Chapter <b>10 </b>


    -Celine’s POV-


    The ring of my rm rips me from sleep, my heart mming against my chest like it already knows I’ve messed up.


    Sunlight spills through the thin curtains, painting streaks of gold across the room. I rub my temple, blink at the numbers shing on the rm clock, and-


    “Shit! It’s seven–thirty!”


    38


    Panic surges through me <b>as </b>Iunch out of bed. *God. No. No. No.* Hunter warned me about beingte. He warned me. And now I’ve done exactly what he told me not to.


    I whip around and shake Caesar gently. “Baby, wake up. I’mte for work.”


    He groans, curling deeper into the covers like he’s trying to escape the morning.


    “No, Caesar, you gotta wake up!” My voice is soft but desperate, my hands moving over his back in frantic strokes. He still doesn’t budge, so I do the only thing I can–I scoop him up in my arms and rush toward the bathroom.


    “Mom, I wanna sleep,” he mumbles against my shoulder.


    I wish I could let him. I wish I had the luxury of slow mornings, of making pancakes and singing silly songs to wake him up instead of this–this rushed, chaotic mess of a morning.


    But I don’t.


    So I set him down and grab his toothbrush, moving as quickly as <b>I </b>can.


    “Ahh, Mom! That hurts!” He squirms as I scrub his teeth too hard.


    I bite my lip, guilt seeping in. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just–we have to hurry.”


    Minutes bleed into each other, and before I know it, we’re ready. Caesar in his white shirt and red jeans. Me in a simple yellow dress.


    I hoist him into my arms and rush toward the door when his small voice stops me.


    “Caesar, please, not now,” I plead, already feeling the seconds slip through my fingers like sand.


    His eyes glisten as he points toward the kitchen. “Mom, I’m hungry.”


    My stomach twists. I exhale sharply, dragging <b>a </b>palm down my <b>face</b>. In the rush <b>of </b>getting ready, I didn’t <b>even </b>think about breakfast.


    I force a smile. “Don’t worry, honey. You’ll eat <b>at </b>work, okay?”


    He sniffs but doesn’t argue. I don’t have time to feel like shit about it. I grab my bag, run out the door, and g down the first cab I see<i>. </i>


    ###


    I don’t know how long I’ve been working. Maybe hours. Maybe forever. Long enough to forget that I’m not just a maxi. Long enough to forget that I have a son waiting for me.


    <b>39 </b>


    I had left Caesar by the door before I started cleaning Hunter’s study. Like always. But now-


    His cries rip through the house. Loud. Heartbreaking. Impossible to ignore.


    My blood turns to ice.


    I don’t think. I just *run.*


    I fly down the stairs <b>so </b><b>fast </b>I can barely breathe, my heart hammering against my ribs as I silently beg-*Please<b>, </b>God. Don’t let Hunter be there. Don’t let him <b>see </b>this<b>.</b><b>* </b>


    But when I reach the living room, my worst nightmare unfolds before me.


    Hunter is standing in front of Caesar. Watching him.


    And Caesar–my sweet, innocent little boy–is sitting on the floor, his tiny body shaking with sobs.


    *Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.*


    Before I can reach him, a hand yanks me back, pressing me behind one of the pirs.


    The head maid.


    Her f


    ed in fury, her voice slicing through me like a de. “What the hell is your problem? You think this <b>is </b>a


    to speak, but nothinges out.


    Or just choosing not to answer?” she snaps, her words dripping with venom. “Your son’s crying has been eryone, and it was <b>*</b><b>so</b>* loud that the boss had toe out and see what was going on.”


    e don’t care about your <b>past</b>,” she continues, her voice a low hiss<b>, </b>“but do *everyone<b>* </b>a favor and keep the product of your irresponsible lifestyle under control.”


    The words hit like a p.


    Like a punch straight to the gut.


    And suddenly, I can’t breathe.


    My lips pressed into a thin line, heat rising in my chest. My <b>voice </b>came out sharper than I intended. “He’s not a product of an irresponsible lifestyle. That’s such a mean thing to say.”


    Laughter. Sharp. Mocking. It sliced through me like a de. <fneb2a> ???? ????s? ???????s ?? find?novel</fneb2a>


    “We didn’t expect you to admit it anyway, so spare us the scolding,” one of them sneered. “You better go handle that son of yours before the boss decides to do it for you.”


    And just like that, they walked away, leaving me standing there, fists clenched at my sides.


    I inhaled deeply, trying to steady the tightness in my throat, and the sting in my eyes. I wouldn’t cry. Not here. Not in front


    of them.


    Because <b>as </b>cruel as their words were, they weren’t wrong.


    <b>2/4 </b>


    9:08 pm <b>G </b><b>G </b><b>G </b><b>G </b>


    I needed to check on Caesar.


    A sharp, broken wail cut through the tension in my chest.


    “My stomach hurts!”


    The second I heard him say it, my heart twisted violently in my chest<b>. </b>


    Oh God.


    I forgot to feed him.


    A wave of guilt crashed over me so hard it left me breathless. I felt it deep in my bones–this unbearable ache, this frustration at myself. How could I be so careless? He’s only three. He depends on me for everything, and I forget the most basic thing.


    My fingers curled into fists, the anger–at myself, at this job, at everything–threatening to consume me.


    “Is that why you’re crying so much?”


    Hunter’s voice was quieter than I expected. Softer. Like he cared.


    I barely had time to process it before I saw Caesar opening his mouth to answer.


    “Umm. Uhh, nothing’s wrong with him.” My words rushed out as I forced a smile, my hand tightening around Caesar’s shoulder. “He’s just upset that I haven’t been with him all day.”


    It was a lie. A stupid, obvious lie.


    38


    Hunter’s eyes darkened instantly, a silent warning shing through them. My breath hitched. My hands trembled. But I held his stare, forcing myself to stayposed.


    I crouched down, wiping the streaks of tears off Caesar’s face. “Sweetie, it’s okay. Please don’t cry. I’ll get your toy. You love your toy, right?”


    Hunter didn’t move. Didn’t <b>say </b>a word. But I could feel the weight of his presence behind me, like an invisible force pressing into my back.


    “I don’t want my toy, Mom! I want to-”


    Before he could finish, I pressed his <b>face </b>into my chest, muffling his words.


    Hunter was still watching. I could feel it.


    “There, there, sweetheart,” I whispered, my voice shaking slightly. “I understand. But please, get up, okay?”


    “No.”


    His refusal came so quickly, so firmly, it sent another wave of panic through me.


    Then I heard it.


    The sound of Hunter’s footsteps moving toward us.


    My body went rigid. My heart pounded against my ribs.


    <b>3/4 </b>


    9:08 pm <b>G </b><b>GGG </b>


    *Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.*


    I stood up so fast my legs nearly gave out. But I kept my back straight, kept my face nk, even though I was unraveling inside.


    Hunter stepped closer, his gaze dropping down to Caesar, still sitting on the floor, tears staining his cheeks.


    I braced myself for it.


    For the words I knew wereing.


    You’re fired.


    Get out of my house.


    But he didn’t even look at me.


    His eyes stayed locked on Caesar as he spoke.


    His voice was quiet. Cold. Unshakable.


    “Get up.”