I gently kiss her forehead and place my mouth against her temple. “Thank you for choosing me,” I whisper. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what happens as long as she’s the one standing next to me. I’d never needed anything but her—and yes, it was unhealthy, and I was perhaps a little bit problematic and possessive at times. Things like my job and my family brought me joy, but Layla? She’s my center, the constant in a world of change. She always has been—ever since the day I met her. Every moment without her over the last decade felt like a fragment of a life I couldn’t fully live. Not
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