Hearing her question made me uneasy for a little bit but I knew for sure that I had to tell her the truth sooner or later anyway so might as well tell her now.

We're finally starting over again as a couple and she has the right to know. She was the one who served as my strength during those times after all.

I took a deep breath. "I left because...I had to. It was time for me to begin facing my enemies head-on but something happened. If that didn't happen to me, we wouldn't've been in this kind of situation. I would've surely defeated my enemies and I'm sure that we would've been married by now."

"What happened?" Athena asked curiously, her gaze never left mine.

"Just like what happened when I was still young, my enemies almost succeeded on killing me. That time, I really thought, I was already finished but I miraculously survived. To tell you the truth, I got the intel that my enemies would be bombing the palace just thirty minutes before it happened.

"Me and my men rushed there to try and stop that fùcking b*stard but I couldn't get there. I got careless and took only three of my men with me because I didn't want us to get any attention. Our mission was secret that's why I was confident that no one knew that we were on our way.

"But I was wrong. While we were on our way, three vehicles ambushed us. They suddenly blocked our way and then rained bullets on our car. Because my driver suffered a couple of shots, the vehicle crashed into the tree on the shoulder of the road.

"The remaining of us tried to fight back even though we were badly injured. I managed to call my men who were just nearby to serve as our backup but it was a little bit late already. While we were about to get out of the car, they shot our car with a grenade launcher.

"I saw that they were about to shoot us so I had the chance to jumped out of the car but I still suffered a burn on my back and a shot here on my shoulder. My men died. When I lose my consciousness, I was sure that I was already done for but I didn't even care about myself back there anymore.

"All I cared about was you. I knew that they wanted to kill all the members of the Royal Family that's why I was so scared for you. Just thinking back then that you were about to get hurt was too much for me. I wanted to get up and go to you but my body failed me.

"The last thing I remembered was your beautiful face. I knew that I called your name over and over again for sure because I blacked out. I thought that if I only knew that I would die that day, I would never have left you so that I could've the chance to save you and be together with you." I chuckled bitterly after that. Just remembering what happened to me back then brought me unexplainable emotions.

I really thought that I wouldn't've the chance to wake up and see Athena again but I was still lucky because I survived.

"Y-You mean, the big scar on your back was from that time?" Athena's voice was slightly shaking in shock. Her eyes brimmed with tears.

A sad smile appeared on my face. "Yes, mi hermosa, that's why I couldn't stop the bombing. I'm sorry because I got careless. I couldn't keep my promise to protect you. I miscalculated their plans. All of that happened because my enemies caught my intel after he discovered about their plan that's why he couldn't report back to me. He just managed to escape that's why he managed to contact me just thirty minutes before the bombing."

"What happened to you after that?" She asked while looking at me worriedly from head down to my legs, probably looking for any scars that that incident left me.

"I was in a coma for a year." I admitted and she gasped loudly against her palm.

"Oh, god! You were in a coma?!"

"Yes, mi hermosa, that's why I couldn't come back to you earlier than planned. I'm sorry for being so late. I'm sorry for causing you all the resentment, pain and grief these past one year and seven months. I'm sorry that you felt alone and sad because of me." To my surprise, she threw her arms around me and then hugged me tightly.

Her body was slightly shaking as she burrowed her face on my chest.

"What happened? Why are you suddenly hugging me, huh?" I asked her sweetly with a hint of playfulness to lighten up the mood. My eyebrows furrowed when I heard her whimper. I suddenly got worried. I pulled away from her a little bit and then cupped her face, making her look at me in the process.

I felt like a heel upon seeing her tears. "Hey, what's wrong? Did I say something that hurt you?" I wiped her tears with my thumbs. Her shuddering sobs make my heart tighten.

"I'm sorry..." She finally uttered after a couple of seconds and that made me confuse.

"Why are you saying sorry? You didn't do anything for you to say sorry. If there's someone who's at fault here, I am. I left you without saying anything to you that's why you got hurt. You even almost marry that guy because you didn't know anything about him. It was my mistake not to tell you everything because I thought, I was sparing you from any danger that I was in." She shook her head.

"No. I'm sorry because I judged you right away without hearing your side of the story first. You almost died and I didn't even know it. You suffered a lot while here I was, harboring resentment and anger towards you." A tight smile broke across my face and then kissed her forehead.

"I don't blame you for acting that way after seeing the CCTV footages. Of course, anyone would act the way you did because the evidence was very clear. I know it was hard for you because you're a princess of Costavia. The people are your top priority and that's the reason why you decided to get married to Franco, right?" She quietly nodded her head but she still looked guilty.

"Don't give me that look. I hate seeing you sad. Don't worry because nothing bad has happened to me."

"No. I should've checked the authenticity of the videos before believing in them. Because I was so hurt by your supposedly betrayal, I became gullible that I didn't even notice the serpents that were approaching the Romano family and let them use me. M-Maybe if I've been a lot more careful, I could've helped you into stopping that person who was responsible for the bombing.

