Chapter eighty one.

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• Rejected and Banished; The kids are his.   Chapter hundred and twenty.

  Eva's POV.I sat alone at the dining table, a warm cup cradled between my palms, and a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips as I replayed yesterday’s confrontation with Nuela.God, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.It felt like a victory. Not just because I’d handled her with so much confidence, but because I hadn’t needed Nicklaus to fight for me. I hadn’t hidden behind him or waited for someone else to defend me. I had done it... me, Eva, the girl they once used to shove into corners and cry like she was nothing.I tore a piece of pastry and popped it into my mouth, chewing slowly as I relived every expression Nuela made, from smug to seething to speechless. A soft chuckle slipped from my lips.“Let’s see how long it takes her to recover from that,” I whispered to myself.Just then, the door creaked open and I heard footsteps towards the dining. I glanced up, expecting one of the maids with fruits that I had requested for, But instead, I saw a maid approaching, without th

• Rejected and Banished; The kids are his.   Chapter hundred and nineteen.

  Eva's POV.It was just the second day.Just the second day without Nicklaus.And I was already unraveling.Every second crawled. Every minute stretched longer than the last. It felt like the world had slowed down just to taunt me. The entire mansion felt… off. I stared at the ceiling from where I lay, the silence too loud in my ears. My fingers tapped nervously against the sheets. I hated how restless I felt. I hated that I couldn’t just distract myself with something simple. I needed air. I needed something... anything that made me feel connected to him.Then, suddenly, the idea came.The training ground.Of course.He spent hours there, sparring, training his guards, testing new weapons. The place still reeked of his energy.. of his presence. And more importantly, it was always secured. His personal guards patrolled the area like hawks. If I wanted air, without the risk of running into Alonzo or any other lurking shadows, that was the place.I didn’t waste another second.I slip

• Rejected and Banished; The kids are his.   Chapter hundred and eighteen.

  Eva's POV.The bed suddenly felt too large, too cold and empty. I laid sprawled across it, my fingers tangled in the sheets that still carried Nicklaus’s scent, It clung to the pillows, but no matter how deep I inhaled, it couldn’t fill the void he left behind.He’d only been gone for a day.Just one day.And yet, it already felt like a week had crawled by.My eyes flicked to the clock on the wall for the umpteenth time, the ticking sound gnawing at my already frayed nerves. I hadn’t slept properly. Hadn’t eaten anything substantial. Hadn’t even been able to leave the room without looking over my shoulder. It was ridiculous, how much he’d come to mean to me… how much safer I felt when his presence filled the room, or even within the pack. I closed my eyes, trying to summon his voice in my mind, the way he said my name like it belonged to him.Eva.My heart gave a pathetic thud.I threw the pillow over my face and groaned.“This is stupid,” I muttered aloud. “He’s gone for a few day

• Rejected and Banished; The kids are his.   Chapter hundred and seventeen.

  Eva's POV.Warmth.That was the first thing I felt before my eyelids even fluttered open, a cozy warmth that wasn’t just from the blankets wrapped around me. No, this was a specific kind of warmth that came from another body pressed so close to yours that you could feel their heartbeat echo against your spine.For a moment, I thought I was still dreaming.But then I shifted, just slightly, and the arm draped over my waist tightened.My eyes snapped open.Nicklaus.He was still in bed.My heart nearly somersaulted in my chest at the realization. I blinked rapidly, trying to confirm that I wasn’t imagining things. But no, he was right there. His chest was pressed against my back, his breath steady against my neck, and his arm... the one that always made me feel safe, was wrapped firmly around me like I belonged to him. Which, well… I did.He never stayed this long in bed. He was always gone before I could even stir, but today... today was different.And I loved it.Slowly, I turned arou

• Rejected and Banished; The kids are his.   Chapter hundred and sixteen.

  Eva's POV.I laid on the bed, not asleep... far from it.My eyes were shut, yes, but it was only because keeping them open meant staring at nothing but the ceiling above me. And somehow, closing them gave me the illusion of control, like if I concentrated hard enough, I could shut out the aching throb in my chest too.But it didn’t work.My heart beat slowly, each thump dragging with it a heaviness I couldn’t quite explain. It wasn’t panic. It wasn’t devastation. It was just… sadness. Nicklaus had left moments ago to go make arrangements for his trip in the morning. He’d be gone for a few days. Maybe more.I knew he was doing this for us and for justice, I knew his reasons were good. But knowing that didn’t make the sting of his impending absence any less sharp. It didn’t make this bed feel any less cold.I rolled slightly to my side, still facing away from the door, my fingers curled against the sheets, gripping them like they were some sort of anchor.Just breathe, I told myself.B

• Rejected and Banished; The kids are his.   Chapter hundred and fifteen.

  Eva's POV.Nicklaus lifted me into his arms, cradling me against his chest with a protectiveness so intense, I couldn’t breathe for a moment. He was fuming in anger, I could tell.... I could feel it.His jaw was clenched, his brows furrowed so tightly I thought they might never relax again, and his eyes, God, his eyes burned with a fury that could have split the earth in two.I said nothing either. I just held onto him.I had my own anger to deal with. I could still feel the imprint of that tree against my back. The phantom touch of Alonzo’s stare clung to my skin. My heart was thundering wildly, not from the walk back home, but from everything I had just been through.Nicklaus’s body was stiff against mine. Each step he took felt controlled, like he was holding something dark and dangerous inside himself, something that if unleashed, would raze the entire kingdom to the ground. He was trying to control his power.When we entered the mansion, the guards at the door straightened in al