Everyone partied well into the early morning, and eventually they allowed the happy couple to leave. Xavier had already arranged everything, so his pilots were waiting for them at the airport. They headed straight there and Xander helped his wife up into the jet before going to alert his pilots of their arrival.

"I can't believe you wouldn't let me change," Diamond commented once they were in the air.

He smirked. "Mrs Kingston, I intend to take my sweet time enjoying peeling that sin off of you."

"And I take it that will happen once we've landed?" she asked, blushing.

"That is correct. I don't want our first time to be on the jet," he replied.

"So what are we doing until then? I'm not tired as yet," she pointed out.

"Neither am I, so I guess we can get the talking out of the way now so that we enjoy our honeymoon with no pressure or anxiety," he said.

"Ok, I'm good with that. Where do we start?" she asked.

"I guess I'll go first. I was born on Christmas Day as you know. What you don't know and have surprisingly not questioned yet, is my father's presence in my life. Well, I don't know him. My mother fell pregnant with me at a very young age, and as my grandfather said at our wedding, her pregnancy caused strife between my grandparents. While they were both disappointed, my grandmother wanted to kick my mother out, while my grandfather argued that since my father had already bailed out on her, it would be wrong to kick her out. The situation got so out of hand that my grandmother left my grandfather. After the messy divorce, my mother wanted nothing more than to do something nice for people who couldn't afford anything, so the annual Kingston Christmas Charity Ball was born. I was supposed to be born on the third of January the following year, but I guess I just couldn't wait to get started on my life," he joked, making her laugh.

"Anyway, so my grandfather is a self-made billionaire who grew up as an orphan. It's the reason why my family isn't that big. We don't really know our history, and since it's a touchy subject with my grandfather, we've never bothered to find out. There are only a few family members that we've connected with over the years. So, while I was a baby, my grandfather borrowed my mother money to start her catering company, but as you know, the Dorothy Kingston brand grew with time and became about way more than catering. However, it wasn't an easy journey for her, especially where I was involved. I was a smart kid, but I was also problematic, and sometimes it didn't end well. It took a while to get me under control, and she had to face a lot of criticism and scepticism. Eventually I was the son she could be proud of. Eight years into my existence, Macy was born. Now, Macy's dad was a wealthy man and my mom's chance at a happy life, but he was killed on the day Macy was born. My mom hasn't truly been the same since," he said, pausing as he thought about his stepdad.

"I'm so sorry Xavier," Diamond said lowly.

"It's ok. We've all dealt with it by now, but I still wish my mom would find someone to make her happy. I mean, she's only turning forty three. She's still got plenty of time," he pointed out.

"But only she can make that decision," she argued.

"True. I guess I just want her to be happy, and I guess our marriage brings her a bit of some happiness considering the fact that she was sure I would die alone," he commented.

"Speaking of, you're not telling me much about yourself," she pointed out.

He sighed. "I guess I was trying to figure out how I would tell you. It's not the easiest thing for me to do."

"I take it the hard part has got to do with the woman who broke your heart?" she asked.

"How do you know about her?" he asked, frowning.

"I don't really, but there have been many hints about her in the time I've been with you, and Macy mentioned that you had your heart broken by a snake," she replied.

"Macy talks too much," he mumbled.

"That much is true, but she cares about you, so you can't fault her for that," she argued.

He knew that that much was true.

"Her name is Thea Wiley. We met in the early days of my business. I was quickly catching people's attention for being more than just Dorothy Kingston's son and Lyell Kingston's grandson. She's a model, and at the time, being with me boosted her career majorly. She started getting noticed more, and she revelled in the attention. I didn't think she'd blindside me simply because I was so convinced that she and I would rule the world together. Her little sister is Robyn Wiley, a reporter who is famous for her sensationalist pieces, however, even she got her big break from me. There was a time when it seemed like there was a mole at my company because things about my business were being leaked everywhere. It wasn't until my personal life was put on blast that everything became clear for me," he said angrily.

"Breathe," she said softly.

He took a deep breath in before continuing. "Apparently Robyn was about to lose her job because she wasn't bringing in any good content, so Thea came up with a plan for them to basically ruin me. They planned an expose so great that by the time it had been released, I almost went bankrupt and I lost a whole lot of friends."

