All Chapters of HIS ONE NIGHT, MY FOREVER : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Alina’s POV I chose to believe in light, not because darkness was gone, but because I had learned how to carry hope through it. And in that choice, I felt stronger than I ever had before. The morning unfolded like a secret slowly revealed, pale sunlight spilling through the curtains and warming the quiet corners of the beach house. I lay awake for a long time, listening to the waves beyond the window, letting their rhythm anchor me in the present. There was a calm inside me now that once felt impossible, a steady breath where fear used to live. I rose carefully, not wanting to wake Leo, and stepped onto the porch to greet the day. The air was cool, tinged with salt and possibility. I wrapped my arms around myself and watched the horizon glow, thinking about how far we had come. Every choice, every heartbreak, every moment of courage had carried me here. I was no longer running. I was standing still, finally brave enough to stay. Inside, Sebastian was already awake, mak

Alina’s POV Leo chattered happily about his morning, and we listened, laughing quietly at his exaggerated stories about the birds and crabs he had encountered. After breakfast, we decided to take a walk along the beach. Leo ran ahead, chasing the tide as if he could hold it in his hands, while Sebastian and I followed at a slower pace. I noticed the way he moved now not with the tension that had haunted him before, not with the need to control but with calm attention, a man learning to exist in the moment. “I’ve been thinking,” Sebastian said softly, his voice almost lost to the sound of the waves. I turned to look at him, curious. “About what?” I asked, careful not to expect too much. “About… everything. About mistakes and choices, about what it means to be responsible for someone else’s heart,” he said. He paused, eyes on the horizon. “I want to be a better father, a better man. Not because I have to, not because of anyone else but because it’s the right thing to do.”

Alina’s POV Healing had come slowly, deliberately, and it was not linear. But we were here, together, in a way that felt intentional and real. Sebastian broke the silence. “I know we don’t have to decide everything today,” he said. “I just… I want you to know I am willing to do the work, every day, to be the man Leo deserves. And the one you deserve too, if you ever… decide to let me.” I nodded, silently acknowledging both the weight and the sincerity of his words. There was no rush. There was no expectation. There was only the choice to move forward, patiently, courageously, with eyes open. We stood in quiet for a long time, letting the night and the waves and the wind carry the understanding between us. Trust, love, and hope did not come in grand gestures, they came in patience, in presence, in deliberate acts of care. When I finally stepped back inside, I felt the steady heartbeat of life surrounding me: Leo sleeping safely, the waves rolling endlessly beyond the shore, an

Alina’s POV I turned to him, curiosity softening my expression. “What do you mean?” I asked. He paused, looking out at the horizon. “I mean that I want to live differently. I don’t want to just react to life or try to control it. I want to choose it carefully, deliberately. I want to choose to be present, to be responsible, to be someone who protects rather than manipulates. For Leo. For you. For myself.” His words carried sincerity, but I knew better than to respond too quickly. Trust was not given; it was earned, built in the quiet, consistent actions of everyday life. And I had seen those actions in him: the patience, the attentiveness, the willingness to step back and let the ordinary moments exist without interference. We spent the morning collecting driftwood and shells, building a small fort for Leo. He insisted it be a castle, complete with towers and drawbridges. Sebastian helped quietly, letting Leo’s imagination lead, while I watched, marveling at how far we had

Alina’s POV Morning arrived in the softest possible way, the sunlight brushing across the beach house and catching on the edges of the curtains. I stayed in bed for a few moments longer than usual, listening to the steady rhythm of the waves outside. Leo’s breathing was calm in the next room, steady and even, and for once, the small weight of fear that had accompanied every new dawn for years was absent. I let myself breathe deeply, tasting the quiet and the slow certainty that, for now, we were safe. I eventually rose, wrapping a light shawl around my shoulders as I stepped onto the porch. The air was crisp with the lingering salt of the sea, and I let it fill me, grounding me in the present. I could see Sebastian in the kitchen through the open window, moving with deliberate care as he brewed coffee and sliced fruit. He did not notice me immediately, and I appreciated the lack of performance. His presence was quiet, real, without expectation or pretense. Leo bounded in