Ste stood frozen, allowing Joshua to hold her. She didn''t pull away, but she didn''t return the embrace either. She remained as lifeless as a mannequin.


    After a long moment, she finally spoke. "I kept my end of the bargain. Now you can leave."


    His arms tightened around her instinctively. He hesitated before slowly pulling back. "Okay. I''lle see you again tomorrow."


    Ste lowered her eyshes, masking the turmoil in her eyes.


    "Don''t bother," she said, her voicepletely devoid of emotion. "This is thest time I''m seeing you, Joshua. I''ve decided to get back together with Haynes. Please, stop looking for me."


    "I don''t believe you, Star," he said immediately.


    She lifted her chin, meeting his dark, bottomless gaze.


    "Haynes knows he messed up, and he promised me he wouldn''t make the same mistakes. I grew up in a broken home, Joshua. I know better than anyone how agonizing it is. I want to give Keen aplete family."


    She paused, making sure he caught every word.


    "I''m past the age of chasing romance. My only priority right now is raising my son. Otherwise, what was the point of taking back the Williams family?"


    "I don''t believe it," Joshua repeated stubbornly. "You''re lying to me."


    "I might use Haynes to lie to you. I might use anyone else," she replied coldly. "But do you really think I''d use Keen as a pawn?"


    A chaotic light fractured the calmness in Joshua''s eyes.


    Refusing to look at him any longer, Ste turned to walk away.


    Joshua lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "Star, you can''t leave me. If you can''t bear to part with Keen, we''ll just bring him to live with us. I can


    "No one can rece a child''s biological father, Joshua," she cut in sharply.


    The ever-eloquent Joshua was suddenly rendered speechless.


    Ste shoved him away. "You''re not a man who can''t let go. Stop harassing me."


    Without a backward nce, she walked away.


    That evening, over dinner, Haynes looked across the table. "Did he leave?"


    "Yes," Ste said, tracing the rim of her ss. "But I''m not sure if he''lle back."


    "How long are you nning to stay in Novaris this time?"


    She mentally calcted the days. "Half a month, at most."


    "The school''s family event is sorted," Haynes noted. "It''s scheduled for the day after tomorrow."


    Ste thanked him, and they finished their meal in silence.


    ...


    The weekend arrived quickly.


    Haynes cleared his entire schedule to attend the family event with Keen. While Ste had orchestrated the activity entirely to crush doshua''s hopes, if Joshua didn''t show up, she figured it would serve as a genuine make-up day for the event she''d missed with Keen. Contént


    Since


    hadn''t tried to contact her. No calls, nodexts, yet Haynes''s inte


    9 two days prior, Joshua


    confirmed he was still in Novaris.


    Ste had no idea if he had finally given up.


    The drive to the school was


    No sign of Joshua''s car it felt like the suffocating calm before a storm.


    They spent the entire morning ying games with Keen on the campus. Still no sign of Joshua.


    Ste began to wonder if she had been overly paranoid, assuming the absolute worst of him.