Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 619 Gwen's POV The knock on my bedroom door was soft, almost hesitant. "Come in," | said, setting my hairbrush down on the vanity. Christian pushed the door open slowly and leaned against the frame, looking relaxed in that way only he could manage even when he was about to say something important. "| came to say goodbye," he said. "Zoey is already losing her mind missing Matt. We left him with the nanny a little too long, and she's having a full-blown maternal crisis." | smiled and stood up. "You're still staying in Valentia a few more days, right?

We'll see each other before you go back to Verdania?" "Yes," he confirmed, stepping fully into the room and closing the door behind him. "I've got a few things to take care of. Meetings. Paperwork. The usual boring bureaucracy." He opened his arms, and | walked into them without thinking. His hug was firm and protective, the kind only an older brother knows how to give. ---- "Listen," Christian said quietly, his voice softer than usual. "He seems like a good guy. Nick. | can understand... what you're feeling. After... well, you know." I did. He did. We just didn't talk about it.

Everyone respected my silence. Especially my brother. He never pushed. Never insisted. He just made it clear through steady presence that he was there whenever | needed him. But maybe... | didn't want to stay silent anymore. "After Samuel," | said, my voice steadier than | expected. "After he killed my daughter and almost killed me too. After he made me believe | would never deserve to love again or... have a family." | felt Christian tighten his arms around me, his chin resting on top of my head, "Gwen." he started, pain heavy in his voice.

"It's okay," | cut in quickly, because | needed to finish before | lost the courage. "I think... losing my memory served a purpose, you know? It helped me remember what actually matters. ---- "| spent years blaming myself," | continued, my voice growing quieter. "Thinking that if | had been stronger, smarter, if | hadn't gotten into that car... maybe she'd still be here. My daughter. Maybe | wouldn't have wasted so much of my life being afraid of everything and everyone." Christian didn't say a word. He just held me, letting me speak at my own pace.

over, when he was finally out of my life... | thought it would get better. That I'd feel free. Safe. Ready to start over," | said. "But | didn't. | just... shut down. Completely. | built walls so high that no one could truly get close." | paused, feeling tears threaten to spill, but | pushed through.

my eyes, his hands firm on my shoulders. "You have always deserved to be happy," he said with absolute conviction. "Always. None of what happened was your fault.

he used to when we were kids. "Good thing I'm here to protect you if you ever need it," he said, slipping back into a lighter tone. "You know that, right?" | laughed for real this time, wiping at my slightly damp eyes. "Oh my God, you didn't pull that on Nick, did you?"

a shred of regret. "That's what older brothers are for." And he was right. Christian had always protected me, even from Samuel. ---- When Samuel was cleared of what the police chose to call an" accident" instead of attempted femicide, Christian

never questioned it. Some things you accept as grace and move on from. Sometimes real justice does not come from a courtroom. And | trusted my brother in a way | had never trusted anyone else in my life "Listen," Christian