Chapter 15

Claudia's POV

"Every single day he gets more on my fucking nerves!" I snapped into the phone, pacing across the bedroom with my heels clicking angrily against the marble floor. "I'm getting sick of this, Adrian. Can we just put an end to this already?!”

The humiliation from moments ago still burned beneath my skin.

Kane had thrown me out. Like I was some desperate woman throwing herself at her own husband.

“What's wrong now?” Adrian let out a slow sigh over the line. “You literally called me hours ago saying that he sent you the Cartier necklace you wanted and that he was home.”

The nonchalance dripping from his voice made me grip the phone harder. A few months ago, he would have threatened to turn the world upside down for me, but now he didn't seem to care anymore.

“He threw……..” I almost blurted it out before reconsidering.

Admitting that Kane had slammed the door in my face was far too humiliating. It made it seem as though I wanted him... as though I'd been the desperate one chasing after Kane.

"You know what… never mind.”

“Claudia…?” Adrian sighed again.

“Nothing," I said. "Forget it.”

Silence stretched between us until I whispered the same question I dreaded the repeated answer for the past two years.

“How is he?”

“He's fine.” I could hear Adrian chuckle over the phone, and a smile beamed on my face as well. “He actually asked about you today.”

“He did?” My heart skipped a beat.

“Yeah.”

I felt my anger disappear completely until he opened his mouth again. “I told him Mommy was away on an important work trip to the States, but that you'd come to visit soon.”

“And he absolutely loves his new school,” Adrian continued excitedly. “His nanny here has him completely wrapped around her finger. And the toy collection you sent… he loves them. He couldn't stop playing with them.”

Before I knew it, I was smiling again. I could picture the adorable smile on my little boy's face.

"My baby..." I whispered. "Can I talk to him now? Before you leave tomorrow. Just for a few minutes."

"He's asleep, Claudia."

My smile faded.

"Adrian, please." I kept my voice calm. "Wake him up. Tell him his mama wants to say good night. He would love that… you know he would."

“He's asleep, Claudia.”

“I just want to see him, Adrian," I pleaded, lowering myself onto the edge of the bed.

"Claudia, he has school in the morning."

"It'll only take a minute."

"He needs his rest."

Frustration rose within me. It had been three years. Three whole years since I had last held my son. Three years since Adrian had carted him off to Spain, insisting that Nick in New York would interfere with our mission.

Sometimes, I lay awake trying to remember the exact shade of his eyes. Had they stayed blue? Or were they turning green like Adrian's? Was he taller now? Had he lost his baby curls? I didn't know anymore. Adrian rarely sent photographs now, and whenever I begged to visit, there was always another excuse.

"Adrian..." My voice cracked. "I'm his mother."

He didn't answer.

"I miss my son. I miss him.”

The silence stretched so long I wondered if the call had disconnected. "Adrian?"

"Focus on the mission. We're almost there," he continued quietly. "Eleven more months, Claudia. That's all. Don't let everything we've sacrificed go to waste now."

"No.” I shook my head. "I don't want any part of it anymore."

"Claudia, not tonight, please.”

"Don't call my name. I want my son," I insisted.

Before Adrian could answer, another voice drifted faintly through his phone. “Are you coming to bed yet?”

I froze at the sound of the woman's voice, feeling the blood drain completely from my face.

"Who was that?" I asked sharply.

Adrian answered without a second of hesitation. "The nanny."

"The nanny is asking you to come to bed?" I repeated slowly, my brows knitting together.

He laughed softly. “Nick refuses to sleep unless one of us stays nearby. She was asking if I was coming to help settle him."

"...Oh." His explanation made sense, but it still felt off.

“I know this hasn't been easy," Adrian said gently.

"You don't,” I replied quietly.

"I do. But I want you to know that all of this has a timeline, and we're almost there. We'll finally have everything we've worked for," he cajoled.

I hugged my knees to my chest. "I miss you, Adrian. Without you, I'm lonely in this house.”

Adrian's soft teasing came through the speaker. "Is that why you've been so difficult lately? Because you couldn't bear to see me go?"

“Yeah.” I smiled despite myself.

"I'll be back in New York tomorrow night,” he added. “I'll see you at the gala, then I can do something about that loneliness.”

"You promise?" His assurance spread warmth through me.

“I promise."

After that, the line went dead. I stared at the dark screen of my phone for a long time.

I should have felt relieved. Adrian had promised he was coming back. So why did it feel as though he was slowly slipping through my fingers.