CHAPTER 176: CHAPTER 176- I LOVE YOU

The moment that familiar scent wrapped around her—the one she had yearned for, dreamed of, and craved endlessly—Janice knew it was him.

Charles.

That wide chest, that unyielding embrace—she could recognize it blindfolded.

The warm glow of the desk lamp spilled across the room, casting shadows over their entwined bodies. Once upon a time, he had dreamed of holding her like this forever. And now, she was finally back. Tangibly. Fully. In his arms.

He had watched her earlier—watched her laugh with Trista, soothe her, hold her, love her—and realized something devastatingly simple.

He could never truly hate her.

Because love had long ago devoured any room for hate. What he wanted—what he had always wanted—was a promise.

A single, lasting vow that she would never leave him again.

"Charles... what’s wrong?" Janice asked softly, her body still, her breath shallow, held in his arms like a prayer.

He said nothing, but the silence spoke volumes.

She could feel his fear. His trembling need.

Had she made him feel so insecure in the past?

Had she always overlooked the one thing he needed most?

If so... then she would spend the rest of her life making it right.

"What’s the most important thing to you... right now?" His voice was low and hoarse, his arms tightening around her waist. He breathed her in like she was oxygen after a year of suffocation.

He was like a lost hunter—worn, aching, and aimless.

And it shattered her heart.

Janice turned in his arms, raising her hands—those hands he had once kissed a thousand times—to gently cup his handsome, weary face.

Her gaze was unwavering. Clear. True.

"Charles," she whispered, "I’m still yours. I’ve always been yours. You and Trista... you’re all that matter to me now."

"Give me a chance. Let’s start over, please?" Her voice cracked as she spoke. "I won’t leave you again. Even if you try to push me away—I’m staying. I’ll cling to you for the rest of my life if I have to."

Her fingers slid into his hair as her eyes met his. In those dark depths, she saw flames—burning bright and fierce—and in their center, only her reflection remained.

"Are you being honest with me?" Charles’ voice trembled. "Janet... I only have one heart. And you’ve broken it more times than I can count. I won’t survive another betrayal..."

Charles had always loved with a depth that terrified him. He was obsessive, fragile. Even learning the truth of his own origin hadn’t devastated him as deeply as her departure had. Losing her... had nearly ended him.

"I won’t hurt you again. Never again," Janice promised. "Let me back into your heart—not as Janet, but as Janice. Let’s erase those years of pain. Let’s start over."

Janet—that name had been her cage, her punishment, her ten years of torment.

But meeting Charles... had been her salvation.

He had shown her what it meant to be cherished like a princess. To be held like the most precious thing in the world.

And now... it was her turn to love him back. To treasure him with all she had.

"There’s still something I owe you," she whispered. "Three little words, Charles. I love you."

Tears glistened in her eyes, slipping down onto his bare skin. Warm and real.

"I love you," she repeated, voice trembling with truth. "Whether I’m Louis or Janice... I love you. I’ll only ever love you—for the rest of my life."

And as those long-awaited words reached his ears, Charles froze.

Because he remembered.

The night before she left, they had curled up just like this—entwined, whispering love into each other’s hearts.

Back then, she hadn’t said the words.

Now... she had.

And nothing—nothing—had ever made his world shine as brightly as it did in that moment.

Those words landed in Charles’ heart like a calming elixir, instantly dissolving what little resentment remained. Just hearing her soft, tender voice... was enough to silence all the pain.

"Then listen carefully, Janice." His voice was low, firm—like a vow whispered to the soul. "Now that I’m holding your hand again, I’m never letting go. Not in this lifetime."

At this moment, nothing—no past, no misunderstanding, no external force—mattered more than the love between them. She said she loved him. That alone... was enough.

"Good. You’re not allowed to let go. We’re never parting again, Charles. I love you!" Janice cried, throwing her arms around his neck, joy overflowing in her heart.

She had always believed it.

That if she took even one step forward, Charles would always take one step back—just to meet her in the middle.

He always had.

"Janice... my Janice... my baby." Charles murmured as he held her trembling frame. Hearing her call his name again and again—his heart melted completely. From the moment he first saw her, twelve years ago, he had fallen for that girl named Janice.

Hearing his voice—his voice—call her name so intimately, Janice felt her eyes misting.

Janice.

From now on, she would no longer carry the name of the Louis family. She would only be Charles’ Janice.

She leaned in and pressed her lips softly against his. That kiss—after a whole year apart—carried all the passion, all the love, and all the pain they had bottled up. It burst into flames the moment their lips met.

The second Charles tasted the softness of her lips, all his yearning exploded. One year of buried desire surged up like molten lava. His heart wanted her—yes—but so did every inch of his body.

"Wait... let’s go back to the bedroom..." Janice gasped between kisses, breathless and disoriented as he pressed her down against the wooden desk.

Charles chuckled lowly, his voice tinged with heat. "Alright, we’ll go back."

He lifted her in his arms. In the dim, golden light, her beauty was ethereal—so intoxicating he almost forgot to breathe.

The bed... that familiar, soft bed... held so many memories. As he laid her down, and pulled her into his embrace again, both of them remembered every moment they had once shared in this very place.

"Your eyes..." Charles whispered, brushing a kiss to her eyelids. His husky voice was like silk wrapping around her ears. "So beautiful."

Just like the first time they met—those eyes had bewitched him instantly. They were the windows to her soul, glimmering like starlight.

That girl who had accidentally stumbled into his life twelve years ago... was now the woman beneath him. His woman.

"And the rest of me? Not beautiful?" Janice teased, her heart fluttering under his gaze. Those dark eyes of his... they looked at her like she was his entire world.

"No," he smiled, "Your eyes are the most beautiful."

He kissed them again.

Once, those eyes had lost their light. But now, they could see again—and he could see himself reflected in them.

It was proof of her love.

"Do you know how I felt when I first saw you?" Charles whispered, brushing the hair from her forehead as he stared into her eyes.

Janice furrowed her brows, trying to recall that moment—the first time they met.

She had been drunk, had gotten into the wrong car by mistake, and unknowingly spent the night with a stranger...

A stranger she hadn’t even clearly seen that night.