Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Eliora's POV 

“He did what?”

Zoey’s voice rang through the kitchen like an explosion. I just kept tracing the rim of my coffee cup with my finger. My eyes felt heavier than usual.

Did I have a sleepless night? Yes.

Why? One word? Kian.

I looked up to find Zoey now pacing the kitchen, bare feet tapping across the marble tiles, her oversized T-shirt fluttering as she spun back and forth like she was the one who got kissed.

“This really doesn’t make any sense at all,” she huffed, throwing her hands in the air. “Ah, the nerve of him, honestly!”

I shifted on the stool, uncomfortable with how loud her emotions were, especially when mine felt so… jammed. Like I couldn’t get a grip on them long enough to know what I actually felt.

“He can’t just kiss you because he feels entitled to answers,” she snapped, turning sharply to face me. “Who the hell does he think he is?”

I didn’t respond.

She stared for a beat, waiting for a response, maybe.

But when I said nothing, she kept going.

“He wants answers?” she snorted, grabbing a carrot from the counter and snapping into it angrily. “Oh please. Let him go ask the devil. He might find his answers there.”

I stirred my coffee in silence, my eyes straying to Ezra, who was on the floor with Margaret, stacking toy blocks like his life depended on it.

Of course he didn’t have anything to worry about.

His smile was wide. His laugh echoed through the room like sunlight.

And those eyes… just like his father’s.

I swallowed hard. And before I could stop myself— I remembered.

….

Flashback…

I didn’t see it coming.

One second I was trying to breathe, and the next, his mouth was on mine.

Kian kissed me.

And for a heartbeat… I froze. My body stilled like it didn’t know what to do.

It was angry. Urgent. Like he was demanding something I had no intention of giving.

And for that one damned second… I let it happen.

My lips didn’t push him away. My body wanted him. 

The moment I felt that shift in me—my guard cracking, my heart reacting—I hated it.

So I bit him hard.

He pulled back, startled. But I didn’t wait to see his face. I didn’t give him a chance to speak, to twist that moment into anything.

I turned and walked out…. more like I ran out though.

Because if I had waited one more second…

I don’t know what would’ve happened.

And I can’t afford to not know.

End of flashback...

Zoey’s voice pulled me back. It had softened now, laced with something gentler. “Are you okay, El?”

I dropped the spoon back into the cup, watching the ripples form in the coffee. “Honestly? I felt numb. I couldn’t move. My brain just—stalled when I needed it the most. I–”

I paused, the words caught in my throat.

“The way he looked at me. The way he spoke…” I swallowed again. “The worst part? A piece of me… wanted to tell him everything. To let him in.”

Zoey’s expression shifted. Her fire dimmed, replaced with something quieter. She reached across the counter and touched my hand.

“El,” she whispered.

But I kept going.

“I hate that part of me,” I said, voice low and tight. “The part that almost gave in. The part that still feels something even after everything.”

I felt her squeeze my hand gently. “You’re not stupid, El. You’re human. You once loved him. That doesn’t disappear overnight.”

I gave her a small, broken smile. “Yeah. I guess two years wasn’t enough to erase three years of marriage. Or a lifetime of wanting someone who never really saw me.”

Silence hung between us.

My gaze drifted back to Ezra—just as he turned toward me with a bright grin.

“Mummy!”

I stood instantly and crossed the room, lifting him into my arms.

“Baby!” I kissed his cheeks.

“Mummy, not baby. Ezra. Ez-ra!” he corrected, wriggling in my arms.

I laughed, and so did Zoey and Margaret.

“Of course, King Ezra,” Zoey said dramatically, mimicking a deep bow.

For a moment, the heaviness lifted. 

Just for a moment.

But then my phone buzzed on the counter. I reached for it, still holding Ezra.

Clara: Mr. Donovan’s assistant reached out. You have a meeting with Mr. Donovan by 8AM tomorrow.

I stared at the message, my breath catching.

And just like that… my sour mood returned.

Of course.

It’s never over with Kian.