CHAPTER 145: ROMANTIC GESTURE

~LAYLA~

I woke in my room under a soft blanket, sunlight peeking through the curtains in gentle streams. For a moment, I was disoriented, wondering how I’d gotten here. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep on the couch downstairs, waiting for Axel to come home.

He must have found me curled up on that couch and brought me to bed, tucking me in as gently as ever.

The realisation made my chest ache. Even after our fight, even after I’d shut him out and refused to listen, he’d taken care of me.

His voice echoed in my memory: "I love you."

I’d stormed off hurt and angry, but sleep had cleared some of the fog. In the quiet morning light, I could see it more clearly. He’d made a mistake, yes, but it came from a place of wanting to protect me, not control me.

I owed him an apology: a real one, and a chance to explain fully without me cutting him off.

The trial was on Friday. We couldn’t go into closing statements with this wall between us. We needed to be united, a team, the way we’d been at the retreat.

I showered quickly. As I dressed in a sharp blouse and pencil skirt, I made a plan: apologise first, listen second, figure out how to move forward together.

I headed to the office, hoping to get some work done before the inevitable media frenzy that would follow today’s coverage of Erica’s testimony.

The building was unusually quiet, almost as if most of the staff hadn’t arrived yet, which was rare. It was nearly nine o’clock, but I could still hear voices as I approached my floor.

The elevator dinged, and immediately, I noticed something was different. Staff members were peeking around corners, barely contained giggles bubbling up as they watched me approach.

A few whispered to each other, pointing toward my office.

"What’s going on?" I asked one of the marketing interns.

She just grinned and gestured toward my office door. "You’ll see, ma’am."

My office door was slightly ajar, and I could see something colourful spilling out into the hallway. Balloons?

I pushed the door open, and my jaw dropped.

Roses. Roses everywhere. Red ones, white ones, pink ones, all spilling from vases on every surface. Balloons bobbed against the ceiling, dozens of them in shades of silver and gold.

A banner was strung across the back wall in bold silver letters: I’M SORRY.

On my desk sat a coffee cup, and as I moved closer, I noticed it was my favourite brew from the café down the street, steam still curling from the top. Beside it, a bottle of champagne on ice and two glasses.

And a note, written in Axel’s familiar handwriting: Forgive me. I love you. –A

I pressed my hand to my mouth, overwhelmed. This was so public, so unlike the private, controlled man I’d married.

"He set it up at six this morning," Helena’s voice came from behind me. "Had me help coordinate everything. Said he knows your issues are private, but he wanted to apologise publicly so everyone here would know how much he values you."

I turned to see her smiling. "Helena..."

"It’s okay, ma’am. We all fight with our partners. What matters is how we make up." She winked. "And this? This is a pretty spectacular apology."

Staff had gathered in the hallway, craning their necks to see inside. I heard whispered comments: "Boss went all out," "So romantic!" "She’d better forgive him."

I shooed them away with a laugh, smiling despite the tears threatening to fall. "Back to work, everyone. Show’s over."

They dispersed reluctantly, still grinning and whispering. Helena gave me an encouraging nod before closing the door behind her as she left.

I walked slowly through my office, touching the rose petals, reading the balloon messages; each one had something written on it. "I’m sorry." "Forgive me." "I love you." "You’re my everything."

My heart was thawing, the hurt from yesterday melting under the weight of this grand gesture.

"Layla."

I glanced over and saw Axel in the doorway. His expression was a mix of hope and uncertainty. He was wearing a smart suit for work, but he looked like he hadn’t slept well.

"You carried me to bed," I said softly.

"You fell asleep waiting for me. I couldn’t just leave you on the couch." He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "I went for a drive to clear my head. By the time I got back, you were out cold."

"I wanted to apologise. I wanted to talk, but you weren’t home."

"I know. I’m sorry for that, too." He took another step closer. "Layla, I’m sorry... for all of it. Hiding Erica from you was wrong. I thought I was protecting you, keeping you focused on the trial. But the truth is, it was fear."

"Fear?"

"Fear of you seeing a different side of me. Fear of losing you to more pain. Fear that if you knew about Erica, you’d be too hurt to function. Fear that I couldn’t keep you safe from everything trying to destroy you."

His voice cracked slightly. "But in trying to protect you, I became just another person you couldn’t trust."

Tears pricked my eyes. "I’m sorry too. For walking out, for not listening to your full explanation. You’re my partner, Axel. We’re supposed to work through things together, and I just... shut down."

"You had every right to be angry."

"Maybe. But I overreacted. I should have stayed. Should have let you explain instead of running away to lick my wounds."

He closed the distance between us and gently took my face in his hands. "Look, we’re a team. A real one. And in a team, we shouldn’t hide things from each other. I promise I won’t keep secrets or make decisions without you anymore. Even if I think I’m trying to protect you."

"And I promise to listen. To give you a chance to explain before I make assumptions about your motives."

"Deal?"

"Deal."

His lips met mine, gently at first, as if he was afraid I might pull away. But I didn’t. I leaned into him, my hands sliding up his chest to rest on his shoulders. The kiss deepened, filled with all the tension, fear, and love we’d been holding back since yesterday.

His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer. I felt his heartbeat against mine, matching my own racing pulse.

"I love you," he murmured against my lips. "I should have said it differently last night. Should have said it when we weren’t fighting. But I meant it, Layla. I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered back. "I was so scared to admit it, even to myself. But I do. I love you, Axel."