~CELINE’S POV~
I force myself to walk away. To pretend like Hunter’s question didn’t shake me. To pretend like I didn’t feel like the floor had been ripped out from under <ol><li></li></ol>
The kitchen is too quiet, my thoughts too loud as I gather ingredients to make him something to eat. My hands tremble slightly as I reach for the cutting board. I tell myself it’s just from exhaustion, but I know better.
Why does he care?
Why is he asking these things?
I clutch the knife tighter, pressing my lips together. The way he looked at me. The way he kept looking at me-like he could see straight through my carefully built walls.
It’s not fair.
It’s not fair that he keeps pushing. It’s not fair that he keeps making me think about things I have buried for years.
I focus on chopping the vegetables, letting the rhythmic sound of the de hitting the board drown out the noise in my head. But it doesn’t help. Because no matter how much I try to block it out, I can still feel his presence.
Even from the other room.
~HUNTER’S POV~
Caesar stirs slightly against my chest, his tiny hand resting against me. I tense.
I’ve never held a child before. I don’t know what to do with this feeling. It’s unfamiliar. Unsettling.
I nce down at him, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. He’s so… small. Fragile in a way that makes me feel like if I move too quickly, he might
break.
Celine holds him like it’s second nature. Like breathing. But me? I feel like I’m holding something I wasn’t meant to touch.
And yet, I don’t move. I just keep watching him. Studying him.
Trying to understand why this moment felt like something I wasn’t supposed to have.
~CELINE’S POV~
I take a deep breath before carrying the tray of food back into the living room. My heart is already hammering in my chest, but when I step through the doorway, I freeze.
Hunter is still holding Caesar.
He hasn’t moved.
But it’s not just that.
It’s the way he’s looking at him. His expression is unreadable, but there’s something there-something deep, something dark, something ‘I don’t want to name.’
The sight makes my stomach twist. I grip the tray tighter, clearing my throat.
11:02 Tue, 29 Jul G M
“You should put him down,” I say, my voiceing out sharper than I intended.
Hunter doesn’t react right away. His gaze lifts slowly, locking onto mine. His blue eyes are sharp, pinning me in ce.
He doesn’t look guilty. He doesn’t look surprised. He just looks… like Hunter.
“You didn’t all of my questions earlier,” he says, his voice quieter this time. But heavier.
I swallow hard. “What questions?” I feign ignorance, praying he’ll let it go.
But he doesn’t. He smirks slightly, but it’s not the kind that reaches his eyes. “You know exactly what I mean.”
My pulse spikes. I don’t want to have this conversation. Not now. Not ever. Before I can say anything, Caesar shifts in Hunter’s arms, his tiny voice breaking through the thick tension.
“Mommy?”
My heart clenches as I watch his sleepy blue eyes flutter open. He blinks up at Hunter first, confusion crossing his face, before his gaze finds me.
Hunter looks at him for a second longer before finally exhaling through his nose.
“Eat the food,” he orders, standing abruptly. His movements are fluid, and controlled-like he hadn’t just been sitting there holding a child as if the world depended on it.
He hands Caesar back to me, and I instinctively tighten my arms around him, inhaling the familiar scent of my son. But before I can fully process what just happened, Hunter’s next words send a chill down my spine.
“You must be starving after all that admission.” My eyes widen. My stomach twists with something cold.
He heard me.
He heard me. I open my mouth, but before I can deny it before I can even attempt to exin, he steps past me, his voice low, unreadable.
“Be careful what you say next time, Celine.”
I turn, watching as he reaches for the door, pausing only to nce at me over his shoulder.
“You never know who’s listening.”
And then he’s gone. And I’m left standing there, my son in my arms, my entire body frozen in ce. I don’t know who’s listening.
But for the first time in a long time, I realize… I don’t know who I should be more afraid of.
I stand there for a long time after he’s gone. Long enough Caesar shifts against my chest and lets out a small, tired sigh.
I whisper into his soft curls, “It’s okay, baby.” But the words aren’t for him. They’re for me. And I don’t believe them.
I can’t. Because nothing about this feels okay.
Hunter’s voice keeps echoing in my head. Be careful what you say next time, Celine. Like a warning. Like a put my finger on.
But also… like something else, I can’t
And it’s that part that rattles me the most. Because I’m not sure which side of him I should be protecting myself from.
I take Caesar upstairs. Iy him down in his bed, brush his hair back from his forehead, and kiss him goodnight even though it’s barelyte afternoon. He stirs, but he’s too tired to open his eyes again.
He’s safe. For now. But me? I don’t know if I’ll ever feel safe here again. When I finallye back downstairs, Hunter’s nowhere to be found.
ZYVUL
The te of food I made for him is untouched on the coffee table, still warm enough that it hasn’t lost its steam. I stare at it like it’s a bomb about to g off. Part of me wants to dump it straight into the trash. <fne9ca> Original content can be found at F?ndNovel</fne9ca>
But I don’t. I sit down across from it, staring at the way the steam curls into the air like smoke from something burning.
Maybe that’s what this is. Something burning. Something I can’t stop. I rub my hands over my face, willing the tears not toe.
Not here.
Not where he might see. Because if he sees, he’ll know he’s winning. And I can’t let that happen. Not again
By the time I’m back in my room, it’ste. Later than it should be. And I’m so tired, my bones ache. But sleep doesn’te easy here anymore.
Not under this roof. Not with him two doors down.
I slide under the covers and stare at the ceiling. And I think about his question. Why did you keep him? It’s one I’ve asked myself a thousand times.
And every time, the answer is the same.
Because I couldn’t not.
Because I wanted him.
Even if I didn’t want to face what that meant. Even if I didn’t want to face the man whose blood runs through him. Even if I didn’t want to face Hunter.
But now I have to. And I’m not ready.
Not for him. Not for what he’s going to do with the truth. Not for what he’ll do when he realizes Caesar is his.
Because that’s what I’m most afraid of. Not a lie. Not the secret. But him. Because men like Hunter Reid don’t just walk away. They take what’s theirs. And I’m terrified he’s about to take everything.
曲
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