"When you disappeared, I didn't even look for you because I was wallowing in self-pity and pain. If I only searched for you, I could've been with you while you were in coma. Just imagining what you've been through is so much to take. I wouldn't be able to take if something bad had happened to you.

"Even if I resented you, my love for you never disappeared. It stubbornly remained in my heart. Now that we're finally together, promise me that you won't leave me this time, even for whatever reason." Hearing all that made my heart tighten.

I wrapped her soft body into my arms. "Shhh. It's not your fault. That happened to me because I made a mistake. I wasn't careful enough knowing how dangerous my situation that time. I'm sorry because I couldn't keep my promise but this time, I will. Whatever happens, I promise to stay by your side and protect you at all cost." The tension in her body calmed down after I said that.

I kissed her forehead and then whispered how much I love her.

We stayed hugging each other like that for a little bit longer before we continued watching the setting of the sun until it finally disappeared from the horizon.

That night, we ate our dinner together and after that, we stayed at the living room, talking about random stuff. Then, we decided to go upstairs to relax for the night.

"Where are you going? I thought, your room was that door?" She asked full of amusement as she pointed at the door of my room. I smirked.

"Yes, that's my room." I answered and to her surprise, I suddenly swooped her up onto my arms which made her squeal.

"What are you doing?!"

"You're entering the wrong room, mi hermosa. Our room is here." I answered as I opened the door of my room and then closed it with my foot after we entered.

"Our room, huh?"

"Yes. From now on, we're going to stay in one room while we're here."

"You already planned this all ahead, haven't you?" She asked as she raised an eyebrow at me. I chuckled and then kissed her on the lips. Damn! I would never get tired of kissing her and holding her like this.

"Of course, mi hermosa." Instead of putting her down on the bed, I walked past it and entered the bathroom with her still in my arms.

"And why did you bring me here?" I smirked playfully.

"To take a bath with you, what else?"

"Maximus! If you're planning something perverted again, I don't have energy left for that! I'm still tired!" She complained which made me laugh loudly.

"Don't worry, mi hermosa. We'll just bathe together." I could tell that she felt relieved after that. Well, we've been going at it since yesterday and I knew that she was still tired.

"Thank God." My laugh became louder. We didn't make love. We just bathe together. I made sure to be attentive to her that I was even the one who bathe her. She then did the same to me.

"I can't believe you." She voiced out when she noticed something.

"What?" I asked, feigning innocence. I already knew what she was talking about because her cheeks were red as tomatoes.

"Can't you make your friend 'shrink'? It's destructing me."

"Shrink?" I looked at the thing that she was staring at before laughing heartily.

"Believe me, mi hermosa. You don't want it to shrink." Her cheeks heated up even more when she realized what I was trying to say. She sneered at me and then handed me the soap.

"You're not done yet, mi hermosa."

"Hmp! Do it yourself!" She hissed in irritation and was about to go out of the shower when I pulled her by the hand to stop her from leaving. I knew that she was already getting affected by what she was seeing that's why she wanted to escape.

"C'mon, mi hermosa. Finish it." I begged with puppy dog eyes as I gave her back the soap. She bit her lower lip. I could tell that she didn't want to do it because in her mind, I might seduce her into making love with me again. Well, we've been doing it since last night so I would really let her rest.

I just wanted to be with her like this. It's just that, I'm still human. Seeing her hot and sexy naked body almost made me burst. Mierda! She's really the only woman who has this kind of effect on me.

She heaved a sigh. "You're so naughty."

"Only for you." I whispered and then planted a soft kiss on her soft lips. "C'mon, mi hermosa. Just a little bit more. Just finish it." I pleaded and she sighed in defeat.

"Oh, God. You're making this so difficult for me." She admitted and I chuckled.

She continued soaping my whole body and I noticed that her breathing was becoming shorter while biting her lower lip.

"Fùck." I grunted when she started soaping my hardness. Just feeling her soft hands touching me there almost drove me insane. Now, I regretted my telling her that we wouldn't make love. I groaned in frustration.

Gosh! He's so hard against my palm and it felt like he was going to explode. He was gritting his teeth the whole time and I knew that he was doing his best not ravish me. The fire of desire in his eyes was so evident that it brought heat within me.

But I knew that I should make it quick so that I wouldn't give him a hard time even more.

When I was finally finished, I almost sighed in relief. After we finished showering we dried each other's body with the towel and after that, we went out of the bathroom and got dressed.

While I was blow-drying my hair, I couldn't help but to smile while remembering what happened.

"What are you smiling there for, huh?" It was Maximus. He was combing his hair while looking at me. I chuckled.

"Nothing. I just couldn't help but to get amused." His eyebrows knitted together.

"About what?"

"About you. I didn't expect that you could actually restrain yourself. I mean, I was so sure that you were going to seduce me into making love with you again while we were under the shower." I voiced out what was on my mind.

I then turned off the hair dryer and then combed my hair. It was his turn to chuckle.

"You don't know how hard it was for me to control my libido especially that your sexy body was just in front of me." He then approached me, bended over to hug me from behind. "But even if it was so hard for me, I had to stop myself because I knew you were tired. I didn't want to overdo it even though, I really wanted to take you right there and then." He then kissed my cheek.

