Our Accidental Forever
Chapter 93: Surprise Gifs & Surprise Call

Chapter 93: Surprise Gifs & Surprise Call

Ella’s POV:

It started with a bouquet of lilies, my favorite flowers, not roses, not some generic arrangement.

Lilies. I found them waiting at the penthouse door as I returned from running errands.

A simple note was tucked into the stems: For the most beautiful part of my day - A

At first, I didn’t know how to react.

Arec had always been polite and thoughtful, but this? This felt different. Personal.

The kind of gesture that made me wonder if he knew me better than I realized. I set the flowers in a vase and spent the next hour circling the arrangement, unable to stop smiling.

Then came the texts.

"Did you eat lunch?"

"Don’t skip, okay?"

And then, "I thought about that karaoke song you sang. You owe me a duet next time."

At first, I chuckled at his messages, marveling at the fact that Arec Weston, stoic, focused, and always buried in work, was now the man checking on me every hour.

I mean, who was this? And what had he done with the man who used to treat our relationship like a business merger?

I didn’t reply right away. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I didn’t know how to. This version of Arec left me off balance. It was thrilling, but it also made me nervous. What if I got used to this and he suddenly pulled back?

By the third day, the surprises grew bolder. A small box arrived with a delicate bracelet inside, white gold with tiny, interwoven lilies. It was understated but exquisite, and I stared at it for what felt like an eternity before slipping it onto my wrist.

The message that came with it made my heart skip:

"This reminded me of you, elegant and timeless. Wear it for me?"

How was I supposed to resist that?

I couldn’t ignore it anymore. Arec wasn’t just going through the motions; he was putting in real effort, and it was catching me off guard. Not just because it was unexpected, but because it made me feel something I wasn’t sure I was ready to feel yet: secure.

Every time my phone buzzed, I found myself grinning like an idiot.

"Thinking about you."

"Are you okay? You seemed a little tired earlier."

---

By the fifth day, I was both overjoyed and on edge.

"Stop overanalyzing," Kate had said when I called her, trying to make sense of it all. "He’s crazy about you. Just enjoy it!"

"But what if it’s too much too soon?" I asked, pacing the penthouse living room. "What if..."

"What if you stop finding problems where there aren’t any? Ella, please. The man is sending you gifts and checking on you like you’re the queen of his world. Let him."

I laughed, but her words stayed with me long after the call ended. Was I overthinking?

That evening, as I curled up on the couch, my phone buzzed again.

"Busy?"

I hesitated for a moment before replying, "No, just relaxing."

The response was immediate.

"Good. You deserve it. I’ve been thinking about how we used to talk late at night when I stayed at the penthouse. I miss that. Do you?"

Did I? Of course I did. But admitting that felt like giving him too much power over my heart, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that.

Instead, I typed, "You miss talking to me? Or are you just saying that to be nice?"

His reply made me blush:

"Miss is an understatement."

By the sixth day, I had to confront him.

I didn’t plan it, but when another package arrived, this time, a handwritten letter tucked inside a first-edition book I’d mentioned wanting months ago, I couldn’t take it anymore.

When Arec called to check in, I answered with a breathless, "What are you doing?"

There was a pause on the line before he chuckled. "Hello to you too, Ella."

"I’m serious, Arec. What’s with all the gifts and the texts? You’re...you’re spoiling me."

"And that’s a bad thing?" His voice was calm, but I could hear the amusement underneath.

"No, but..." I trailed off, unsure how to put my feelings into words. "It’s just...a lot."

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked, his tone suddenly serious.

The question caught me off guard. Did I want him to stop? The thought of him pulling back, of the warmth and care he’d been showing disappearing, left a hollow feeling in my chest.

"No," I admitted softly.

"Good," he said, relief evident in his voice. "Because I’m not planning to stop, Ella. You deserve to be spoiled. I want you to feel cared for,, because you are. Is that okay?"

My throat tightened, and I found myself nodding even though he couldn’t see me. "It’s more than okay," I whispered.

After we hung up, I sat with his words, letting them sink in. This wasn’t the Arec I’d first agreed to marry under contract. This was the man I’d always hoped he could be, the man who saw me, valued me, and wasn’t afraid to show it.

As I looked at the bracelet on my wrist and the lilies still blooming in their vase, I felt a wave of emotion so strong it brought tears to my eyes. For the first time in a long time, I felt cherished.

---

The sunlight filtered through the large windows of the penthouse, bathing the room in a warm, golden glow. I was seated on the couch, absentmindedly scrolling through my phone when it buzzed with an incoming call. The name on the screen stopped me in my tracks: Arec’s Grandmother.

I stared at it for a second, unsure of what to expect. We hadn’t exactly had the warmest interactions before, and now... she was calling me? For what?

Bracing myself, I swiped to answer. "Hello, Mrs. Weston."

Her voice, rich with an unexpected warmth, came through the line. "Ella, dear, how are you doing?"

I blinked, sitting up straighter. Was I hearing this right? "I’m... I’m doing well, thank you. How are you?"

"Oh, I’m splendid, thank you for asking," she said, her tone so cheerful it almost threw me off balance. This was not the same reserved, mildly disapproving woman I remembered from our previous encounters.

"Good," I managed, still uncertain where this was going.

"I was just thinking," she continued, "that I haven’t had the chance to properly check in on you. A young woman carrying my great-grandchild deserves more than the occasional hello."

Her words hit me like a bolt of lightning. My hand instinctively rested on my belly, even though it was still far too early to show. My great-grandchild. Did she just say that with actual affection?

"Thank you," I stammered, genuinely touched. "That means a lot."

"I hope you’re taking good care of yourself," she went on. "Eating properly, getting enough rest. You know, these things are very important."

I nodded as if she could see me. "I am. Arec’s been... very attentive."

She chuckled, a light and almost musical sound that felt utterly surreal. "I’m sure he is. That boy’s been positively glowing since the two of you decided to make things real. I suppose it was only a matter of time."

Her words left me flustered, my cheeks heating. "Well, we’re both excited about the future."

"Good, good," she said. "Speaking of the future, have you confirmed your final fitting for the wedding gown?"

I blinked. "Oh! Yes, it’s this Saturday, isn’t it?"

"That’s right," she said briskly. "We need everything to be perfect. I’ve been telling the designer to leave nothing to chance. After all, this is a Weston wedding. It should be a day for the history books."

I couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. "I’ll be there, Mrs. Weston. Thank you for reminding me."

"And Ella," she added, her voice softening, "don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything at all. I mean it. You’re family now."

Family. The word lingered in the air long after the call ended.

I set the phone down and leaned back into the couch, staring at the ceiling. My thoughts were a chaotic mix of emotions: disbelief, relief, and a surprising amount of happiness.

If someone had told me weeks ago that Arec’s grandmother would one day call me to check on me, or, more specifically, her great-grandchild, I would’ve laughed in their face. This was the same woman who had once looked at me like I was beneath her.

And yet here we were.

I couldn’t help but chuckle softly to myself. So, all it took to thaw the ice queen was a great-grandchild. Who knew?

The thought made me smile even wider, though a small part of me couldn’t help but wonder: was her warmth genuine? Or was this just her way of ensuring the Weston legacy was secured?

I shook my head, pushing the doubt aside. For now, I wanted to believe it was real, just like my current relationship with Arec.