Bonds

Chapter 138

-Maya’s POV-

Everything was set in motion, every piece carefully placed on the chessboard. Just like Alex predicted, Christian hadn’t been able to track the source of the message. There were no other options – it was for me to meet with Ivan.

Alex had meticulously planned every detail, leaving no room for error. He’d be my constant shadow, ensuring Ivan believed I was truly alone. Now I stood in front of the mirror, dressed up. It was almost time.

“The hair suits you,” Alex’s voice sounded from behind me, his words barely audible over the nervous fluttering in my stomach. I didn’t tear my gaze away from the reflection in the mirror, but I could feel him enter the small bathroom.

Silence stretched, thick and heavy, before I finally muttered a quiet, “Thank you.”

Taking a deep breath, I turned away from the mirror, ready to face whatever awaited me. But he reached out a hand, gently stopping me in my tracks.

“Amaya,” he whispered.

A jolt of deja vu slammed into me. This, this very moment, mirrored our first encounter. I looked up, meeting his blue eyes – eyes that had always held a power over me, a power that always managed to disarm me. The intensity of his gaze was too much, and I quickly looked away.

I tried to step past him again, but his hand shot out, gripping my arm lightly. “Amaya, please.”

Frustration bubbled up inside me, threatening to spill over. “What do you want me to say, Alex? You’re making me sound like a broken record repeating the same lines over and over. I don’t know how you think things can just magically be okay between us. Believe me, I want it to be okay. I’ve wanted it to be the moment I stepped back into your life a decision fueled by the need to stop lying to myself. But it’s not easy, Alex. Not by a

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long shot. And right now, this…. this isn’t the time for this conversation.”

an unspoken battle of wills. The silence stretched for what felt like an

“are you going to

admitted honestly, the answer a tangled mess

briefly crossing his features before he quickly masked it with a curt nod. “If

turned away. Before he could disappear down the hallway, I blurted out the question that had been gnawing at me. “Are you going

at the corner of his lips, a contrast to the turmoil in his eyes. “I’m done hurting you. All I want is for us to be okay, for things to be… normal. I want to get to know my children, but you raised them

voice cut through the tense air, his tone clipped and urgent. “The

Alex, his face etched with a mixture of sadness and determination, I followed Christian out

blur. Every twist and turn sent my heart hammering against my ribs. Unlike the dank, claustrophobic tunnels where I’d been held captive before, this place felt different. The air was clean, devoid of the stale, musty smell that had clung to me for days. Yet, a different kind of dread settled in my stomach – a sterile, clinical

into overdrive. There, in a designated play area

my carefully constructed walls crumbled. A strangled cry escaped my lips as I sprinted towards them, my legs propelled by a desperate need to hold them close, to feel them safe

streaming down my face in a torrent

ever the chatterbox, was already pointing

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Chapter 138

slow down enough to register Nate’s words. “Mommy,” he mumbled, his voice thick with a mix of sleepiness and relief, “I

of guilt for the fear and uncertainty they must

sliced through the air, cold and calculating. I looked up, my

would be that easy, did you?” he drawled, his voice laced

closer, glaring daggers at him. “Where’s Ivan?” I demanded, my voice surprisingly steady despite

more important matters,” he replied nonchalantly. His gaze

been very well behaved. Go on then, he gestured towards the door, a mocking smile plastered on

for a way out. They wouldn’t let me leave that easily. “What kind of game are you