"Aw. Thank you for being considerate."

"Your welcome, mi hermosa. But let me just remind you that you will pay for that double." My eyes widened as I craned my head to look at him. He was smirking playfully as he planted a soft kiss on my lips before letting go of me and then threw himself into bed.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"You know what I mean, mi hermosa." He even winked at me playfully which made me blush. I stood up and then joined him in bed. I took one of the pillows and then hit him in not so hard way.

"You're really insatiable! I can't believe you!" He laughed out loud before pulling me by the waist on top of him.

"Only to you, mi hermosa. Only to you." We stared into each other's eyes before our lips slowly met for a passionate kiss.

After that soul-shattering kiss that we just shared, we decided to watch a movie while cuddling in bed. Somehow, being with Maximus filled my heart with so much joy that I forgot about all the worries within me.

I chose to not think about any problems and negativity and just concentrate on the present with him. After the movie, we talked about random stuff until we decided to sleep. I fell asleep that night in his arms with a smile on my face.

The next couple of days went by so quickly. Maximus and I spent those days exploring his property together. It was so fun and full of joy that it felt like we were in our own paradise.

"Where are we going this time? Why didn't we eat first before taking off?" I complained while we were walking, on our way to only God knows where. Maximus chuckled.

"That's why we brought lunch with us. Don't worry, you're going to like that place for sure."

"Just make sure that I will or else, I'm going to go back home and leave you here alone." I threatened which made him laugh. He was holding my hand the entire time which secretly made me giddy.

We trekked for about 8 minutes more before we finally reached our destination. It was a grassy field with lots of wild flowers scattered around it. Around 100 meters to where we were standing, there was a hanging bridge going to the other side and at the bottom of it was a river.

"Oh, my God! This place is amazingly beautiful." I praised while looking around. The air smelt so fresh. I could hear the chirping of the birds around and it was so relaxing.

I suddenly remembered our picnic at De Falco farm almost two years ago. Then, my cheeks went red because I remembered how he took me there on the picnic blanket.

"You're blushing. Did you happen to remember about something?" Maximus asked naughtily as he hugged me from behind.

"I didn't!" I denied and then lightly smacked his arm. He laughed.

"If you say so." He then kissed my nape and then let go of me. After that, he unfolded the picnic blanket and then lay it on the ground.

"Come here, mi hermosa." He coaxed and I did as I was told. I sat on the picnic blanket with him behind me. His arms went around me as he buried his face on the crook of my neck.

"Maximus. I'm sweaty." I complained as I wiped my sweat with my hanky.

"So, what? You still smell so good." He answered huskily and then kissed my neck once again. My breathing went hitch.

I bit my lower lip and just went on with the flow. Maximus is such a sweet guy; a trait that I didn't expect from him when I first met him.

"What's in the other of the hanging bridge?" I asked, trying to ignore the effect of his seduction on me.

"That part belongs to one of my friends."

"Really? Are you going to introduce this friend of yours to me?"

"Hell no, mi hermosa. I don't want a womanizer getting near you. I know that I'm the only one you love, but still..." I rolled my eyes.

"In short, you don't have enough trust in me?" I asked with a hint of irritation as I unwrapped his arms from hugging me and then stood up.

"Hey, mi hermosa. Where are you going?" I ignored him and then marched my way towards the hanging bridge. I crossed the bridge until I reached the middle part. I then looked at the bottom.

The water current wasn't that strong and it was enough for anyone to have a dip. I looked around. Gosh! The surroundings were really beautiful. It felt like I was in a paradise, especially that I was with my dolce metà.

Who would've thought that we would be together like this again? After what happened in the past, I already gave up the chance of us getting back together because I thought, Maximus was a terrorist. In my mind back then, I should hate him because he used and hurt me. Not just that, he killed many people.

But when he told me he truth, I felt so bad because I didn't know that he was in a coma during those times that I was resenting him.

But now, we had all the time in the world to make up for the lost times.

"Hey, are you mad at me?" The sweet voice of Maximus as he hugged me from behind. I smiled inwardly. I wasn't mad though. I was only irritated because his possessiveness was resurfacing again.

"No, I'm not. I just can't help but to get irritated because I feel like you don't trust me enough. Do you really think that I would replace you with some other guy out there?" I asked sulkily.

"Of course, not. I know how much you love me and I trust you. It's just that, I don't trust any guy when it comes to you."

I huffed. "Including my father and my brothers?" I didn't know why I included my father. It has been so long since he disappeared into thin air and until now, we didn't know where he could be by now.

"Of course, they're a different story. I trust them because I know how much they love you."

I chuckled. "You're saying that but you haven't met my father yet. He's been absent for so long that I forgot how it felt like to be around him."

"Trust me, mi hermosa. I know." I was about to ask him another question when he continued.

"You're so lucky because you still have a family while me on the other hand has none." His voice suddenly became sad. I intertwined our fingers together.

"But you still have me, right? Even though you made me wait for almost two years." He laughed and then kissed my cheek.