"I don't understand. What could they have possibly released that tarnished your reputation so badly?" she asked.

"There are things about my past that people didn't know then, like how I spent time in prison twice in my teenage years; once for DUI and the other time for assault. People didn't know that I'd been expelled from five different schools in my life. Obviously with this information coming to light, it became clear that my mother and grandfather had to pay people off to hide those parts of my life, as well as get me into institutions that would not regularly take people with records like mine. Thea would record private conversations between us, and in some of those conversations, I obviously voiced my frustrations and dislikes when it comes to certain people in my life. She had video clips of me badmouthing business partners in moments of stress and the likes. Like I said, by the time she and Robyn were done with me, I barely had anyone left," he said.

"Wait, wait, wait! From what you're telling me, you were worse than Treyvon, and yet you won't even give him a chance?" she said, surprising him.

After all he'd said, that's what she picked up.

"That's what stood out to you from everything I just said?" he commented.

"Your past is something that you can't change and that I don't judge you for. It's your present that I'm more concerned about, and it bothers me that your past is worse than Treyvon's, and yet you won't forgive or help him for that matter," she replied.

He sighed. "My situation with Treyvon is complicated."

"There's nothing complicated about it. For whatever reason, you are your grandfather's favourite grandchild, even if you messed up in a greater way than Treyvon, and it's part of the reason why you're so arrogant, aside from the fact that your mother has placed you on a just as high pedestal. I love them both as my family, but they ruined a part of you and made you think that you're entitled to being an asshole, and that's wrong on many levels," she voiced her opinion.

He hadn't expected anything that she'd just said. Their relationship had been something out of a novel since she'd woken up from her coma, and as he sat with her in that moment, he realized that they hadn't truly spoken about anything deep in their lives.

"My mother has an older sister, Treyvon's mother. When my grandparents split, my mother stayed with my grandfather, while my aunt left with my grandmother. My aunt hated my mother for causing their parent's divorce, and that hatred was passed down to Treyvon. My grandmother can't stand me either, just as much as my grandfather can't stand Treyvon. I guess I never bothered to make the connection," he said after a while.

She cupped his cheek. "I love you with all my heart Xavier, but you are messed up and your mother and grandfather didn't help you with this shielding that they did."

"And yet you still married me," he said lowly.

"I fell in love with you through Emery's eyes, but I won't lie and say that I didn't notice the differences once I woke up from my coma. I've watched you interact with different people and handle different situations, and there have been times when I've seen a side of you that surprised or even shocked me. However, if anyone can understand that people have different sides to them, it's me. I obviously don't agree with the entitled part of you, but now that I know your past, I'm able to understand it. I don't love you any less because of it. I just hope that you'll at least work towards it," she replied.

"With you in my life, I should be able to. I don't want to be anyone that you can't be proud of," he confessed.

She leaned in and kissed him softly. "I am very proud of you, and I'm proud to call you mine. Never doubt that much."

"What else do you want to know?" he asked her.

"How did you and Everett become friends?" she asked.

He smiled. "His mom is my mom's best friend. She's the only person who didn't turn on my mother when she fell pregnant with me, and she herself fell pregnant just a year later with Everett. The two of us grew up together and went to the same schools. I denied his friendship a lot of the times because it took him a while to come out of his shell, so I thought he was a weird kid. Every time I was expelled from a school, he followed me wherever I went. We even both graduated at the age of fifteen. We went to the same college, and that's when he truly became the Everett you now know. He's the one person who has always been there for me, whether I wanted him to be or not. He's the one person who never gave up on me, even when it seemed like my own family would give up on me. When the whole Thea thing went down, he wanted to avenge me the most. He's my only partner at Kingston Empires. I trust him with my entire life."

"He's your only partner?" she asked, surprised.

He nodded. "We got involved in some horrible business and our investors dropped us. The two of us built the company back up again, and I realized that no one would have my back like him, so I made him my only other partner. I have the majority shareholding though," he responded.

"Wow, that's incredible," she commented, to which he shrugged.

"What about you? How did you meet Kenny?" he questioned.

