The Stranger I Married-Chapter 122: Home again

The penthouse was quiet when they returned, the kind of quiet that felt intentional. Rosa must have told the rest of the staff to clear out of sight, leaving the space hushed and undisturbed, like it had taken a breath on their behalf.

Nicholas carried Ella inside—not because she couldn’t walk, but because he refused to let her strain herself. One arm beneath her knees, the other around her back, holding her as if even the slightest jostle might hurt her again.

She’d tried to protest, weakly.

He’d ignored it, kissing her forehead.

Their footsteps echoed faintly through the marble-floored entrance, past tall windows that let in the soft peach glow of late afternoon. Ella tucked her face into Nicholas’s neck, her lashes fluttering against his skin.

His scent was grounding—clean linen, something woodsy, something distinctly him. Familiar in the best way. She could feel the steady thump of his heart beneath her ear, each beat reminding her that she was safe. That he was here. That she’d made it back to him.

"I could’ve walked," she murmured, not for the first time.

"You’ve got three fractured ribs and a concussion," he replied, voice low. "Humor me."

She exhaled a breath that might’ve been a laugh if she weren’t still so sore.

He carried her straight into the bedroom, where fresh sheets had been laid and the curtains drawn halfway to soften the light. A nightgown—silk, dove gray—lay folded on the bench at the foot of the bed. Ella recognized it. One of the ones he liked on her, though she hadn’t worn it since before the crash.

He set her down carefully, the mattress dipping beneath her, then crouched to unlace her shoes, slow and gentle. She watched him in silence, her fingers twisting the edge of the blanket beside her.

Nicholas looked up.

"You okay?"

She nodded. "Just... a little sore."

He stood and pressed a kiss to her temple, mindful of the gauze there. "I’ll run a bath."

She opened her mouth to say she could do it herself—but stopped. There was something in his expression. Something tightly wound behind his eyes. He needed to do this. For her. For himself.

So she gave a small nod instead.

Nicholas disappeared into the en suite, and soon, the sound of running water filled the air. A few minutes later, he reappeared in the doorway, sleeves rolled to his forearms, his watch off, jaw shadowed with stubble from a day that had never really ended.

"Come," he said softly, offering his hand.

Ella hesitated.

He waited.

Her fingers slipped into his, and he guided her up gently, one arm around her waist as they moved toward the bathroom. She leaned into him, letting him steady her. She hated how weak she felt. How slow. But he didn’t seem to mind.

The bathroom was warm with steam, the marble floors heated beneath their feet. The lights were dimmed. The bathtub—a deep soaking one—was filled almost to the rim with water tinted faintly with lavender and something sweet. Candles flickered along the counter, casting soft golden glows across the tiled walls.

Ella blinked. "You lit candles?"

He gave a one-shouldered shrug, bashful. "Figured you deserved more than hospital lights and antiseptic."

Her heart ached at the way he looked at her—so full of care it made her chest tighten.

Nicholas reached for the hem of her blouse, but paused. "Can I?"

She nodded, throat too thick for words.

He undressed her slowly, carefully, like every motion mattered. Like her body was something precious, not bruised. His fingertips ghosted over the purple-yellow bloom across her ribs, his brows furrowing. She looked away, suddenly self-conscious.

"Don’t," she whispered.

He stopped. "Don’t what?"

"Don’t look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like I’m broken."

Nicholas gently tilted her chin back toward him. "You’re not broken, Ella. You’re hurt. There’s a difference."

Her eyes burned.

"I still think you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen," he added softly. "Bruises don’t change that. Nothing could."

She swallowed hard.

He finished undressing her in silence, never rushing. Her skin prickled at the air. She crossed her arms loosely over her chest. But Nicholas didn’t look at her like a man assessing her body. He looked at her like someone honoring it. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Then he stripped off his own shirt, pushed his trousers down, and stepped into the water first. When he extended a hand toward her, she took it.

The warmth of the bath was immediate, seeping into her sore limbs, her tight muscles. Nicholas guided her into the water gently, letting her lean back against his chest, her legs draped loosely over his, his arms around her middle. The scent of lavender wrapped around them.

She sighed into him.

He didn’t speak. Just pressed a kiss to her shoulder and began to move a cloth over her skin, slow strokes that felt more like affection than hygiene. His hands moved reverently, like she was something sacred. When he reached for the soap, he lathered it into his palms and gently massaged her arms, her back, her shoulders—careful around the bruises, soft where it counted.

Ella melted into him.

No hospital machines. No bright lights.

Just him. Just this.

His voice broke the silence, low and close to her ear. "I couldn’t breathe until I saw you open your eyes."

She closed hers now, resting her head back against his shoulder. "I was scared I wouldn’t see you again."

"I know."

"I thought I’d left things unsaid. Thought I’d..." Her voice wavered.

Nicholas held her tighter. "You didn’t leave anything unsaid, baby. I knew. I know."

A pause.

"I still want to say it," she whispered.

He waited.

"I love you, Nicholas."

He turned his face into her wet hair, his arms locking around her more securely.

"I love you more," he whispered.

Nicholas didn’t rush to get out. Even after the water began to cool, he stayed with her, arms wrapped around her body like he was trying to shield her from the world itself. Ella rested against his chest in silence, her body weightless in the bath, skin warm and faintly scented with lavender and soap. The stillness between them wasn’t awkward—it was reverent.