Chapter 10

River’s POV

My throat tightened as I scrolled through the pictures. It wasn’t just one. Not two. Not even three. There were so many of them, one after the other, like a cruel gallery of my past. 

Years had passed, so how on earth did he still have these? Why would Rowan hold on to them? My hand shook, the phone slipping slightly between my fingers, but I pressed my lips together and tried to mask it. 

I raised my head slowly, forcing my face to stay calm, and that was when I caught him. Killian. His phone frozen in his hand, his eyes locked on me like he had been waiting for my reaction.

A cold rush spread through me, but before I could gather myself, Killian’s voice cut through the noise. “Anything wrong, River?” His gaze searched mine, steady and sharp, and I forced a smile that felt like it would crack my face.

“No, Killian,” I answered lightly, slipping my phone quickly into my bag as if hiding away the weight of those images could erase them. “It’s nothing.” I lifted my chin, trying to distract him. “Did you take the picture?”

His lips curved as he angled his phone toward me. “Yeah, I took it. Look here.” I leaned forward to see, and of course, the photo he had taken was beautiful. He was good at that, catching me in a way that made me look softer than I felt. 

But even as I stared at it, unease crawled up my spine. I pushed it down. He had planned this night for me, gone out of his way, and I didn’t want to ruin it. “Should we order now?” I asked quickly, lifting my eyes to him.

Killian leaned back in his chair, studying me with that intense look of his that was hard to escape. “You stared at your phone for too long while I was taking the pictures, River. You sure you’re okay? You know you can tell me anything, right?”

The worry in his voice pressed against me, and for a second I wanted to pour everything out. I wanted to tell him Rowan did something, that Rowan still had pictures of me he should never have kept. 

But shame burned in my chest, twisting tight. What could Killian even do? Rowan already had the pictures. I gave another smile, this one emptier than the last. “I’m good, Killian. It was just a message from work.”

His eyes narrowed, like he could see right through me, but he said nothing. The silence between us stretched, heavy and sharp. I looked down at the menu, but the words blurred into nothing. 

My mind kept racing back to Rowan. Should I reply to him? Should I ignore it? What would he do if I stayed quiet? What trap was he setting now?

“Will talking to Rowan be good?” I thought bitterly. 

What on earth should I say to him?

“River.”

Killian’s voice snapped me back, and I blinked.

“What are you picking?” His tone was calm but tight, threaded with irritation. I blinked again, realizing I had been sitting there, silent, lost in thought. He leaned forward, jaw tight, his eyes not letting me go.

“I’ve been asking forever, River,” he said, his voice low but clearly edged with anger. “Didn’t you hear me?” The words hit me hard, dragging me out of my storm of thoughts, but I still couldn’t breathe right.

I forced myself to look at the menu, though the words blurred in front of my eyes. Killian picked his meal with ease. I just pointed to something, anything, not even sure what I had chosen. 

When the food finally came, I picked at the food with my fork, moving it around the plate, barely tasting a bite. It wasn’t fear of Rowan that made my chest heavy. No, I wasn’t afraid of him anymore. 

But those pictures, if they ever came out—it would be the end of me. My name, my work, my reputation, everything I had built would be shattered in a second. 

Talking to Rowan would be the worst mistake, because he would know I was shaken, and he would use it against me like he always had. Killian’s lips moved slowly, forming words I couldn’t catch. 

He was smiling faintly, his eyes soft, telling me something about his work and stories from his childhood, things he rarely opened up about. I should have been happy he was sharing that part of himself, but my head wasn’t here. 

I nodded now and then, forcing a smile, pretending to listen, but my mind was far away. The first words I heard clearly snapped me back to reality. “Let’s go home,” Killian said, his voice sharp like a blade.

I blinked, startled, my fork slipping from my hand and clattering against the plate. He was no longer smiling. Without waiting for me, he stood up and walked straight out of the restaurant, leaving me frozen in my seat.

