I can’t take much more of this.
On her first night here, I took a huge gamble telling her she could leave.
Not a fuck would I have let her go. No fucking chance in hell. She is mine. It took me five years to find her. She stays.
But thankfully, it paid off. Even the threat against the kids, making them talk to me, wasn’t something I would have done. I would never hurt those kids, and I would never hurt her.Even though I found out she had been lying to me the entire time. My heart wouldn’t let me harm a hair on her head. My soul still thinks we are made for each other, even though it’s now the most absurd thing I could believe. I can’t stop myself.
We are sitting at the dinner table, and Selene, as always, is silent and has walls so high around herself I couldn’t read her expression if I were psychic.
She’s a closed book, keeping her family secrets close to her chest and silent.
The twins, on the other hand, are settling in amazingly. They are chatty and beautiful and seem to be having the time of their lives in the penthouse.
Yesterday, all the things they chose for their bedroom arrived. A model spaceship, a dinosaur teddy three times as tall as Solenne. A neon pink duvet that I thought Arron would disagree with, but he is incredibly protective of his sister and didn’t mind at all that she got what she wanted.
He was more interested in the galaxy projector anyway.
They have a closet full of new clothes, toys, art supplies, and things I don’t think they even know what to do with. And they are loving it.
Selene also had a big box delivered for her. Clothes, toiletries, things I thought she might need. I had to guess, though, because she refused to order or choose for herself.
I assume she has a lot of secrets to keep from me, secrets about her family and what she was really doing with me all those years ago. But there is also something in her eyes that looks like longing. But it’s probably wishful thinking on my part. She’s probably just longing to escape me.
Fuck. My feelings towards her are affecting my decisions. And obviously, we are from rival families, and she is fully aware of that.
I stare at her across the table, waiting for her to feel my eyes on her. When she does, she glances at me, and just as quickly she looks away. But in that brief moment, my heart somersaults.
I still have hope that what we had back then was real. It felt so real. I still have so many feelings towards this girl that I have no idea what to do with them.
This isn’t me at all, though. I am logical and controlled. I don’t sit around daydreaming about whether or not a girl really loved me once upon a time. I look at the facts. The reality of who she is and the potential threat she poses to my family and me.
Whatever is going on in my heart now is dangerous, and I need to get it under control.
It’s late afternoon, and the penthouse is quiet. Suspiciously quiet considering two five-year-olds are living here. I’ve quickly learned that when they go quiet, you have to check on them.
Selene is sleeping, rest I think she desperately needs, so I am on twins-duty.
“Solenne?” I call my daughter’s name. “Where are you, little monster?”
Silence answers me.
Then a quiet giggle.
I soften my steps, realizing she’s hiding somewhere.
I know how to walk without being heard. Following the sound of her sneaky little laughter, I stop outside the door of mylibrary. I hear the giggle again. Then I hear Arron hushing her and complaining that she’s making too much noise.
Silence.
I step inside the library and pretend to browse books, humming to myself.
The soft scuffle of shoes on the floor. A sharp breath.
“I wonder where my kids are. I was going to read them a story,” I say out loud, running my hands over the books.
“A story!” Solenne can’t sit still long enough to stay hidden. She leaps out from behind the leather armchair. Arron groans as he stands up next to her.
I press my hand over my heart and pretend to be horrifically surprised.
