His Knees, His Pleas, But Our Son's in Peace

Chapter 9

His figure emerged through the early morning mist, pacing anxiously, scanning the area. His face was a mixture of anger and worry, and the moment he saw me, his eyes narrowed.

"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded, his voice sharp and raw. "Do you have any idea what you've put everyone through? We stayed up all night looking for you!"

I froze, unsure of how to respond. Behind him, I saw Reid approaching with a couple of bodyguards, their expressions tight with concern, though I couldn't bring myself to care. The sight of them all, fussing and searching, seemed so distant from the turmoil swirling inside me.

Nathan's voice broke through my haze again, this time with a

different tone. "Look at you," he muttered, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. "You've lost weight... You had to bury that man's baby, didn't you?" I stared at him, cold and unmoved. There was a flicker of

something-concern, maybe-in his eyes, but it passed too quickly for me to grasp. Did it matter? Did anything anymore?

not wanting to argue. The fatigue clung to me, heavier than the air around us. I turned away from him, pushing open

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Knees, His Pleas, But

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Chapter 9

my surprise, Nathan followed. I half expected him to

handed it to me.

to say next. He exhaled, a deep,

said, his voice oddly calm. "Be smart. I'll

was just some replaceable object. My mind spun. Did he really think this was how it worked? That when one broke,

brewing for far too long. "So