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

the events of the night over and over again, each memory making me more nervous. By the time I pulled into the parking lot, my stomach was in knots. How was I supposed to act

as calm and collected as ever, his usual air of confidence surrounding him. But then, I noticed the faint marks on his neck-kiss marks-barely concealed under the collar

My stomach dropped.

walked toward the entrance as if nothing had happened, completely

affected at all, while I was falling

politely as he always did. There was no

barely managed to nod back, my heart racing, my thoughts spinning out of control. How could

in turmoil. I wanted to confront him, to ask him if last night meant anything, but I couldn't. The fear of his indifference kept me frozen in place. What

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 refused to go away. I needed something to take my mind

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?" I asked, thinking of the

is barely functioning, and every infection hits her harder than the last. Her parents are at their breaking

of our toughest cases, diagnosed with a

hadn't been working, and it was

boy with leukemia who had been

hanging in there," Lily said, but her tone

His mom never leaves his side, but you can tell