Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 516 I didn't think. I just moved closer on the couch and pulled her into my arms. She resisted for half a second before completely breaking down, crying against my shoulder like her heart was shattering. And maybe it was. I held her while she cried, my own throat tight with emotion. I didn't say anything. Sometimes there are no words. Sometimes all you can do is be there. It took several minutes before she calmed enough to speak again. When she finally pulled away, wiping her face with the back of her hand, her eyes were red and swollen. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Don't apologize," I said firmly. "Never apologize for feeling." She looked at me then, and there was something vulnerable and grateful in her gaze. I took a deep breath, bracing myself for what I needed to say. "Vivian made choices," I began carefully. "Questionable choices. Choices that hurt innocent people. She knows that. She takes responsibility for it. And she's going to pay for it. But do you know what I finally realized?" Cecilia shook her head, waiting. "Vivian was also his victim," I said, letting the words settle between us. "Dominic's. Maybe not in the same way you were.

Not in the same way I was. But he turned her into something she never should have become." I saw Cecilia open her mouth to argue, but I kept going. "He stole seven years of her life," I said. "Seven years where she didn't live. She just existed. Just waited. Just planned revenge. He took her peace. Her innocence. Her chance to have a normal life, to fall in love, to be happy. He turned her into a weapon. And when you become a weapon, sometimes you cause damage even when you don't mean to." I wiped at my own tears as they started to fall.

"All three of us," I continued, my voice cracking slightly, "you, me, and Vivian-we were all destroyed by him in different ways. You lost your sense of safety, your peace, parts of yourself you'll never fully get back. I lost my freedom, my father, almost lost my life, almost lost everything. And Vivian... Vivian lost years of herself to hatred and revenge until there was almost nothing left of who she used to be." I looked straight into Cecilia's eyes. "But you know what else?" I said softly. "We're all still here. We survived.

whispered. "You're right. I just... I just wish things were different. That none of this had ever happened. That we could've just been... just normal sisters living normal lives." "I know," I said gently. "Believe me. I know." We sat together in silence for a few more moments before I finally

make sure this was honored. That I'd come to you and explain everything." I held the papers out to her. "What... what is this?" Cecilia asked, taking them with visibly trembling hands. I watched as she began to read. Saw her eyes widen. Saw

he owned to her." "No," Cecilia said immediately, before she'd even finished reading. She shoved the papers back toward me like they burned. "No, no, no. I don't want anything from him. I don't want his money. I don't want

cried. "I'd rather work three jobs for the rest of my life, I'd rather we live with almost nothing, than use a single cent that came from that monster!" I stood too, keeping my voice deliberately calm and steady. "I understand," I said. "But that money isn't his anymore. He's dead. He doesn't exist anymore. And as horrible as its

a right to it." "She doesn't need-" "This isn't about needing it," I interrupted gently. "It's about justice. It's about making at least one good thing come out of so much horror." 2/4 Cecilia shook her head, more tears spilling down her cheeks. I picked up the documents she'd thrown aside and held them between us. "Sarah could have an education," I said. "The best education possible. She

just to survive." I saw something shift in her expression. A crack in her resistance. "And you," I continued, pressing softly but firmly, "you could finally breathe. You could go back to school if you want. You could work less. Be more present with her. Give her a mother who isn't exhausted all the time." "I don't know," Cecilia whispered. "I don't know if I can." "You don't have to use the money now,"