Page 122 of Bound By the Duke

But she gave neither. Because at that moment, she realized that something else mattered more than heirs, more than duty, more than appearances.

It washim. His heart. His pain.

She leaned toward him, slow and deliberate. Then, she took his hands in hers. They were trembling.

“Percival…” she said softly. “You’ve carried this burden alone for far too long.”

His eyes finally met hers, dark with despair. As if he didn’t believe she was still there. That she hadn’t run from the monster he was.

She laced her fingers through his. “You stayed with her the only way you knew how. None of what happened was your fault. But this isn’t her story anymore. This isourstory.”

He looked like he might break down all over again.

She pressed his hand to her chest, right over her heart. “You don’t have to protect me from love,” she murmured. “Or from life. I want to live it with you—even the terrifying, messy, imperfect parts.”

He let out a sharp, choked breath, and then he moved with the helplessness of a man who had just found air after almost drowning.

His hands cradled her face. “I don’t know how to do this,” he whispered.

“Neither do I,” she breathed shakily. “But I want to learn with you. I thought the only way to be happy was to do all the right things. But none of it matters. Not the heirs. Not the titles. Not the duties. Not if I don’t have you. I only want you. You and our family.”

His eyes closed, and a rare thing happened. A tear slipped free, one he had fought so hard to hold back.

Aurelia couldn’t bear it anymore. She leaned in and gently pressed her lips to his.

The kiss was slow and tender. Percival squeezed his eyes, as though afraid the moment would vanish if he breathed too deeply. And then, slowly, he kissed her back.

She melted into him, her fingers tangling in his dark hair. Her hands held him as though to steady his soul. His broken soul.

Eventually, the kiss deepened. Their lips moved against each other desperately, as if they were memorizing each other after a long time apart.

His hands slid to her waist, pulling her gently against him. She followed him without hesitation until the space between them vanished.

He kissed her like she was the air he breathed. Like she was the one thing holding him together. And she kissed him back like she had finally stopped running.

When he pulled back at last, his forehead pressed against hers. Both of them were shaking.

“Aurelia…” His voice was low and rough. “I love you. With every breath, with every heartbeat, I love you. And I will never let go again.”

She froze.

For a heartbeat, she couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe.

The words hung between them, like something fragile and sacred. She had dreamed of them, ached for them, waited for them, and yet never truly believed he would ever say them.

Her lips parted, but nothing came out. Her heart fluttered in her chest.

Then, the tears came. They weren’t slow and delicate; they were sharp and sudden. As if they had been pulled from her very core.

“You…” she whispered, her voice cracking. “You love me?”

She needed to hear it again. A part of her still couldn’t believe it.

Percival nodded, squeezing her hands.

She let out a laugh, which turned into a half-sob. For a moment, she wasn’t even sure of what to do. Her hands covered her trembling lips. The emotions coursing through her were too much. Relief, shock, joy, all at once.

“I waited…” she croaked. “I waited so long for you to stop running. To just…see me.Want me.Letyourself love me.”