Cassian had never felt more unwelcome in a boardroom.
He sat at the head of the glass table, surrounded by sleek suits and sharper eyes. Drake Holdings had run like a machine during his absence, but machines didn't have hearts — or forgiveness.
"You've been distracted," muttered one of the senior partners. "Missing calls. Ignoring investor meetings."
"I've been re-prioritizing," Cassian said evenly. "My family is not a distraction. It's the reason I built this empire."
A few exchanged skeptical glances.
"What about the expansion deal in Zurich?" another asked. "You postponed it twice."
"I'm not flying across the world when my son is just learning to call me 'Dad.' Zurich can wait."
He stood.
"I didn't come back to rebuild the company. I came to rebuild my life. Anyone who has a problem with that — there's the door."
They didn't move. Because while they questioned him, they still feared him.
Cassian Drake hadn't lost his edge — he'd simply sharpened it in a different direction.
Back home, Raina sat on the floor of her bedroom, surrounded by old letters.
Letters Cassian had written during his time away, never sent.
She'd found them tucked inside Liam's old storybooks, hidden behind unused drawers — stacks of ink and heartbreak. Apologies. Regrets. Pages soaked with words he was too broken to say aloud.
She read one aloud, softly:
"I didn't leave because I didn't love you. I left because I thought love wasn't enough to fix me."
Tears slipped down her cheeks.
This was the Cassian she had fallen for — the one who hid his pain behind power, who loved too deeply and ran when it felt too much.
But he had come back.
And stayed.
Later that evening, Cassian returned, loosening his tie, exhaustion lining his face.
Raina met him in the hallway. "Rough day?"
He gave a short laugh. "I threatened to fire half my board."
She raised an eyebrow. "Bold."
He shrugged. "They needed reminding."
She handed him one of the letters. "Found these."
His expression faltered. "You read them?"
"I did."
"And?"
"They broke me. And they healed me."
He swallowed. "I meant every word. Even if I was too much of a coward to send them."
"You're not a coward now," she said. "But Cassian… we can't keep rebuilding with pieces of the past. We need something new."
He stepped closer. "Then let's build it together."
*Pa
That night, they sat outside under the stars, Liam asleep inside.
"Tell me something you never told anyone," she said, looking at his face.
Cassian leaned back, eyes fixed on the sky.
"When I was nineteen, I almost walked away from everything. I had nothing. No money, no future. I was sleeping in my car."
Raina turned to him, startled.
"I sold my watch to buy coffee for a week while I coded my first pitch deck. And when it failed, I almost gave up."
"What stopped you?"
He looked at her.
"Your laugh. I heard it from across the student center. That sound gave me hope."
She blinked.
"You remembered that?"
"I remember everything about you, Raina."
She looked away, heart racing.
Cassian reached for her hand. "I'm still building. Still learning. But I want to be worthy of you."
"You already are," she whispered.
And she meant it.
The next morning, Liam burst into their bedroom in superhero pajamas.
"Mom! Dad! I drew our family!"
Raina and Cassian sat up as he proudly held up a crayon drawing — three stick figures under a bright sun, holding hands.
Cassian's heart clenched.
Raina smiled through tears.
In that moment, without vows or rings, without lawyers or promises — they were a family.
Not perfect.
But real.
And that was more than enough.