جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 200

I was in momentary shock. My mind couldn’t process what had just happened, couldn’t determine if it was a dream or if it was real. But then I felt the sheets grow wet underneath me, and I knew the time had come.“Oh my god…” My hand moved to my stomach so I could feel Andrew at my fingertips. The moment I’d been waiting for had arrived, and I was both excited and absolutely terrified. For a second, I didn’t know what to do because I was paralyzed by the stress.Hades must’ve noticed the dampness of the sheets or my frantic movements on the mattress because he opened his eyes and looked at me. After a couple of blinks, he was able to focus his gaze. He touched the wet sheets then moved his hand back to my stomach. He was the exact opposite of me, so calm it was annoying. “Let’s get going.” He got out of bed and grabbed my bag from the closet.“Do you understand I’m having a baby?” I asked, somewhat hysterically.“I took a health class in college. Give me more credit than that.” He grab

And every time I would see him, it would just hurt more…and more.Could I do that?Could I come over for a visit and shake Sofia’s husband’s hand?Could I listen to my son call him dad?Could I watch some stranger have everything that should be mine?I was lost in my son’s eyes when my phone rang. I looked at the screen and saw the name I despised. I took the call and kept my voice low. If I ignored him, he would just appear at an even worse time. “I’ll leave tomorrow.” I wasn’t ready to go, but I didn’t want to argue for my freedom either. It was easier just to settle.Maddox was quiet for a while before he responded. “Good. I need you here.”“Bye.”Before I could hang up, Maddox spoke. “Congratulations on your son. I hear he’s beautiful.”I turned the speaker away from my mouth so he couldn’t hear me breathe hard. Icicles formed in my blood because I turned so cold. I still held my son in my arms and rocked him gently, but all the muscles in my body tightened because I wanted to cho

He abandoned us.My mom called to me up the stairs. “Honey, you have a guest.”I’d just given Andrew a bath and changed his diaper. He was in a blue onesie, and he looked so cute in his comfortable crib. There were many times when I had to stop and stare because he looked so much like Hades. I stepped into the hallway at the top of the stairs. “Who is it?”“A very handsome young man.”I rolled my eyes. “That doesn’t help at all, Mom. What’s his name?”“I don’t know…Fire or something.”He was a hot guy named Fire… Took me a couple seconds to figure it out. “That’s Ash. He’s Hades’s brother.”“Whatever. He’s here.”I walked downstairs to meet him in the entryway. I was in a loose t-shirt and jeans. I’d put no effort into my appearance, but I was too sad to care if I didn’t make a good impression. I opened the door and looked at my former brother-in-law. “Hey, what are you doing here?”“Taking your mom on a date since she thinks I’m hot.”I rolled my eyes.He smiled. “And Fire is a kinda

“You don’t have to defend me to her. It’s better if she hates me anyway. It’ll help me move on.”Ash looked at me for a long time, a mixture of pity and sadness on his face. He rubbed his forefinger against the scruff along his jaw as he considered what he would say next. “Can you ever really move on?”I walked through the bazaar and watched the fire dancers delicately place knives into their throats before they blew fire out like dragons. Black cobras hissed on the ground before they listened to the hypnotizing music of the performer. There were bonfires everywhere, belly dancers in the square, and camels being led to their next destination.With my hands in my jeans pockets, I walked forward and ignored the solicitations from the carts and the flirtatious gazes of the gypsies. Since I’d been to the tent many times, I knew my way there. I turned when I saw the large pottery station, and I spotted it exactly where it had been before. Still purple and still abandoned. There was no one

“So, when I go to Florence, he’ll know?”He nodded. “Exactly. Hades told him you aren’t together anymore. So, Maddox will probably assume you’re in town for personal reasons. Go straight to the hotel. Knowing him, he won’t be able to resist stopping by.”That did seem like something he would do. He wouldn’t touch me or threaten me, but he’d want to watch me squirm in his presence. I’d left my husband and moved all the way to Rome because I was afraid of Maddox. He would probably get off to the sight of my fear. “And then what?”“Wait in your office. When he walks in…shoot him.”“I’m not quick with guns. He might shoot me before I could even draw.”“That’s why you have your gun hidden. Wear a jacket and leave it in your pocket. That way, he’ll have no idea.”“You don’t think he’ll figure that out?”He shrugged. “He might figure it all out. Like I said, I don’t condone this. But I think it’s your best option. The fact that you’re letting him come to you gives you the upper hand. He’ll t