All Chapters of Billion Dollar Man: Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

BenWhen I woke up, Mila was in my bed. I didn’t think that was something that was going to happen again. She was still asleep, and I moved carefully not to wake her. She was lying so still that I checked to make sure she was still breathing. I knew I was being paranoid, but she had been through such a terrible ordeal, and it was my fault.The cut on her cheek had been patched up; her cheeks had a bit of color now that she had eaten. I pulled the covers up higher to be sure she was warm enough before I carefully slid out of bed.Waking up next to Mila was amazing. We hadn’t done anything last night – after her shower and a bit of food she had looked so tired I had offered the spare bedroom to her so that she could get some rest.“Can I sleep with you?” she’d asked. “I don’t want to be alone.”Of course, she hadn’t. So, I had led her to my room and gotten into bed with her, holding her until she fell asleep. Which had been almost instantly.Now that I was awake, and it was the light of

MilaAfter we were at the store, I was exhausted. It wasn’t that I couldn’t deal with walking around from one shop to the next. I had no idea why I felt so drained. But the last few days had been a lot to handle.“How about we get some takeaway and head back home?” Ben suggested.“And wine?” I asked.He looked unsure. “Is that a good idea with your concussion?”He was right, of course. But the idea of an escape was a great one. The dinner did sound fantastic, though, and I agreed to that. Even if I couldn’t have the wine just yet.We picked up Chinese on the way home. I hadn’t had Chinese in a long time, and I was excited about it. We put a movie on the monster television in Ben’s state-of-the-art living room. The surround sound made me feel like I was being submerged, which was exactly what I needed. We sat at the coffee table with our food instead of the dining table, and everything was perfect.Ben sat next to me on his plush carpet, and I was aware of how close he was. His cologne

BenOn Friday, Mila was almost back to her old self. She had taken the wound dressing off and decided that it was healed enough to not have to wear it anymore. The skin was pink, tracing the outline of the cut, and it was an ugly reminder that someone had hurt her, but it would heal perfectly in a matter of time. Everything was like that, wasn’t it?Her eyes were bright again, she ate well, and she smiled again. It was beautiful to see how Mila crawled back out of her shell, and it was wonderful to know that I had helped her. She had done so much for me in my difficult times, it was great to be able to return the favor. But this wasn’t about owing her something. I had wanted to do this for her because it was Mila Castle, the only woman I had ever loved.No matter what I had done for her, Mila had done most of her bouncing back on her own. She was strong, and she had managed to pick up the pieces herself. She barely needed me. It was so attractive that a woman didn’t need a man. Becaus

MilaI opened my eyes to my childhood room. The feeling of warmth and safety that came with it was overwhelming. I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes.After my parents had picked me up from the airport, we had come home. My mom had taken off from the restaurant even though Fridays were the busiest over dinner time. She had cooked me pasta with pesto sauce, and we had spent time watching movies and eating chips like we used to when I was still a teenager in the house. My mom hadn’t asked about the kidnapping at all, other than if I was safe and if I had any other medical issues besides the cut on my face.I had been terrified to come back home to a ton of questions, but my family seemed to understand what I needed.I rolled over in bed and stretched. It was hard to think that just a few days ago I had been in that basement, stiff and cold and hungry. So much had happened in the last few weeks it felt like a lifetime ago.When I thought about sitting on that cold concrete floor again, I s

BenAfter Mila was safe with her parents at the airport on Friday, they all left. I felt like Mila was being ripped away from me when they took her home. I’d had her with me since the moment I had rescued her, and she had been in my care. It had been my mission to keep her safe.With her walking away from me, I was harshly reminded again that Mila wasn’t mine. It didn’t matter that I’d looked after her, saved her, cared for her. I had also pushed her away, and that was where we stood.But she was home safe with her parents, and safe was all I had wanted her to be. It was why I had done all of this in the first place.So, after they’d left, I had booked a rental car and had driven to my mom’s place. When she had opened the door to find me standing there, she had been ecstatic, throwing her arms around me and hugging me like I was the prodigal son returned.“Every time you leave, you end up back on my doorstep,” she’d said. I had smiled and let her fuss over me the way I knew she wanted