She laughed a little. "It was cold that night about five years ago, and I saw a whole lot of people going into a club. Outside, I watched as two men kissed each other. It was the first time I was seeing anything like that, so I was curious, especially since the people around them didn't find it the least bit weird. I headed to the back of the club and got in through the back door, only to be caught by Kenny. He was a bartender there at the time. Now he owns the place. Anyway, I was entranced as I watched men making out with men, and women making out with women. I'd never seen anything like it. I obviously stood out, and Kenny spotted me. I thought he'd kick me out, but instead he led me to the backroom where he gave me a plate of food to eat. I was anorexic at the time, and once I was done eating, he forced me to tell him about myself or else he would call the cops. I sang like a canary, and when I was done, he told me that he was going to nurse me back to health. I lived with him for six months and once I was healthy, he found me a job and I moved out and into my apartment. He's more than my best friend. He's my brother."

Xavier had formed a brotherly bond with Kenny, and listening to his wife speak, he was even more grateful to his new brother for taking care of her in the way that he had. Without him, she might've died all those years ago.

"I'm even more grateful to him now," he told her.

"Your bond with him surprised me," she admitted.

"He told my mom and I his life story, and we were both just as angry as his grandmother had been. My mother adopted him immediately, but our bond took some time to form, simply because I wasn't sure if he'd appreciate it. We spent more and more time getting to know each other at the hospital every time we visited you, and before we knew it, we had formed our brotherly bond," he explained.

She smiled. "Well I'm grateful for it. The two most important men in my life get along like brothers, and there's nothing better than that."

He smiled too, but he knew that they had to broach the difficult part of her past. "Kenny and Emery have already told me about your past, so I don't know if you want to tell me."

"I do, I think. I guess I just need you to understand that I am nowhere close to as put together as I come across, and there will be moments where I am a completely different person," she said.

"Do you want to go to therapy?" he asked curiously.

"I've never actually considered it, and I'm not entirely sure that I want to. I can open up to you, Emery and Kenny, but I doubt I'll be able to open up to anyone else," she replied.

"Doesn't the fact that the person is a stranger help?" he questioned.

She shook her head. "It doesn't make it any better."

"Alright, that's fine. I'm here to support you through anything you need," he told her.

She smiled. "I know you are. As for the rest of my past, I don't know what else to tell you since you know most of what happened."

"Do you remember the places where you stayed?" he asked.

"Yes, and I know that look on your face. Just like I told Kenny, you're not going to do anything about it," she told him.

"We have to love. Who knows how many kids are going through the same things you are? Surely you'd want to put a stop to that?" he pointed out.

"Don't guilt trip me into this Xavier," she snapped.

"I'm not. I'm simply pointing out that it's selfish of you to not want to protect others from this when you know first-hand what it's like to go through it," he argued.

"And yet you married me," she said angrily, playing his own words back at him.

He sighed. "I'm not trying to upset you Diamond. In fact, it's the last thing I'm trying to do right now. I just think that you should think about the children who could potentially have what happened to you, happen to them. I know it's the last thing you want, and I just don't want your pain to stop you from doing the right thing. Deep down, you know what you need to do, and I'm not going to be the one to force you to do it."

"You're just going to be the one to view me differently if I don't," she mumbled.

Angry tears made their way to her eyes as she thought about her past. Now that she was older and wiser, she knew that what had been done to her never should've been allowed to happen, and she'd been failed by the very people who were meant to keep her safe from the harsh realities of the outside world.

Instead, she was used like a rag doll for sick men's pleasure, and it had ruined her in a way that even she was unsure of. She knew she was damaged, but she wasn't sure to what extent and what it meant for her marriage.

Before she knew it, she was lost in her head, in the bad memories.

Xavier watched her and could see it happening. He reached out and tried to hold her, but she moved away from him. She momentarily forgot who he was, and she panicked. He knew that he had to approach her slowly from that point on as he slowly leaned forward.

"It's ok love. It's just me," he said softly.

The fear gradually dissipated until it was gone completely. She launched herself into his arms and he held her as she cried onto his chest. He didn't say anything. He just let her cry it all out. He could remember Kenny telling him that he'd never seen her actually cry before.

She'd come close many times, but she hadn't full on cried.

She eventually fell asleep in his arms and he carried her to the room on the jet. He didn't want to leave her alone, so after taking her shoes off, he did the same with his and joined her on the bed, wrapping his arms around her as she settled into him.

