’t put your calls through.”
Tila’s stomach twisted.
Joran turned to her, his eyes dark with fury—not at her, but at himself.“All those months ago, I thought you had given up on me. I thought you didn’t want to talk to me. But it wasn’t you. It was him.” His jaw flexed, his fists clenching. “My own damn assistant decided you weren’t important enough. So he deleted everything. Every message. Every missed call.”
Tila stared at him, her mouth falling open in shock. “He… deleted everything?” She shook her head, as if trying to make sense of something completely impossible. “How do you know?”
Joran’s grip tightened on the toy in his hand before he shoved it toward Rafi, more out of habit than intent. The baby grasped at it, but Joran didn’t react.
“The palace security team did a full investigation into my phone records,” he ground out. “They didn’t even know what they were looking for at first, but eventually… they found it. Your messages. Your voicemails. All of it.” He raked a hand through his hair, his frustration rolling off him in waves. “It was all there, buried. And I didn’t see it. I let that bastard keep us apart.”
His voice dropped lower, raw and edged with self-recrimination. “I should have known. I should have realized something was wrong. I should have found you.” His jaw flexed, his nostrils flaring as his hands curled into fists. “I would have burned down the damn world to get to you if I had known.”
Tila’s breath caught at the intensity in his eyes.
Joran took a step toward her, his presence towering, overwhelming. “I’m sorry, Tila,” he said, voice thick with an emotion that was almost too much for him to contain. “I should have fought harder. I should have figured it out. I should have never let you believe, even for a second, that I didn’t want you.”
His hand cupped the side of her face, his grip firm, possessive, as his thumb brushed along her cheek. His gaze burned into hers, fierce and unyielding. “That will never happen again,” he vowed. “No one will ever keep you from me. Not a damn soul.”
Tila could barely breathe, the intensity of his words wrapping around her like a promise. A claim.
The pain in his voice was real. The regret, the fury at himself—it wasn’t just an apology. It was a vow.
She leaned forward, kissing him. “You would have been there,” she finished for him. “I know that now. I know you better, Joran. I have complete confidence that you would have come to me if you’d gotten the messages.”
He reached out, steadying the baby boy on his lap while pulling her closer for a deeper kiss. “I love you,” he grumbled. “You and the boys are everything to me.”
“And you’re everything to me as well, Joran. I love you!”
Joran grunted, nodding his agreement. “What did you say to Khal?” he asked, leaning back against the cushions behind him.
“Exactly what we discussed last night. That the woman, Ophelia, is mentally ill and needs support, not punishment.”
“Good,” he said with a firm nod. “Not that I would condone anyone stealing our children, but that woman’s mutterings were indicative of a serious mental health issue.”
She smiled over at him as he snuggled Laith in his arms. “Any chance you might want to do this all over again?” she asked.
He stilled, looking over at her. “More children?” he asked, needing clarification.
She looked at her boys that were growing bigger every day. She loved them and, she loved Joran. Looking at him, she nodded, smiling with a secret smile. “Yeah. I’d like a little girl, if that’s possible.”
Joran froze for a moment, then he called out for the nannies, both of whom rushed into the nursery. Joran was handing Laith to one, then gave Rafi to the other nanny.
“What’s wrong, Your Highness?” the first nanny asked, cuddling Laith against her body securely.
“Not a thing,” he said, grabbing Tila’s hand and tugging her to her feet. “Just working on your job security,” he assured the nanny and carried a laughing Tila out of the nursery and down the hallway to their bedroom, where he proceeded to start the process of creating their daughter. Much to Tila’s delight.