Substitute Wife for the Mafia King R18-Chapter 458: Our Forever - The End

"Yes, I think that it’s better for them to learn the truth this way. It’s also best that they hear it from me and from us," he said, as if he could sense what I was thinking.

"I guess you’re right," I agreed softly.

"This way, they will hear the truth. They can react and judge it however they want, but at least they will be seeing and hearing the truth instead of half-truths or outright lies about me or our family," Bradon explained further.

"Looks like you’ve thought this through already," I replied teasingly.

"Of course, I have. Come here with me for a bit," he said as he took my hand into his to guide me.

"But the children..." I protested immediately.

"They’ll be fine. The nanny is there... and so is Zain," Bradon replied.

I knew that Zain would protect our children with his life, and that Bradon trusted that man more than anything. I trusted him too, and I felt so glad that he was still with us.

"Okay..." I replied with a nod of my head.

Bradon led me to a poker table where a group of his guests were busy playing against one of his dealers. We observed them from a distance as I wondered if they were making money or not, and then quickly realized that they were here to have fun and gamble away all the money that they had.

"Do you remember the first day I brought you to the casino?" Bradon asked.

"Yes, I do..." I replied.

I could still vividly recall that day and the hellish state of mind that I was in. At the time, all I could think about was how to escape from Bradon for good.

"Do you remember how you lost out on a bet with me?" Bradon asked.

My gaze landed on the card that the dealer close to us had just revealed on the poker table, while noting the tense atmosphere that followed the reveal. I remembered well enough that little card game that I played with Bradon. It was hard to believe that I was foolish enough at the time to actually believe that I could have won against him.

"Yes, I do..." I replied as I wondered what Bradon was trying to get at.

It didn’t feel like he mentioned it to rub his victory and my defeat in my face. Bradon had an unreadable expression on his face, which made me all the more curious about what he wanted to say.

"That day that I brought you here with me, I could tell that all you wanted was to get away from me for good," Bradon said, as he seemed to recall memories of his own from that day.

"I guess I can’t deny that," I murmured.

"I had the complete opposite thought in mind that day," Bradon said before he turned to grin at me.

He looked so young at that moment and also so breathtakingly handsome that I found myself holding my breath as I got absorbed into the depth of his captivating gaze. The way he looked at me felt so tender, as if he was adoring something so endearingly fragile that he wanted to keep safe. It made me feel slightly uncomfortable, and yet so protected and valued at the same time.

"What were you thinking?" I asked as I tried to hide my slight embarrassment at the way that he was still looking at me.

Bradon came to stand right in front of me. We were so close that the length of our bodies was almost touching. Then I felt the tender weight of his hand at the small of my back, drawing me even closer to him as he brought his face close to mine.

"I was thinking of how to keep you with me forever," he replied in a soft and tender whisper.

I wasn’t sure what I had expected him to say, but his words certainly caught me off guard. Back then, I was too focused on my own thoughts to even think about what was going through Bradon’s head. I felt so certain that he had only ill intentions towards me at the time; however, I had no problem believing what he had just confessed to me.

"I didn’t know that..." I mumbled softly.

"More than anything, I want you to stay with me forever," Bradon whispered into my ear.

I could feel a shiver run up my spine as his warm breath brushed against my ear along with his loving words. His voice was filled with desire, and all my senses wanted to react to him.

"I am with you right now, and always will be," I replied softly.

"You are my Queen of Hearts," he whispered back.

"The cards..." I mumbled when it all came rushing back to me in my mind.

I recalled the cards we drew. The small glimpse of hope when I drew the Queen of Hearts, thinking that I might actually have a chance of winning against Bradon. Then I remembered the King of Hearts that he drew.

"Do you remember what I told you back then?" he asked.

"I..." I murmured before trailing off.

Although what he said back then seemed so insignificant to me at the time, for some reason, his words came back to me so easily. I could see Bradon so clearly in my memory along with the look he had on his face when he revealed to me that he could identify all the cards in the deck, including the highest card, which was the Ace of Spades. I had fallen for his trick like a fool, and he was the one that truly had control over everything.

I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud, but I realized that even back then, he had intended to make me his.

"The Queen of Hearts belongs with the King of Hearts," Bradon said.

Bradon never picked out the highest card in the deck, regardless of the fact that he knew exactly where it was. He purposefully did not draw the King of Spades, but he chose the card that matched with the one that I had drawn.

’The King of Hearts is already higher than the Queen of Hearts. Plus, don’t you think that the king looks better next to his queen?’

I smiled a little to myself, thinking that now I had the perfect response to what he told me on that day. Now, I truly understood what he meant and also what he had truly wanted all along from me and for us.

"Let’s be together, always," I said before I smiled brightly at him.

"Stay with me forever, Dahlia," he whispered back.

All I could do was nod my head once before I felt the heat of his lips sealing mine.

It completely slipped my mind that we were still standing in the middle of the casino floor as I lost myself to the passion of his kiss. His love enveloped me and made me feel so thankful to be alive in that moment.

"I love you..." I whispered against his lips.

Bradon kissed me again, and I let myself yield to him completely. I wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him down closer to me as his arms circled my waist.

"Wait!"

The magic of our moment lifted when I heard a familiar voice. I turned to see Zain’s slightly panicked face and then our children running fast toward us.

When our children spotted us from across the floor, they came running toward us. Their joyful faces as they laughed made me feel like whatever I had been through had been worth it.

Bradon and I knelt down to catch them as they ran into our arms.

In the midst of the lights and chaos of the casino, I found myself surrounded by everything that I had been searching and yearning for. Unbelievably, I had it all: my partner, my love, my children, my family, and my future.

"Forever..." I whispered my promise to my family as my arms tightened around Bradon and the children.

"Forever," Bradon whispered back.

The bet that we made and the promises that we made-everything was still with us. Still unbroken.

Everything is still ours.

Forever.

THE END.