LOGINHear me out, I am not trying to do those cliché novel comebacks.I am not trying to go back after two years acting like some rich, high-class woman seeking revenge. Nope, I am definitely not playing this game with Drake. I simply have zero time for that nonsense, so I do not even want to see his face or hear his voice ever again.In fact, I do not even want to breathe the same air as him, so walking up and shaking his hand? Now that was completely insane.But one thing I have learned after living through this hell for two years is that my master—that ancient monster—does not negotiate. There was no backing out of this.I simply nodded slowly to my father. “Nothing can be done about it, right?”“You will be fine, Tesia.”“Of course I will.”I did not make a big deal out of it. Instead, I sat down and started teaching my daughter her alphabet. I had been doing this with her ever since she was just an infant, so by this point, little Amie already knew almost everything by heart.I spent
The two months Drake and I spent together back then were so good, he was like a total dream. He did not touch me, and I am sure you remember that, yes, but he was truly amazing when it came to the way he treated me every single day.He did not just tell me with words that I was special. He actually made me feel special inside, he showed me real love, and the sweet promises he made me?Well, those promises—if it were not for them, I would not have forced him to have sex with me that night I fell pregnant.If he was just keeping his distance from the start, if he had just treated me cold and distant like Maverick always did, I promise you I would not have complained to Drake and made him touch me.That is why, in some strange way, Drake was kind of responsible for this child too. Sure, I literally cried for him to touch me that night, but did I just do that out of nowhere? Or was it because he led me on for weeks and made me think we had a real future together?Drake was responsible for
Okay, I could not go back there right now. My life was good—more than good, actually. Sure, I had this whole dark soul-harvesting job to deal with, but apart from that, my daily life was fine.Mother Queen really did me a huge favor as the call ended. She hung up the phone the second she realized the line was still open while Drake was talking.If she had not hung up right then, I would not have been able to cut the call myself because I was just standing there, completely frozen.“Are you alright?” Dad asked me, looking over at me with worry in his eyes.I looked back at him and nodded my head quickly.“You can talk to me, Tesia. I am here to listen if you need to talk,” he added softly.“I am fine, thanks,” I said, not wanting to get into it.I quickly grabbed whatever I needed for my workout, grabbed and rushed out of the room so fast that I did not even stop to kiss my daughter goodbye.It was actually funny when I thought about it. My father, the exact man I had rejected for so m
Dad looked down at the glowing caller ID on the screen, then looked back up at me with a serious expression. I stared right back at him for a second, taking a deep breath before picking up the call and sliding the green icon to answer.“Tesia, I hope I am not interrupting anything important for you,” she said the exact moment the call connected.“Hi, Mother. No, you are good. How are you doing?”“You know, the same old things around here. I just really miss my granddaughter. Is she awake?”“I know you miss her, but Amie just fell asleep a few minutes ago.”“Alright. It was really her joyful little voice I wanted to hear today, but tell me, are you really coming back here?”“Before this week ends, Mother. I have a major business to manage over there—a family friend's business. My father's friend,” I lied, swallowing hard against the heavy lump that naturally formed in my throat every single time I had to make up these stories.“Well, I am so happy to hear that. At least Amie can finall
It was not that I was surprised to see the message. In fact, I had not slept in days just waiting for that exact text to come in, and now that it finally hit my screen, I only cared about finding the best way to make sure the entire plan worked out smoothly.I carefully got out of bed, holding my breath in the dark. The chances of William waking up and catching me were practically zero anyway, considering I had secretly knocked him out cold earlier.I succeeded in my move. I did not take a single thing from the room—not my bank cards, not my bag, and not even my identity documents. None of those human papers were needed for where I was going. Only my cellphone was in my hand.When I stepped outside into the chilly night air, the getaway car was already sitting there, idling and waiting for me. I got into the back seat without hesitation, and we drove off quickly into the darkness.Of course, we made a quick stop along the way to drop off the bloody clothes to set up the illusion, but
Two Years Later.Tesia.“Oh baby, so sorry, okay, here…”I softly gave Amie my breast just as she was about to let out a loud wail, and that simple motion instantly stopped her.She reached up with her small hands and held onto my breast tight, pulling herself close to me. She sucked so happily, and as I looked down at her small face, I saw a tiny, sweet smile form at the corners of her mouth.I reached out my hand and gently removed a tiny crust from the corner of her eye. When she closed her eyes, she looked so much like her father. The resemblance was uncanny, instantly reminding me of him. I truly, really did not want to think about him right now, especially not while holding my baby.“Tesia,” Dad called my name from the doorway, and I snapped right out of my deep thoughts.“Your gym instructor is here,” he told me, standing by the frame.I nodded at him, then looked back down at my Amie. She was fast asleep already. Even at two years old, she still fell asleep so fast the second







