Chapter 219

Serena's POV I gazed into Ryan's intense eyes as his lips pressed against my fingers. My heart raced faster when he said those words—"I'd do anything to make you happy. Anything at all." "Ryan..." I whispered, feeling the tension shift between us. He pulled me closer, his hand sliding to the small of my back. "You know what terrifies me most, Serena?" His voice was barely audible, vulnerable in a way I rarely heard from him. "What?" I asked, noticing how his eyes darkened with emotion. "That if you really are who Ethan says you are—a Quinn—you might choose to leave all this behind. Leave America. Leave..." He swallowed hard. "Leave me." The admission hung in the air between us. Ryan Blackwood, the powerful, confident CEO who commanded respect everywhere he went, was afraid of losing me. "Is that why you didn't tell me about your conversation with Ethan?" I asked softly, touching his face. He nodded slightly. "Selfish, I know." Without another thought, I wrapped my arms around his neck