All Chapters of The Billionaire I Died to Escape: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

“There are different shades of green all over your room. Your scarves, your plushies, your throw pillows, the flowers you keep by the window.” Alex's eyes softened. “I realized you weren’t choosing it by accident. You love this color.”Emotion tightened my throat. My Alexander is such an attentive and intentional man, I would never trade him for anything else.“So,” he began again with the proudest smile ever, “I wanted the ring you wear for the rest of your life to remind you of the little pieces of yourself that made me fall in love with you.”A tear escaped before I could stop it.No expensive diamond could have touched me the way those words did. He hadn't chosen the ring because it was rare.He had chosen it because he had chosen me.“Alex…” I could only weep silently as I stared between him and the precious ring. I didn't know what to say. I was completely tongue-tied, and my heart was filled with a mixture of happiness and overwhelming dread. “I have imagined this moment fo

My eyes narrowed at Alex’s glistening lips and I swallowed hard. “What dessert?”“You.”A short giggle escaped me and I felt a familiar heat rising in my lower stomach. Oh, this man… I pushed against his shoulder, rolling my eyes as he looked entirely too pleased with himself.“You are unbelievable, Alex.” I choked out.“I prefer irresistible,” he replied with a grin.“You prefer being unreachable.”He shrugged. “Yet you agreed to marry me.”I almost rolled my eyes again. He didn't get the dark insinuation behind my joke, that I was hinting at how easily he vanishes. He just flashed that devastating, clueless grin as if we were already at the altar. For a single, stolen second, I let myself live inside his light. I let his happiness wash over me and quiet the screaming voice of my guilt. But the higher we climbed into that hope, the deeper our fall would be when the truth came out.

A boat waited at the dock. My steps slowed when I saw the name carved into its side.ALEXANDER.I glanced at him. “You named your boat after yourself?” He caught my amused look and laughed aloud. “No, I didn't.” He walked closer to the boat, running his fingers along the surface. “My father bought it for me.”I looked at him in surprise. “He did?”Alex nodded. “He knew how much I loved the ocean. When I was younger, I was always talking about sailing, traveling, and seeing places beyond the ones I already knew.” His eyes moved toward the water, and a small smile touched his lips.“I used to spend hours reading about boats and imagining where I would go if I had one of my own.”The warmth in his expression made me smile.“Your father must have wanted to make that dream come true.”Alex didn't reply immediately. There was a slight hesitation in his voice as he looked back at the boat. “He

“Nadia, promise me you won't become a ghost I spend the rest of my life chasing?”As I held his helpless and defeated gaze, my thoughts drifted to the darkest nights of my own life when my family's control had closed around me like iron chains. I remembered standing at the cliff of despair, convinced the only escape was to disappear forever. Back then, dying had seemed easier than living. Now, staring into the eyes of the man I loved, the memory filled me with unexplainable gratitude. If I had surrendered to that darkness, I would never have known what it felt like to be loved this deeply. I would never have been here to hold his hand while his world crumbled around him.I tightened my fingers around his.“That’s the last thing I would ever do.”Alex lowered his head and shook it slowly.“Don't do it at all,” he murmured, his voice breaking as tears gathered in his dark eyes. “Please... don't leave me.”Tears

Marcus turned to me, his chest rising with restrained fury. He looked like he couldn't believe what I just did. I couldn't believe it either. “Nadia! Have you lost your mind?”I had to shake myself to snap out of hell.“My life means nothing without Alex.” The confession broke out in an unsteady whisper.“How long are you going to risk your own life for a man who has already been promised to another woman?”“He ended the engagement long ago!” I wiped my tears with trembling fingers. I'd started hating crying in front of him. “He chose me.”My father let out a dry chuckle that carried no warmth at all.“He asked me to marry him.” The words left my mouth with desperate pride. “He gave me a ring.”His eyes narrowed. “Where is it?”The question crushed my soul. I couldn't forget that moment no matter how much I tried.I lowered my head and swallowed the sob stuck in my throat. “I gave it back.”