CHAPTER 28

Amanda’s POV

The sound of the maid’s voice had carved a hollow pit in my stomach. Levi. Levi. Levi.

Her panic was like a siren, pulling every nightmare I’d fought to bury right to the surface. My feet barely touched the ground as I flew through the front door, heart pounding so loud it drowned out everything else.

The living room was a blur. I tore through it, calling his name, my throat raw with terror.

And then

“Gotcha!”

The voice was high-pitched and gleeful, not frightened.

I froze mid-stride, blinking as my eyes zeroed in on the scene in the hallway. Levi. My son. My entire world. He was darting from one end of the corridor to the other, laughing so hard he could barely keep his balance. The maid was chasing him in frantic circles, her face pale and streaked with tears.

For a second, my brain refused to compute. The fear still clawed at my chest, refusing to let go. Then reality clicked into place—and anger took its place.

“Levi James!”

He stopped so fast that he nearly tripped over his own feet, his wide grin faltering as his eyes snapped to me.

“Uh-oh,” he mumbled.

“Uh-oh is right,” I said, striding toward him, my pulse still hammering like a drum. I crouched down so we were eye to eye, trying to keep my voice calm even though I wanted to scream. “Do you have any idea how scared you just made everyone? Running around like that when the window’s open?”

His bottom lip trembled. Not from guilt from the effort of holding back another laugh.

Before I could launch into the full lecture, Adam’s voice cut in behind me, warm and easy like a breeze cutting through fire.

“Hey, champ,” he said, crouching beside me. “You trying to give your mom a heart attack?”

Levi giggled again, shaking his head furiously. “I was just playing hide-and-seek!”

“You didn’t tell anyone you were hiding,” I snapped, glaring at him.

Levi pouted, sticking out his lower lip. Adam reached over and ruffled his hair, grinning like this was the funniest thing in the world.

“Pretty good hiding, though,” Adam said. “You had the maid ready to call the cops.”

Levi’s laugh burst out like a popped balloon, and before I could stop it, he launched himself forward—right into Adam’s arms.

Adam caught him easily, lifting him like he weighed nothing. Levi clung to him, still giggling, his small hands fisting in Adam’s shirt.

And me? I just stood there. Watching.

Watching the way Adam’s face softened as he hugged my son. Watching the way Levi’s head rested on his shoulder like he belonged there.

For a moment, a stupid, dangerous thought for a fleeting moment—I let myself imagine it.

A family.

Not this constant war, not these sleepless nights and court hearings and whispered threats. Just… this. Laughter in a hallway. Warm arms and easy smiles. Stability. Safety.

Then Levi wriggled, leaning back to look at Adam with those big, curious eyes.

“Daddy, can I have ice cream?”

The word hit me like a sucker punch.

My breath caught, my chest tightening painfully as heat shot straight to my cheeks.

Daddy.

I waited for Adam to correct him, to laugh and say no, buddy, I’m not your dad, the way most men would. But he didn’t.

He just smiled. Slow, gentle. “Ice cream, huh? How about something even better?”

Levi’s eyes went wide. “Better than ice cream?”

“You bet.” Adam winked, setting him down. “Come on. Kitchen.”

And just like that, Levi was sprinting ahead, the sound of his little feet echoing down the hallway.

I stood frozen for a beat, my pulse still stumbling. Adam straightened, glancing at me with a look I couldn’t quite read.

“Snack duty?” he said lightly, like nothing monumental had just happened.

I swallowed hard and forced my legs to move. “Sure,” I murmured. “Snack duty.”

The kitchen smelled faintly of vanilla and lemon from the maid’s last attempt at baking, but now it was filled with Levi’s impatient bouncing and Adam’s deep, steady voice as he rummaged through the fridge like he owned the place.

“Hmm. Strawberries, whipped cream… and—” He pulled out a jar with a flourish. “Chocolate spread. Jackpot.”

Levi practically squealed.

I leaned against the counter, watching them, my hands gripping the edge so tightly my knuckles ached. Watching Adam spread chocolate onto slices of bread with a precision that felt almost… deliberate. Watching Levi’s eyes light up like it was Christmas morning.

“Mommy,” Levi said suddenly, breaking into my thoughts. “You can’t make snacks like this.”

“Oh, really?” I arched an eyebrow, trying to keep my voice light even as my throat tightened.

“Really,” he said with absolute certainty. “Adam makes them fun.”

Adam glanced at me then, a glimpse of something warm in his eyes. Something that made my stomach flip in a way I wasn’t ready to examine.

Fifteen minutes later, Levi sat at the table, happily devouring  chocolate-strawberry sandwiches, his cheeks smeared with evidence of pure joy. Adam sat beside him, one arm draped casually along the back of the chair, the picture of ease.

And me? I stood there, trying to memorize the sound of Levi’s laugh, trying to hold on to this one tiny bubble of peace in a world that was constantly spinning out of control.

Because I knew it wouldn’t last.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, dragging me back to reality. I pulled it out and froze when I saw the name.

Clara – Attorney.

With trembling fingers, I opened the message.

Hearing confirmed for tomorrow. 9 AM sharp. Prep your witness. If this doesn’t go our way, joint custody is likely given Ryan’s resources and status.

Joint custody.

The words might as well have been a knife to the gut.

I stared at the screen until the letters blurred until Levi’s laughter sounded like it was coming from underwater.

Joint custody meant Ryan in my house. Ryan at my table. Ryan is sharing Levi’s life in a way I’d fought so hard to prevent.

It meant losing the little safety I had left.

I slipped the phone back into my pocket, my hand trembling as I forced a smile for Levi’s sake.

But inside?

Inside, I was breaking.

Because tomorrow wasn’t just another battle.

Tomorrow was war.

And if I lost

I didn’t let myself finish that thought.

Not while Adam was watching me with those steady, knowing eyes.

Not while Levi was looking at me like I hung the moon.

I couldn’t lose. I wouldn’t lose this case.