The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 67

Chapter 61: The Apology

Caleb POV

25 Points

I stood in Tom’s doorway in the darkness, watching our son sleep, when my hand found Bella hands. Her fingers laced through mine with a tenderness that made my chest ache, and for a moment, we just stood there connected by this child and an impossible history.

“He’s perfect,” I whispered.

“He is.” Her voice was soft, vulnerable in a way I hadn’t heard in years.

We stayed like that for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes, neither of us willing to break the moment. Finally, Bella pulled her hand away and stepped back into the hallway..

“I should sleep,” she said, but she didn’t move.

“Bella, wait.” I followed her into the hallway, my heart hammering. “Can we talk? Just for a few minutes?”

She hesitated, wrapped her arms around herself. “It’s late, Caleb.”

“I know, but I need to say something and I can’t wait anymore.” I gestured toward the terrace doors visible down the hall. “Please. Just give me five minutes.”

She looked at me for a long moment, her eyes searching my face for something. “Fine. Five minutes.”

The terrace was cold, the city lights spread out below us like scattered diamonds. Bella hugged herself against the chill and I wanted to give her my jacket, but that felt presumptuous, like I had no right to take care of her.

“So talk,” she said, her back to the railing, putting maximum distance between us.

I’d rehearsed this a thousand times in my head over the years, but now that the moment was here, every word I’d planned felt inadequate. How do you apologize for destroying someone’s life?

“I was wrong,” I started, then stopped because that wasn’t enough. “No, that’s not, I was worse than wrong. I was cruel and blind and I destroyed everything because I was too damaged to see what was real.”

ľ

Bella’s expression didn’t change. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“No, nothing I say will make it better, I know that.” I ran my hand through my hair, frustrated with myself. “But you need to know what happened, the full truth of how Jade and your father manipulated me.”

“I know they lied.” Her voice was flat.

“It was more than lies, Bella, they fabricated evidence. Al-generated videos of you kissing another man, fake voice recordings of you talking about trapping me with a pregnancy, doctored bank statements showing you accepting money from competitors.” The words poured out of me. “They built an entire narrative over months before the wedding, planting seeds that you were obsessed with my money, that you’d do anything to secure your position.”

She laughed, bitter and sharp. “And you believed it all.”

–

Chapte 61e Apology

+25 Points

“I did, and that’s on me.” I stepped closer and she tensed but didn’t move away. “My father spent my entire childhood teaching me that everyone wants something, that love is a weakness people exploit, that trusting anyone makes you a fool. By the time I met you, I was so twisted up inside that I couldn’t recognize genuine kindness if it was standing right in front of me.”

“I was standing right in front of you,” Bella said, her voice breaking. “I was your wife, carrying your child, and you told me to get rid of it.”

The memory of that night stabbed through me. “I know.”

“You laughed at me.” Tears streamed down her face now. “I was so scared and hopeful and I thought maybe, maybe you’d want our baby even if you didn’t want me, and you laughed.”

“I’m sorry.” The words were completely inadequate. “Bella, I am so fucking sorry for what I said to you that night, for what I did. There’s no excuse, no justification. I believed lies because it was easier than believing someone could actually care about me without an agenda.”

She wiped her face angrily. “You humiliated me in front of Jade, in front of my parents.”

“I know.”

“You threw me out while I was pregnant.”

“I know.”

“You called our baby an ‘it’ like he was garbage.” Her voice rose. “You told me to abort him, Caleb. You said you’d destroy me if I didn’t.”

“I know!” The words came out harsh. “I know what I did, Bella, I’ve replayed that night a thousand times and I know exactly how badly I fucked up. I was cruel and heartless and I threw away the only real thing I’d ever had because I was too broken to recognize it.”

“So what?” She glared at me through tears. “You figured out you made a mistake and now I’m supposed to forgive you? Welcome you back with open arms?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I don’t expect forgiveness, I know I don’t deserve it. I just need you to know that I was wrong, that I’ve spent years learning the truth and hating myself for what I did to you.”

“Good,” she said viciously, “I hope you suffered.”

“I did.” I met her eyes. “Every single day, Bella, I suffered knowing what I’d done. When I finally uncovered. the truth about the fake evidence, when I realized Jade had been manipulating me from the start, I wanted to burn the entire world down.”

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