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Adam opens his mouth, and then I hear a voice from behind him.
"Mommy, what's going on?"
CHAPTER 25
Adam
I never thought that a woman would become my greatest weakness, but Cynthia managed to sneak into my heart and carve a place for herself. However, even when the only name on my heart was hers, I didn't fully trust her, and that was where I fucked up big time. Because she didn't trust me either, and every time I did something behind her back, the fragile faith that she had in me chipped away.
And I never realized that.
And that was my biggest mistake.
It was only when Tony showed up that night to confront me that I learned Cynthia had finally left me. The woman I mated, the one I loved, had decided I was no longer to be trusted. That knowledge broke me inside, but with the way things had been going, I also knew I had to get Cynthia away from here. The revelation of Norman's dealings with the vampires created quite a stir, and there were those who wanted those rumors hushed. And since I hadn't exactly been careful in concealing how I felt about Cynthia, it was starting to become more likely that a target would soon be painted on her back.
That had been my immediate instinct. However, the idea of Cynthia being so far away from me made my wolf anxious.Surely, there was a way to keep her by my side. I could always shield her with this engagement with Tina.
That was when Tony revealed that my mate was carrying my child. Tony, who had always been a calm and collected man, a man my father trusted above any other, had grabbed me by the front of my shirt and demanded to know what my intentions were with Cynthia. I had never understood his motivation in concealing Cynthia's mated status from not only my father but also Cynthia herself, but it took me only a second to figure out that the huge hulking man was only ever interested in protecting Cynthia.
And now, as I watch my Cynthia rush past me toward our daughter, my heart tightens in my chest.
Riya.
That is the name she gave our child.
In the olden language of our ancestors, Riya means 'born from ashes'. I don't know if Cynthia chose this name deliberately, but it strikes a chord within me. Over these past years, Tony has shared information about my daughter and mate sparingly. Perhaps he hoped I would forget about them. But how could I?
I have dreamed of the day I would be reunited with my family.
But this is not how I wanted things to happen.
I wanted to ease my way back into Cynthia's heart, to fix things between us, and then tell her the truth of that night, of what she heard. I wanted her to introduce our daughter to me willingly. I never intended to bulldoze into her life like this, to see her lookat me as if I'm the worst kind of monster. I watch her pick up Riya, who's staring at me with curiosity.
"Who is he, Mommy?" Riya asks again.
I expect Cynthia to lie, to distract the little girl. Instead, she brings Riya over. "This is your Dad."
I stand frozen in place, not knowing what to do.
This little girl who has my hair and my eyes is looking at me with unabashed curiosity.
"My dad?" Riya doesn't look entirely convinced and her arms go around Cynthia's neck, as if wanting her mother's protection.
I open my mouth but nothing comes out.
The silence stretches on, and then she turns to Cynthia, clearly no longer interested. "I can't sleep."
"Would you like your father to read you a story?" Cynthia doesn't look at me, and her voice is loving as she balances Riya on her hip.
My daughter brightens at the idea and nods eagerly.
My heart is beating so loudly I can hear it vibrate in my entire body. This little girl staring up at me, her eyes gleaming in excitement, is my child. I've ached to hold her, to stroke her hair, to hear her voice call me 'Dad'.
Before I can so much as move, Cynthia lowers her to the ground. "Go show your father your bedroom and pick out a book for him to read to you."
What is Cynthia doing? She was so mad at me just a few seconds ago and now…
As Riya grips my hand, all thoughts leave my brain and I let her pull me to her room. Everything is done up in shades of pink and purple. The wall behind her princess-style bed has hand-painted unicorns on it, scattered with flowers and butterflies. There's a small bookshelf which is filled with books with pictures. There are also two chests that are overflowing with toys.
