<h4>Chapter 156: Help.</h4>


    Hailee POV


    Frederick tugged the nket across hisp, his movements sharp, as he tried to cover his bulge. His chest was still rising and falling fast, but his voice was calm, almost too calm. "What about the boys?"


    I forced air into my lungs. My hand opened, showing him the broken SIM pieces still pressed into my palm. My voice shook as I blurted it all out. "They called him. Nathan. They went through my diary, found his number, and called him. He answered, Frederick. He answered, and I panicked, and—" My voice cracked, the words spilling out too quickly. "I broke the SIM before he could hear more."


    Frederick’s expression hardened instantly. His eyes narrowed. "What did he hear?"


    I swallowed, my throat dry. "Oscar said his name. Said, ’I believe you are Nathan.’ And then—" My breath hitched as I remembered it. "And then... he heard me. He heard me yelling at them. He heard me."


    Frederick stood, the nket slipping slightly before he yanked it back up around his waist. His coolposure cracked for just a second, a sh of raw fury in his eyes. He turned away, running a hand through his hair, muttering under his breath, "Damn it."


    My knees weakened. I sank into the chair near the door, pressing a trembling hand to my mouth. "Frederick... if he knows, if he even suspects—"


    He spun back to me, his voice sharp,manding. "You did the right thing breaking the SIM. But we can’t afford another mistake like this." His tone softened just slightly. "They’re too smart, Hailee. Too curious. You can’t keep the truth from them much longer."


    Tears burned my eyes, but anger too—anger at the boys, at myself, at everything. "They’re just children! They don’t understand what they’ve done. If Nathan knows they exist, nothing will ever be the same. He won’t let them go. Not him. Not Callum. Not Dane. Whoever their father is—they won’t stop until they take them from me."


    Frederick’s face softened then, only for me. He came closer, crouching in front of me, his cool hand covering my shaking one. "And I won’t let that happen," he said, steady, certain. "Not while I breathe."


    His words steadied me, but the image of his body, his voice moaning my name just moments before, clung to me like a shadow. My cheeks flushed hot, shame curling through my stomach.


    I looked away, whispering, "I shouldn’t havee here like this."


    His grip tightened on my hand, his voice low. "You should alwayse to me, Hailee. No matter what state I’m in."


    My throat closed. I didn’t know what to say.


    Frederick’s hand lingered on mine for a moment longer, then he drew in a slow, steady breath and rose to his feet. His nket slipped, but he caught it swiftly, tightening it around his waist as his expression settled back into calm authority.


    "I’ll handle this," he said, his voice cool but firm.


    I blinked up at him, startled. "Handle what?"


    "The call," he answered swiftly. "If Nathan heard you, if his line is still active, then he will try to track it. He has the resources, Hailee."


    My stomach twisted. "Moon above..." I whispered, my fingers gripping the broken SIM tighter.


    Frederick’s gaze sharpened. "I know someone who can make sure the call cannot be traced back here. His contact is in my study." He reached for his robe, tugging it over his broad shoulders with a finality that told me the conversation was over.


    Panic shot through me, raw and heavy. "Are you sure he can do it?"


    He turned toward me, his eyes softer for just a heartbeat. "Yes. Stay here, Hailee. I will be back in a minute."


    I wanted to protest, to say I couldn’t sit in his chamber with the memory of what I had seen still clinging to the air. But the weight of hismand, the calm certainty in his tone, left me without ground to argue.


    "Frederick..." I whispered, my voice trembling. "Please—help me."


    He paused at the door, his back to me. "Of course I will." His voice was steady like a promise. "By the time I return, that call will be nothing more than smoke. Unreachable. Untraceable."


    And then he was gone, the door closing firmly behind him, leaving me alone in the silence of his room.


    My mind should have been fixed on Nathan, on the danger, on the boys and their stubborn demands. But instead—my thoughts slipped back to what I had walked in on.


    I pressed my hands over my face, heat burning my cheeks. Ten years. Ten years I had known him, and not once had I ever seen him with a woman. Not at his side. Not sneaking out of his chambers. No perfume lingering on his clothes, no trace of another’s touch.


    And yet, he had stayed with me. Protected me. Raised my sons as if they were his own. Treated me like a wife, though he never called me one. Always patient. Always present. The only difference between us and a real marriage was that we didn’t share a bed, didn’t share intimacy.


    Until tonight—when I saw what he did. When I heard my own name fall from his lips as he pleasured himself.


    My chest tightened. He still felt that way about me. After ten years, he still wanted me.


    He deserved something more. More than my silence. More than my half-smiles and my endless excuses.


    Should I give him a chance?


    The question worried at me, tearing through my chest. He deserved it, didn’t he? Any other woman would count herself blessed to be loved by him. But me? I didn’t love him. I liked him, yes. Trusted him, yes. But love? My heart still ached for others. For the men who I had left broken.


    Would it be wrong... to give him what he wanted, even if I couldn’t give him my heart? Like let him have me... even if it’s once?


    The thought made me sick with guilt, but it lingered.


    Suddenly the door opened again.


    Frederick stepped back inside, robe tight around his shoulders, his expression calm but serious. He closed the door quietly, his sharp eyes locking on me where I still sat in his chair.


    "I have news," he said softly. "Good and bad. Which do you want to hear first?"