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Chapter 4: Lines That Shouldn’t Be Crossed
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2026-01-02 05:38:19Amara didn’t sleep that night.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Ethan’s face—older, sharper, still devastatingly familiar. And worse than that, she saw the way his eyes had changed when he realized the truth. Not anger. Not shock.
Recognition.
That terrified her.
At dawn, she rose quietly, tying her hair back with shaking hands. Crystal was still asleep, curled up on the thin mattress, one arm hugging her pillow. Amara stood there longer than necessary, watching her chest rise and fall.
I protected you for ten years, she thought.
I won’t fail you now.
She had barely stepped outside when she saw him.
Ethan Kael stood near the edge of the compound, dressed casually for once—dark jeans, a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He looked out of place and perfectly planted at the same time, like a predator pretending to admire the scenery.
“You’re early,” she said coldly.
“I didn’t leave,” he replied. “Didn’t feel right.”
She scoffed. “That didn’t stop you before.”
His jaw flexed, but he didn’t rise to it. Instead, he turned fully toward her. “We need to talk about Crystal.”
“No,” Amara snapped instantly. “You don’t get to say her name like that. Not yet. Not ever, if I decide so.”
“That’s not how this works.”
“It worked for ten years.”
“And you think that was fair?” he shot back. “You think I didn’t deserve to know I had a child?”
Amara stepped closer, her voice low and lethal. “You think you deserved access to her after that night? After you treated me like a transaction?”
His eyes darkened. “I was drunk.”
“And I was desperate,” she said. “Don’t dress it up, Ethan. We both made choices. I carried the consequences.”
Silence followed. Heavy. Unforgiving.
Then Ethan said something that made her blood run cold.
“I want to meet her.”
“No.”
“I’m not asking.”
“Yes, you are,” Amara said sharply. “And the answer is no.”
Before he could respond, a familiar voice rang out.
“Mummy!”
Crystal came running toward them, curls bouncing wildly, eyes bright with excitement. She froze when she saw Ethan, her smile widening.
“It’s the daddy stranger!” she said cheerfully.
Amara’s heart dropped.
Ethan crouched instinctively, lowering himself to Crystal’s height. “Good morning, Crystal.”
“You remember my name!” Crystal beamed. “Mummy, he’s nice. He smiled at me yesterday.”
Amara swallowed hard. “Crystal, go inside.”
“But—”
“Now.”
Crystal hesitated, confused, then obeyed slowly, glancing back at Ethan like she was leaving a friend behind.
The moment she disappeared, Amara rounded on him. “You’re manipulating her.”
“I said hello,” Ethan replied calmly. “That’s manipulation now?”
“You’re here too much.”
“I’m not leaving.”
Her voice broke for the first time. “You don’t get to uproot our lives.”
“Our?” he echoed softly.
“Yes. Mine and hers.”
Ethan straightened, all traces of softness gone. “You made that decision alone once. You don’t get to do it again.”
“That child doesn’t need chaos,” Amara said fiercely. “She has peace. She has stability.”
“And she has a father,” Ethan said. “Whether you like it or not.”
The words landed like a slap.
Amara turned away, blinking back tears. “You don’t know her.”
“I want to.”
She laughed bitterly. “You want ownership. Not connection.”
“That’s not true.”
“Then why now?” she challenged. “Why after ten years? Because you finally see her face? Because she feels real to you now?”
“Yes,” he admitted without shame. “Because she is real.”
That honesty stunned her.
Before she could respond, Mayor Jonah approached hurriedly. “Mr. Kael, the council is waiting. We’re supposed to finalize the housing project plans.”
Ethan nodded, eyes never leaving Amara. “We’re not done.”
“No,” Amara said quietly. “We’re just beginning.”
Later that day, Crystal sat on the church steps with her friends, swinging her legs.
“Mummy looked upset this morning,” she said thoughtfully.
One of the girls shrugged. “Maybe because of the foreign man.”
Crystal smiled to herself. “I like him.”
She didn’t know why.
She just did.
And somewhere deep in her chest, something ancient stirred.
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