He was lost in his thoughts. He was thinking about how they would have to navigate this situation going forward. He knew that it would be challenging, especially since he was pretty sure that his wife had only now begun to truly deal with what had happened to her.

He knew that Diamond was the strongest person he knew for many reasons, but he was also aware that a big part of her had shut her past out. She was able to talk about it, but she'd never really truly dealt with it, and he knew that therapy was what she needed, even if she didn't want it.

He knew one thing for sure though.

He wasn't going anywhere.

She needed him now more than ever. He'd had his doubts about them, but when she went along with the wedding, she confirmed that they were on the same page, and so he wouldn't leave her to deal with this alone.

She was officially his top priority above everything and everyone in his life.

Diamond woke up and she could hear waves in the distance. She was alone in the bed and when she looked down, she was dressed in her nightdress. She looked outside and it looked like it was dusk. She was briefly confused, until she heard her husband's voice in the distance.

She got up and left the room, following his voice, to find him in the lounge. He was shirtless, dressed only in his pyjama pants, and he was on the phone. He looked frustrated, and she leaned on the doorway, taking him in.

"Everett, you have to stop them before they even get a sniff of this. As it is, Wellington is still sceptical about doing this deal, so the last thing we need is for this to happen," he said, clearly talking to his best friend. There was a while of silence as he listened to Everett's response.

He'd turned, still not aware of his wife's presence as she walked up to hug him from behind, kissing his back. "I'm leaving everything in your hands Rett. Don't disappoint me."

"You should be nicer to him. He's your best friend," Diamond murmured onto his back once he'd hung up the phone.

Xavier sighed. "I know. I'm just stressed out."

"What's going on?" she asked.

He turned to face her and wrap his arms around her waist. "It's just a threat to a potential business deal, but it's nothing to worry about now. I'm trusting Rett with it. I'm more concerned about how you're feeling."

"I'm confused," she admitted.

He smiled. "We arrived about ten hours ago. You were really out of it, and I didn't want to bother you, so I just carried you here, changed you out of the dress and let you rest while I worked."

"Why would you let me sleep? We were supposed to have our special wedding night. You were supposed to peel the dress off of me," she complained.

"But I did," he joked.

"You know what I mean," she pouted.

"I know my love, but I also know that you're not ready for us to go down that path yet, and I'm more than willing to wait," he told her.

She scowled. "I am ready."

"You know that isn't true," he argued.

She bit her lip, nervous. After her breakdown in the jet, she realized that she wasn't ready. She'd only then truly accepted that she'd had a horrible past. She was grateful that life gave her a loving husband, but she just wasn't ready to take that step with him.

A soft kiss brought her out of thought before he wiped her tear away. "I'm not going anywhere Mrs Kingston. I'm here for you."

"I want to give you kids Xavier, but I don't even know if I'll be able to, even when we eventually get to that stage," she confessed.

"We'll book an appointment with a gynaecologist so that you have a full check up when we return. I want you to be healthy. Whether or not you can give me kids is not a priority," he replied.

She looked down, the tears filling her eyes again. "I'm so sorry Xavier. You probably wish you married someone else now; someone who isn't as broken as I am and who can pleasure you and give you kids. Instead you married me."

"Hey, stop that. I could've married anyone else if I wanted to, but that's not what I wanted. I want you Diamond Kingston. I want you, flaws, dark past and all. I don't care if it takes us ten years before you're ready to be intimate, or if you can give me kids or not. You make me happier than I've ever been without those things, and before you even think it, no, I will not get bored of you. That will never happen," he said sternly.

"Ten years?" she asked amusedly, looking up at him.

"If blue balls are to be my best friend, then so be it. I'm not rushing you into anything," he stressed.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I truly don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'll forever be grateful."

"Ditto my love, ditto," he said before kissing her.

"I'm curious about something," she said when they'd pulled apart.

"Let's get you fed while you ask away," he suggested as he led them to the kitchen.

"I've been curious about the shooting for a while," she admitted.

He scowled. "What about it?"

"What happened to the investigation? You haven't told me a single thing about it, aside from the fact that I saved your life," she pointed out.

"The investigation didn't go anywhere, including my private investigation. The only thing I know for sure is that it was an assassination attempt, and it's not over. When I went to shower and get changed out of the bloodied clothing on the day you were shot, I found a note in my car saying that I'm lucky you were there, and that it wasn't the end," he explained as he started preparing food for them.

