I appreciated her enthusiasm and commitment, but she’d made the wrong conclusion. I had no wrongs to confess, no secrets to expose. I just wanted her to know the truth about us, to understand the intensity we had experienced over these last few years. “You’re not going to believe what I’m about to tell you. I didn’t believe it myself until it became more blatantly obvious that it had to be true. But please trust me.”
She rested her elbows on the table and blinked a few times as she prepared.
“When I was twenty-one, I visited a gypsy in Marrakech who read me my fortune. I assumed it was silly and just a way to take my money. Her prophecy stated I would only love one woman, and she would never love me back.”
Sofia’s eyes narrowed.
“I thought it was bullshit. But then I met you eight years later. I felt things I’d never felt for anyone else, and then I stupidly asked you to marry me without thinking about what I was doing. You said no…and that’s when I got scared.”
Instead of objecting to everything I said, she continued to listen.
“When I found out you needed a husband, I realized the prophecy was true. The gypsy told me I would marry you. She told me we would have two sons. And she told me we were soul mates.”
Her eyes softened.
“That was why I married you…because I was supposed to. I was in love with you, and I couldn’t control it. I tried to move on, tried to forget you, but it was impossible. This curse was placed upon me because I killed my father. It was a punishment. So, we were living together as husband and wife, and I hoped you would somehow love me on your own…but you never did.”
She stayed quiet.
“I knew you would love me if you could. We’re soul mates, so in any other circumstances, it would be organic. So I went back to the gypsy and tried to break the curse. She told me my only chance was to make amends with my brother…or she could make me stop loving you altogether. I chose the first one.”
She released a gasp. “That was why you wanted me to meet your brother. That was why you were trying so hard to earn his forgiveness…”
I nodded. “And I loved you so much that I never wanted to stop, even if it would be easier to do so. The plan worked, and in a short amount of time, you felt the same way. You gave me that watch, and I knew I’d finally succeeded. I finally had what I wanted…and I was so fucking happy.”
Her eyes started to well up with tears.
“Then everything went to shit. Maddox ruined everything, and I lost you. It didn’t matter if I broke the curse, we were never going to be together. I couldn’t move on after our divorce, and I was so depressed I considered taking my own life.”
She closed her eyes, and two streams of tears fell down her face.
“But then you called me, and that changed my mind. I was still living with the torment, so I did the only thing I could… I went back to the gypsy and asked her to make me stop loving you. Instantly, I felt different. I stopped caring. I stopped feeling. And then you killed Maddox…”
She wiped away her tears and sniffled. “It makes sense now…”
“You fixed everything, but I didn’t feel the same way anymore. I didn’t want you anymore. But in time, you made me fall in love with you again. It wasn’t even that hard…because I’m supposed to love you.”
She reached across the table and grabbed my hand. “It’s because we’re soul mates…”
I looked at her with surprise. “You believe me.”
She nodded. “I don’t believe you. I just know it’s true. Now that I know everything you did to keep us together, to fight for me no matter how much pain it caused you…there are no words. I’m just so relieved that you’re here with me now, that you never gave up on me.”
Now I felt my own tears start in my throat. “It feels so good to tell you this. I wanted to say something before, but I thought you would assume I was crazy. I thought it would make it worse.”
She shook her head and squeezed my hand. “No…only made it better.”
All the weight was lifted from my chest, and I finally found peace. I’d worked my ass off for this woman, and she was finally mine. No one could ever take her away from me now, take away the love we had for each other. We were soul mates…we both knew it.
“The gypsy told you we would have two sons?”
I nodded. “Why?”
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pregnancy test. “It looks like he’ll be here soon.”