“Wait, Killian, what…” My voice trailed off, too soft, drowned by the music playing in the background. I didn’t understand how we went from quiet laughter in the car to this storm.

By the time I stepped outside, Killian was already in the car. He was waiting, but his face through the window was unreadable, shadowed with anger. At least he hadn’t left me behind. Sliding into the car, I dared to ask, though my heart already knew the answer. 

“What is wrong, Killian?”

He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles pale, his eyes fixed on the road. Not a single word came from him the entire ride back. The car rolled into the driveway and stopped. Killian opened his door without a glance at me and walked inside.

“Killian, say something at least!” I called after him, my voice breaking. But he kept moving, climbing the stairs with long strides, his silence cutting deeper than any words.

Before I could move, Matilda appeared in the hallway with Alora in her arms, her small face red from crying. The nanny walked quickly toward me, looking tired and worried.

“Good evening, ma. Alora has been crying non-stop,” she said, rocking her gently. “Don’t worry, take her to the room, I’ll be right there. Give me a few minutes.”

I handed my daughter over to the nanny, forcing a smile that faded the second they walked away. Without a second thought, I followed Killian to his room. The door wasn’t even locked. I pushed it open and froze.

He had already stripped off his shirt, and the sight knocked the air out of me for a second. His body was all sharp lines and power, the kind of build that looked like it could crush anyone standing in his way. 

My lips parted on a small gasp, but I pushed it down because that wasn’t why I was here. “Why did you leave the restaurant like that?” My voice came out sharper than I planned. 

“That was supposed to be a special night, a night you claimed you planned for me. I missed work for that, and you just walked out like it meant nothing. Do you even know how embarrassing that was for me?”

He didn’t answer.

His silence clawed at me, and the longer he stood there saying nothing, the angrier I felt the heat building in my throat. “Will you fucking say something, Killian?” My voice cracked into a yell, and it surprised even me. 

I had never yelled at him before, never dared. But tonight, between Rowan’s twisted threats and Killian’s silence, something inside me snapped. “What the hell is wrong with you?” That finally made him look at me. 

His eyes flickered, shock flashing across his face at the way I had raised my voice. “You didn’t have to do that, River. Don’t raise your voice at me.” His tone was calm, too calm.

“Then fucking talk to me,” I shot back, stepping closer to him. “Because I’m done standing here guessing what’s in your head.” He straightened his shoulders, and when he spoke next, his voice was so chilling it made a shiver race down my spine.

“Why do you keep lying to me, River?”

His voice wasn’t loud, but there was something dangerous simmering beneath every word. He was holding himself back, I could see it in the way his hands curled at his sides like claws ready to strike, and I knew this was Killian trying to control the beast inside him.

“What do you mean I keep lying to you? Do you read minds now?” 

“Rowan was here the other day, and you lied about it. You think I don’t know?” Killian’s voice cut through the room as he turned fully to face me. His eyes were sharp and unflinching, like he was ready to rip the truth straight out of me.

“I don’t think I owe you any explanation, Killian. Learn not to cross your boundaries.” The words slipped out before I could stop them, but I meant every bit of it.

I saw it the moment something in him snapped. His jaw flexed, the muscle twitching as if he was grinding his teeth into dust. His face darkened, and I could feel the heat of his anger from where I stood.

“We are in this together, River. If we don’t tell each other the truth, how the hell are we supposed to move forward?” My hands clenched at my sides. Was this really why he had ruined my birthday dinner? 

All of this over Rowan? 

“You ruined your birthday dinner, River,” he said suddenly, his words slicing into me as if he had read my mind. “You sat there, lost for hours. Three damn hours, and it felt like a waste of time.”

“I don’t see how my thoughts concern you, Killian!” My voice cracked with fury as I stepped closer, glaring up at him. “This is a contract marriage for crying out loud, so I owe you no explanation of any sort!”

I barely finished before it happened.

His hand shot forward so fast I didn’t even have time to gasp. His palm wrapped around my neck, firm and unyielding, and in the next second my back slammed against the wall with a force that rattled my bones.