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

Chapter 39

Before I could lose myself completely in my thoughts, a soft laugh interrupted me. I turned to see Tina standing in the doorway, a teasing grin on her face, holding two mugs of coffee. "You look like you've been hit by a train," she said, walking over to sit at the edge of the bed. "Rough night?"

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "You have no idea..."

Tina chuckled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh, I think I do. You were so... relaxed when you got home last night. It was like you didn't have a care in

the world."

I peeked through my fingers, feeling my face flush even more. "Relaxed? I was drunk, Tina. And now I have to deal with the aftermath."

"Aftermath?" Tina raised an eyebrow, handing me a cup of coffee. "Or maybe you finally let yourself unwind for once? Look, whatever happened, you'll figure it out. No use stressing about it now."

I sighed, sipping the coffee and letting her words sink in. But how could I face Carlos? What if he regretted everything? What if this ruined the dynamic we had? Tina's casual reassurances did little to quell the anxiety rising inside me.

"I just... I don't know how I'm going to handle seeing him," I muttered, more to myself than to Tina.

"Well, you don't have much of a choice, do you?" she said, standing up. "You'll see him soon enough. Now, get dressed-you've got work to do."

With another groan, I forced myself to get ready. No matter how much I dreaded seeing Carlos, I couldn't hide from it. I had to face him-and whatever came next.

11:51

Chapter 39

making me more nervous. By the time I pulled into the parking lot, my stomach was in knots. How was I supposed to

out of his vehicle, and my breath caught in my throat. He looked as calm and collected as ever, his usual air of confidence surrounding him. But then,

My stomach dropped.

as if

seem affected at all, while I was falling apart

approached me with his usual cool demeanor, nodding politely as he always did. There was no hesitation, no awkwardness-just a simple, professional

my thoughts spinning out of control. How could he act like this? As if nothing

turmoil. I wanted to confront him, to ask him if last night meant anything, but

as I tried to pull myself together, my mind kept drifting back to Carlos-his kiss marks, his indifference, his frustratingly calm attitude. Work was a welcome distraction at first, and I threw myself into it, trying to ignore the lingering thoughts about Carlos. But as the morning dragged on, the tension inside me

few coworkers, who were discussing some of the children we had been working with. Their conversation caught my attention and gave me the perfect opportunity to focus on something more important. "How's Emily doing?"

of the nurses, sighed heavily. "Not well. Her immune system is barely functioning, and every infection hits her harder than the last. Her parents

had been one of our toughest cases, diagnosed with

The treatments hadn't been working, and it was clear that

had been in and out of

but her tone grim. "The chemo is rough.

mom never leaves his side, but