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Chapter 14
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2026-07-02 23:27:51Chapter 14
Harper
Three days later.
I had officially decided I was tired of secrets.
Tired of people revealing shocking information every five minutes.
At this point, I wanted peace.
Just one peaceful day.
Apparently Lily wanted the same thing.
“Harper!”
I looked up from the couch.
The little girl ran into the living room carrying a pink plastic crown. Her eyes were shining. That was always a dangerous sign.
“What happened?”
She stopped in front of me. “We have an emergency.”
I sat up straight immediately. “What kind of emergency?”
She held up the crown. “A princess emergency.”
I blinked. Then blinked again.
“A princess emergency?”
“Yes.”
The seriousness in her voice almost made me laugh.
“Okay. What exactly does a princess emergency involve?”
Lily put both hands on her hips. “You.”
That worried me somehow.
Before I could ask anything, she shoved the crown at me.
“Put it on.”
I stared at it. Then at her. Then back at it.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
I looked around desperately. “DAMIAN.”
My husband appeared in the doorway a second later. He looked amused. Very amused.
The traitor.
“Help me.”
“No.”
I pointed at Lily. “She’s attacking me.”
Lily gasped. “I’m creating magic.”
Damian laughed. A real laugh. The sound distracted me immediately. Because lately he laughed more. Smiled more. Lived more. And somehow that made me happy. Dangerously happy.
“You’re taking her side?”
“Absolutely.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I thought marriage meant loyalty.”
“It does.”
“Then?”
Damian walked over and took the crown from my hands. For one beautiful second, I thought he was saving me.
Then he placed it directly on my head.
My mouth dropped open.
Betrayal. Pure betrayal.
“There.”
Lily clapped excitedly. “Perfect.”
I glared at Damian. “We need to discuss our marriage.”
His eyes sparkled. “Later.”
I hated how attractive he looked when he smiled. It was extremely inconvenient.
Lily grabbed my hand. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“The ballroom.”
“There is no ballroom.”
“There is now.”
Before I could protest, she dragged me upstairs. Damian followed behind, enjoying this way too much.
Twenty minutes later, Lily had transformed one of the sitting rooms into a princess kingdom. Blankets became castles. Chairs became towers. Pillows became mountains.
It was ridiculous. Completely ridiculous.
I secretly loved it.
Lily pointed at me. “You are Queen Harper.”
I bowed dramatically. “Thank you.”
Then she pointed at herself. “I am Princess Lily.”
“Excellent choice.”
Finally she pointed at Damian. He immediately looked suspicious.
“You are the royal dragon.”
I laughed so hard I almost fell off the couch.
Damian looked offended. “The dragon?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Lily thought about it. “Because you’re big and scary.”
I laughed even harder. The look on his face was priceless.
Lily nodded confidently. “And you protect everyone.”
The complaint immediately died. Because she wasn’t wrong.
Damian shook his head. “I walked right into that one.”
“Completely.”
For the next hour, we played. Actually played. No business calls. No investigations. No family drama.
Just us.
The realization hit me without warning.
Us.
The word didn’t feel strange anymore. That should have scared me.
Instead it felt right.
Lily eventually climbed onto the couch between us. Then she sighed happily.
“This is nice.”
I smiled. “It is.”
She looked at Damian. Then me. Then Damian again.
A thoughtful expression appeared. That was never good.
“What?” I asked cautiously.
Lily grinned. “You should kiss.”
I nearly choked.
Damian coughed into his hand.
The little menace looked pleased with herself.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because.”
“That’s not an answer.”
I pointed at Damian. “Tell your daughter to stop.”
“My daughter?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been claiming her for weeks.”
Traitor. Absolute traitor.
Lily nodded. “Mommy is right.”
The room froze.
Complete silence.
Lily blinked. Then realization crossed her face.
“Oh.”
My heart stopped.
Damian looked equally stunned.
The little girl covered her mouth. “I said it out loud.”
Nobody spoke. Nobody moved.
Then Lily’s face turned bright red.
“I’m sorry.”
The apology broke my heart instantly.
I moved beside her. “Sweetheart.”
“I know you’re not really my mommy.”
Her voice sounded small. Fragile. Lonely.
The words hurt. A lot more than they should have.
I gently touched her hair. “Hey.”
She looked up.
“You never have to apologize for loving someone.”
Her eyes widened.
Across the room, Damian went completely still.
I wasn’t sure who those words affected more. Lily. Or him.
The little girl immediately hugged me. Tightly. Like she never wanted to let go.
I hugged her back. Without hesitation. Without thinking. Without pretending.
Because the truth was simple.
I loved this little girl. Somewhere along the way, she had become important to me. Very important.
When Lily finally released me, she looked happier. Much happier.
Then she suddenly yawned. A huge yawn.
I laughed. “Someone needs a nap.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
Five minutes later, she was asleep anyway. Curled up on the couch. Still holding her stuffed bear.
The room became quiet. Peaceful.
Damian and I sat nearby watching her sleep. Neither of us wanted to break the moment.
Finally he spoke.
“Thank you.”
I looked at him. “For what?”
“For loving her.”
The words caught me off guard. My chest tightened.
“I didn’t plan to.”
“I know.”
Our eyes met. The air changed. Again. The same way it always did when we were alone. The same dangerous awareness. The same impossible attraction. The same growing feelings neither of us discussed.
Damian reached for my hand. Slowly. Carefully. Like he was giving me a choice.
This time I took it. Immediately.
Neither of us looked away.
“Harper.”
My heartbeat quickened. “Yeah?”
His thumb brushed across my knuckles. A tiny touch. Yet somehow it felt enormous.
Then suddenly his phone vibrated.
The moment shattered.
Damian frowned and looked at the screen. His expression changed instantly.
Cold. Dangerous.
My stomach dropped.
“What happened?”
He slowly stood. All the color drained from his face.
“Damian?”
His eyes found mine.
Then he spoke five words that turned my blood to ice.
“Ethan just took Lily.”
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