The Gift of Three Words

Valentin’s POV

By the time we reached the villa, my wife was very comfortably asleep. I carried her upstairs, careful not to wake her, though she murmured faintly against my chest as I laid her gently on the edge of the bed.

Her fingers clung weakly to my sleeve, and when I tried to pull away, she whispered, half-conscious, “Stay.”

“I’m not leaving,” I said softly. I loosened her dress, easing her