MasukFernando's POVThe moment I stepped out of Henry's room, I quietly closed the door behind me and rested my hand against the wooden surface for a second.A smile tugged at the corner of my lips.It wasn't a complete victory, not yet but it was progress.For the first time since I'd returned to this town, my son hadn't looked at me with nothing but resentment. He had let me into his room, he had spoken to me and he had even admitted that he wanted us to be a family again.That alone was enough to make my chest feel lighter.I walked slowly down the hallway, replaying every word of our conversation.For years, I had convinced myself that Henry hated me.How could he not? I had disappeared from his life. Michael had been the one who raised him.Michael had been there for birthdays, scraped knees, school events, sleepless nights and every milestone I had missed. I had no right to expect Henry to welcome me with open arms.And yet, something had shifted. I could feel it.There was finally a
Theo's POVI didn't want to see Michael, not after what I'd watched. Not after those cursed hidden cameras had shown me exactly what I never wanted to witness.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw them together.Fernando's hands on Michael, Michael kissing him back, not resisting, not pulling away. Kissing him as though years of separation had never existed.Hearing Michael's moans as Fernando drove his dick inside him.It replayed over and over in my mind like a punishment and I clenched my jaw."No..he manipulated you" I muttered to myself.That had to be the truth.Fernando had always known how to get inside Michael's head. How to make him doubt himself, how to make him forget the pain he had caused.Michael wouldn't willingly betray me, he couldn't.The Fernando I knew was calculating, manipulative, patient. He had probably waited for the perfect moment when Michael felt vulnerable.That was the only explanation I was willing to accept because the alternative meant Michael had chose
Michael's POVI stood in the kitchen for several moments after Fernando disappeared upstairs.The frying pan hissed quietly on the stove, filling the room with the comforting smell of bacon and eggs, yet my attention wasn't on breakfast anymore.It was on Henry. I couldn't shake the image of his face when he had walked through the front door.His eyes had looked tired, not physically, emotionally. I would know because I saw that same expression on mine whenever I looked in the mirror recently. Something had happened last night. Something he wasn't ready to tell me.Ashley noticed me staring absent-mindedly at the stove and gently nudged my shoulder."You're burning the bacon" she said."What?"I blinked before quickly looking down. Sure enough, the edges were beginning to darken.I sighed and turned the heat down and Ashley folded her arms."Are you're worried about Henry?" She asked calmly. I nodded."He wasn't himself and he snapped at me" I answered, my eyes moving from the bacon
Fernando's POVI watched Henry disappear upstairs, and something about the way he carried himself unsettled me.He hadn't looked angry, not exactly. He had looked... burdened, like someone carrying a weight far too heavy for his shoulders.I glanced toward the kitchen.Michael was still standing there with Ashley, worry written all over his face. I knew that expression better than anyone. He wanted to follow Henry, but he also knew pushing him would only make things worse.Which left me.Maybe I wasn't the best person for the job, actually, I was probably the worst. Still, he was my son.Whether he accepted me or not, I couldn't ignore the look on his face.I climbed the stairs slowly, each step echoed through the quiet house. When I reached Henry's door, I knocked gently but silence answered me.I waited a few seconds before knocking again."Henry? It's me" I called.Still nothing.I rested one hand against the door."I just want to talk" I said.His voice finally came from the other
Michael’s POVI woke up slowly.For several seconds, I simply stared at the ceiling above me, feeling unusually comfortable then the memories of last night came rushing back. Every single one of them.My face immediately turned red."Oh God."I dragged a pillow over my face. This was exactly why I hadn't wanted any of this to happen because now I couldn't stop thinking about it, or him, or how much I had missed being close to Fernando.The realization alone was enough to make me groan.After everything we'd been through, after all the years, It was ridiculous that he still had this effect on me.A reluctant smile appeared on my face.Despite all my frustration, there was one thing I couldn't deny. I had missed him.The memory made my smile grow wider before I quickly forced it away.I sighed and got out of bed. I made my way downstairs and headed into the kitchen. The familiar routine immediately helped calm my thoughts.I tied an apron around my waist and started pulling ingredients
Fernando’s POVFor several moments after everything had settled down, neither Michael nor I spoke.The intensity from earlier still lingered between us, not just the fact Michael had thought someone was watching us, but the fact we'd had sex.Not in the way it had before, but in the awkward silence that followed when two people realized they had crossed a line they had been dancing around for far too long.I adjusted the collar of my shirt and glanced across the room.Michael was standing near the dresser, fixing his hair in the mirror, his expression was unreadable and that bothered me because usually I could tell exactly what he was thinking.Today, however, he seemed determined to keep his thoughts locked away."You keep staring at me."His voice broke the silence.I smiled."You noticed.""I noticed because it's creepy" he replied. I raised my hands innocently."I'm not planning anything" I said."That's a lie.""Okay, maybe a little" I joked.Michael groaned and the sound made m
Archer’s POV The waves were restless today. It was not the kind that soothed or whispered you into calm—their crashing roared against the jagged rocks like fists, like threats. The bright morning sun painted a golden slash across the ocean, reflecting light into the wide glass windows of my bea
Fernando's POV The cold hardwood floor was the first thing I became aware of when I opened my eyes. That, and the pain screaming across my lower back. I groaned, shifting just a little, but it sent a shock of discomfort straight up my spine. My blanket had twisted around me in the night, tangled
Fernando’s POV The night air hit my face as I stepped out of the car. The moon hung low above the lit city block, its pale glow casting long shadows across the crumbling walls of the abandoned building before us. It was a place forgotten by the world — the perfect hiding spot for someone on the
Fernando’s POV I sat on the edge of Michael’s neatly made bed, my elbows resting on my knees, my hands locked together.For once, our conversation didn’t feel like a negotiation or a courtroom battle. It felt like two men trying to put their egos aside for a boy who mattered more than pride ever c