"What? Your life is still in danger and you only tell me this now?" she asked disbelievingly.

"My life isn't in danger love. Whoever it was hasn't done anything since," he responded.

"But they already told you that it isn't the end. What is wrong with you? Why aren't you stressing over this?" she panicked.

He rushed over to her. "Diamond, breathe. This is exactly why I didn't tell you anything. You probably haven't even noticed, but we've had a security team following us everywhere we go. I've got safety precautions in place, and my PI is still on the lookout."

"I can't lose you Xavier, and I sure as hell am not taking any more bullets for you," she hyperventilated.

He laughed before kissing her forehead. "I don't expect you to. The only thing I expect you to do is trust me and not worry about me."

"I will always worry about you. Or did you forget that you're the love of my life?" she argued as she calmed down.

"Alright, fair enough. Don't worry about me getting shot. Now that we're aware that someone is trying to kill me, we're doing everything we can to stop that from happening," he replied.

"I'm not fully convinced, but I'll trust you for my own sanity," she said.

"That's all I'm asking of you Mrs Kingston," he smiled before getting back to cooking.

"So what happens when we get back?" she asked.

"I go back to work and you can start your new job as my PA whenever you're ready," he responded.

"I'll be ready when we get back. When is that by the way?" she questioned.

"I can be away from the office for two weeks if I'm really stretching it, but not longer than that," he said.

She beamed. "That's a lot longer than I thought I'd have you for. I was sure we'd only be here for three days at most."

"I'm wounded that you didn't have faith that I'd make more time to spend with you," he joked.

She rolled her eyes. "You're the busiest person I know. You're probably working as we speak."

He couldn't deny that much.

"Working is in my DNA by now," he defended.

"I know. It's one of the things I love about you," she said.

"Is it? What else do you love about me?" he asked.

"That's pretty much it. Everything else is pretty average," she said with a straight face.

He mock glared at her. "I'm going to pretend you just told me that everything I do drives you crazy and you can't get over staring at me."

She laughed. "Whatever makes you sleep better honey."

For the first time since meeting her, Xavier saw a more realistic side to his wife as they bonded while he cooked. It was the first time he was seeing her for who she truly is, and not the fantasy he'd fallen in love with through Emery's eyes.

He found that he loved the woman he married even more than the fantasy.

There was something even more endearing about seeing her vulnerable. She was getting more and more comfortable with opening herself up to him, making him fall deeper and deeper in love with her than he already was.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

They'd had their dinner and were cuddling on the hammock, watching the stars. They hadn't said anything since lying there, but she was curious about what he was thinking about, especially since she was feeling a little insecure about everything.

"I fell in love with you based on everything Emery told me about you. When we kissed at the resort, I was torn between what I felt for you then, and the feelings I had for the fantasy Emery created of you. When you saved my life, everything came together for me, and it became clear that the woman I kissed, and the fantasy Emery created were one in the same. It's been a little under two months since that day, and only about three weeks of us spending time together, most of which was spent rehabilitating you. I knew from the moment I lay eyes on you that I wanted you to be my wife, but only now, as I lay here with you, do I realize the craziness of how we came to be," he replied.

"What are you saying Xavier?" she asked, a little breathless.

"Even when we got married, I married the fantasy Emery created. Only now, as we lay here, do I realize that you are so much more than that. There are things that I'm only now learning that Emery could never communicate to me about you, and I'm somewhat grateful because I realize why. You didn't expose yourself fully to her, and I can't help but feel privileged that you saved this part of yourself for me. I was afraid that our relationship would be in danger once we got rid of the fantasy element of it, and yet I'd like to believe that it's only grown stronger. I love you even more than I did twenty four hours ago, and I love you more than the fantasy of you. I'm just laying here, thanking whoever it is who looked at me and thought that I deserve you. I just can't thank them enough, and I can only hope to be enough for you Diamond Lisa Kingston. You are everything to me."

Her tears were rolling down her face and he reached to wipe them away. They both knew that that would've been the ideal moment for them to make love if they were at that point, but Xavier didn't care that they couldn't.

He just cared that she knew how much he valued her.

"I love you Diamond Kingston," he said before kissing her.

"I love you too Xavier Kingston."