The Sweetest Temptation
Chapter 154: Love Confession

Chapter 154: Love Confession

It was well past midnight when Rhys arrived at the hospital.

The halls were quiet and dimly lit, and there wasn’t a single soul in sight apart from the security guards standing outside Beatrix’s room.

Rhys had made his way to the hospital after receiving a call from Damien that she wanted to see him.

Damien had told him about his plan of sending her home with her family. He didn’t agree with him but he knew it was for the best.

As he approached Beatrix’s room, Rhys could hear the soft hum of machines and the rhythmic beeping of monitors.

He pushed the door open, and the room was dimly lit, with only the light from the machines casting a faint glow.

Beatrix was lying in the hospital bed, looking pale and fragile.

Rhys couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness at the sight of her like that. His heart beat twice. It was funny how she still gave him this kind of feeling every time he looked at her, no matter how many times he saw her.

He approached her bed and took her hand in his, gently stroking her fingers. "Hey," he whispered softly, not wanting to wake her up.

Beatrix stirred, and her eyes slowly opened. She looked up at Rhys, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Rhys," she said weakly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I’m here," Rhys said, his voice filled with concern. "How are you feeling?"

Beatrix tried to sit up, but Rhys gently pushed her back down. "Don’t try to move," he said. "You need to rest."

Beatrix sighed, "You came." She whispered as he just stared at her; his eyes going to the ground as if he couldn’t seem to cope with looking out how red her eyes looked.

The emotions inside her felt like they’re being slung around her with a sling shot, and she couldn’t contain it anymore.

"Did you agree with Damien to send me away?"

Beatrix brought her hands up and shoveled at his chest as hard as she could, sending him stumbling back and raised my voice.

"Answer me!"

He looked to her, taken back by her shove, and raises his eyebrows "Beatrix.."

"No don’t you fucking call my name. Beatrix snapped, mimicking his accent with her name.

"Why do you let Damien keep deciding for you? What about what you want too? This is a relationship not a fucking autocrat where he decides for all of us.

He doesn’t get to take that away because he is scared - I have a say in this too"

Rhys could see the anger and frustration in Beatrix’s eyes, and he knew that she was right. He should have consulted her before agreeing with Damien’s plan to send her away.

"You’re right, Beatrix," he said, his voice calm and reassuring. "I should have talked to you first. I’m sorry."

Beatrix didn’t say anything for a moment, and Rhys could see tears welling up in her eyes. He moved closer to her and took her hand in his again.

"We just wanted what’s best for you. You have no idea what I have been through. If I hadn’t gone to buy the—"

"Stop!"

Beatrix interrupted him, she couldn’t help but feel a rush of anger, but seeing how gutted he looks only made her more upset.

She didn’t like seeing him like this, and she couldn’t let him think that leaving him was the right thing to do. "It wasn’t your fault," Beatrix yelled, trying to get through to him.

"What happened to me wasn’t your fault. You can’t blame yourself for things that were out of your control!"

Rhys let out a deep breath, his eyes meeting Beatrix’s. "I know, but I can’t help feeling responsible for what happened to you. I should have been there to protect you."

Beatrix shook her head, "You couldn’t have known what was going to happen. And you can’t always protect me from everything."

Rhys looked at her, his eyes filled with love and worry. "I just want to make sure you’re safe," he said softly.

"I know," Beatrix replied, her voice softening.

"But I need you to trust me too. Trust that I can make my own decisions, and that I know what’s best for myself."

Rhys nodded, "I do trust you. I just want to be there for you, always because you’re the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me. I know I’m not perfect, but I don’t want to be. I deserve someone who accepts me for who I am, someone who supports my passions, brings out the best in me, and wants the best for me. And that’s you.

You have completely transformed my life. I would choose the life I have now with you over my old life any day." He said softly gazing into her eyes.

Beatrix sighed, "Why does this feel like a love confession?"

Rhys held her hands tightly and his lips pulled up into a smirk, "Because it is. I am completely in love with you, little mouse.!"

The moment his words escaped his lips, it felt like time stopped.

Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest, causing her breaths to come in short gasps. With those words finally out in the open, her stomach tightened, and she almost winced.

Beatrix was completely motionless, her lips parted, and her eyes wide open, blinking in disbelief. She seemed to be struggling to comprehend the words that had just echoed in the room.

"Did you really just say that?" she asked, her voice barely audible as if she needed to confirm what she had heard.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, and her voice trembled for an entirely different reason.

"What?" she asked, her mind still trying to process what had just happened.

"I said... I’m in love with you..." Rhys stuttered.

She had been waiting to hear those words for what seemed like forever, and now he was finally saying them, just as she was about to leave him?

What kind of cruel joke was this?

"Please, say something," he pleaded.

Beatrix blinked in shock, trying to compose herself. "Are you sure?" she asked, still struggling to grasp what was happening.

Rhys awkwardly rubbed the nape of his neck, trying to find the right words. "I, uh, asked the internet how you know if you’re in love with someone," he finally said.

Beatrix raised her eyebrows. "And what did it say?"

"A lot of things," he replied. He cleared his throat and began to recite from memory. "Like, when you find someone who you could let destroy you in every way and still be okay with it. And when you can’t imagine living your life without that person, and the idea of spending the rest of it with them is more inviting than terrifying."

Beatrix gazed at him as he spoke, her chest feeling tight as if her ribs were constricting together. Rhys ran his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out the right words to say. His shoulders slumped, and his eyes shone with sincerity and emotion as he focused on her.

"I know that I love you," he said, his voice quivering with intensity. "I’m absolutely, madly in love with you. There’s no other way to describe it, and those words aren’t even good enough. But if that’s all there is, then that’s what I am."

Beatrix’s heart stopped, for the second time in just 24 hours, and she struggled to catch her breath. Had he really just said he loved her? Rhys watched her closely, trying to read her reaction, but she was completely frozen.

"Please tell me you love me too," he implored, his eyes seeming to plead with her. "Tell me what you said before that day."

Beatrix’s heart swelled with emotion, and tears welled up in her eyes as she answered, "I love you." Rhys came to stand in front of her, his hands hovering uncertainly over her cheeks before finally taking hold of her face. Beatrix closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of him touching her again.

"I love you too," he whispered, his voice barely above a breath. "And I’m so sorry it took me so long to figure it out." Beatrix’s heart felt like it was about to burst with the intensity of the emotions flooding through her.

"Please look at me," Rhys begged, smoothing her hair out of her face and holding her cheeks gently in his hands. She opened her eyes and gazed into his deep blue eyes, filled to the brim with every emotion he was capable of.

"I would come for you, little mouse. I promise," he said, his voice shaking with emotion. "We love you so much that everything we’re doing, we’re doing it for you. Trust us, okay?"

Beatrix nodded, "Alright. I will be waiting for you guys to come for me. You better come or I will come for you both myself."

Rhys chuckled and pressed a kiss on her forehead, "Okay."