19

Chapter 19

Adrian’s Pov

The kiss was passionate and tense. I didn’t expect the desires to rush through me this way. I felt shy and embarrassed a bit but I masked it up with confidence.

His phone rang. A saviour at last.

I didn’t wait for him to choose

between me and the call. I loosened myself from his grips instantly and my feet moved on their own, I went backward into my room. I slammed the door, locked it, and pressed my back against it. Then slid down and sat on the floor.

My hand shook so badly I gripped my cloth just to keep calm for the moment.

What just happened? What have I just done?

I thought as I sat down on the floor, then pulled my knees to my chest as I bent my head to my knees, I felt sharp pains from my injured head.

Different thoughts ran through my mind as I tried to make sense of everything. My lips were still alive from the kiss, his touch still lingers. I had kissed Darcy Rodrigo.

Not just my employer. Not just the father of the little girl I cared for. No—Darcy Rodrigo, the man who could ruin me with a single decision. The man who could destroy the fragile stability I had spent months building since getting out.

And the worst part?

I wanted more.

---

That night, sleep escaped my eyes. I feel restless. I couldn’t stop replaying it. Every detail burned in my mind—the way his hand had cupped my face, his eyes on mine with desires, the warmth of his lips, the heat of his breath.

I rolled from one side of the bed to another, pressed my face into the pillow and screamed a bit, and tried to shut it out. But my body betrayed me. My thighs pressed together, restless and aching. My hand slipped down almost without thinking, brushing against the wet heat between my legs.

I froze.

I was already wet for him.

The thought hit me like a shock of shame and fear. How could I want this? How did I feel this way for Darcy?

The desires were strong, I didn't let go.My fingers traced the heat of my core under my shorts, and a small sound slid from my lips before I could swallow it.

Shame hits stronger than the desire.

I curled into myself, trying to will the need away. But it didn’t leave. It sat heavy inside me, insistent, unquenchable. Darcy had ignited something in me I couldn’t put out.

Eventually, tiredness settled in and I slept off.

---

The dream was cruel.

There, there was no shame. No fear. No guilt. Darcy embraced me while kissing me passionately, I allowed it. My arms wrapped around his neck, giving in to my desires. His hands on my waist, holding me close. I wanted him entirely.

Then Pink appeared, playing quietly with blocks on the rug. She looked up, smiling, unbothered, like seeing me in Darcy’s arms was normal—like we belonged together. Like we were a family.

Darcy lips found my ears, he pecked me whispering something I didn't understand but it left a sweetness in my chest making me blush.

I woke up.

My body ached, sweat was dripping, lungs burning. For a split second, I reached out, expecting him to be there beside me. But he wasn't there.

“No,” I whispered to the darkness.

“No, no, no. This can’t happen.”

I had a job to do: protect Pink. Protect myself. Survive. Getting close to Darcy—wanting him—was reckless. Dangerous. A disaster waiting to happen.

Before dawn, I made my choice.

Avoid him. Keep my head down. Lock my heart away. Get through the day. That was all I could do.

---

I woke up early to take care of Pink. She was a bit slow and groggy because she is still sleepy. I made her breakfast, poured her juice in the kitchen. My movements were sharp, precise, but every step thrummed with tension.

I heard Darcy’s bedroom door open down the hall. My chest skipped a beat.

“Come on,” I said quickly, grabbing Pink’s hand. “Let’s eat in the playroom today.”

“But we always eat here,” she protested, frowning up at me.

“I know, sweetheart,” I forced a smile. “Just for today. Picnic breakfast in the playroom—fun, right?”

She didn't care, following me without another word. Too young to question the urgency in my movements.

That set the tone for the day.

---

Darcy’s presence was like a storm I couldn’t face. Every time I heard his low footsteps on marble floors, my chest tightened. I steered Pink away, upstairs, out into the garden, wherever he wasn’t. I moved with her as though we were sneaking through enemy territory.

Leo followed quietly, his sharp eyes catching mine more than usual. He didn’t say anything, but I felt how he observed. He knew I was avoiding Darcy.

Hours passed like this. I tiptoed, ducked behind corners, moving carefully in the house that suddenly felt far too small, far too full of him.

By mid-afternoon, I was tired. The effort of avoiding him all day was mentally draining. Every sound made my body ache with tension.

At one point, when I heard his footsteps downstairs, we hid quickly in the library. I pressed my back on the wall, holding Pink closely so we won't be seen. My heart beats so loud I bet he might hear it.

“Adrian?” Darcy’s voice sounded through the doorway, calm but certain. “I know you’re in there. We need to talk.”

Pink looked up at me, probably wondering while we hid from her father, but she stayed quiet, I knew she sensed the tension. I held her hand tight, waiting for Darcy to pass us by.

Footsteps lingered for a long moment. My pulse raced. I felt trapped, though the walls of the library offered no real cover.

Finally, his footsteps receded. Relief washed over me, shaky and temporary. I knew it wouldn’t last. Darcy Rodrigo did not accept avoidance as an answer.

Sooner or later, he would corner me.

---

In the evening, I wasn't at peace . I laid on my bed, hugging my pillow to my chest, thanking God for success at least. I stared at the ceiling. Avoiding him felt impossible. But I told myself I had to.

No matter what, I had to take care of Pink, removing my mind from all distractions.

Still, the memory of the kiss burned into me. My body remembers the sensation not just in my thoughts.

And the worst truth is that I couldn’t admit even to the darkness: a part of me didn’t want to avoid him.

A part of me wanted to fall.

---

The day had been a careful dance of avoidance, but the reality of living under the same roof with him made it nearly impossible. Every room was a trap. Every echo of his voice, a reminder of what I couldn’t let myself want.

When I heard him in the kitchen, I grabbed Pink’s hand, guiding her to the garden. I watched the sunlight glinting off the marble, trying to anchor myself in tasks rather than thoughts of him.

But even simple movements were charged with tension. My body betrayed me; the ache he’d sparked refused to fade. I was tired, wanting to be anywhere but where he was. Not the space he occupied.

"Ms Adrian, why are we hiding from daddy?" She asked

"Nothing sweetheart, it's a game and guess what?" I said, "we're winning," I smiled.

By evening, Leo had curled his feet, silent but watchful, he didn't bother following us any more.

I stayed close to Pink, moved in careful rhythms, spoke softly, never letting my gaze linger. I avoided mirrors when I passed them, avoiding the reflection of the desire I couldn’t admit.

I had chosen avoidance. It was the only safe path. But even as I told myself that, I knew: desire didn’t care about rules, about jobs, or about survival. It didn’t obey logic. It's real and I could feel it in my body and my desperate heartbeat.

And I could not stop it.

---

By nightfall, I collapsed into my bed after I'd freshened up, my body ached with a terrible headache. I felt my heart was being pulled in two directions. Avoiding him was supposed to keep me safe.

But the undeniable truth is that I wanted him. All of him. The man I shouldn’t, the man I couldn’t.

And deep down, I knew no amount of avoidance could extinguish that.

I was caught.

Between survival and desire. Between safety and fire.

And I didn’t know which side I would surrender to first. Little did I know that the avoiding game I played ended today.