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CHAPTER HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN
Last Updated:
2025-10-22 14:49:29
Latest chapter
The Fathers of My Child? CHAPTER HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOUR
#Dorothy’s POV#I drink a full glass of cold water but it doesn’t help. My chest still feels like it’s holding something I don’t know how to name. It's not grief, or longing. It's not even confusion. It's… everything. The kitchen is quiet. I place the glass back on the counter, press both palms into the marble. My body’s tired but my mind is running laps. I try to stand still and just breathe, but even that feels like a task.I turn toward the back entrance, and that’s when I hear a voice.It's muffled whispering.I freeze.It's the brunette maid, the one with the tight bun and baby voice. She’s near the pantry door, holding a phone to her ear. Her back is turned to me, but I catch a glimpse of her body language. She's nervous, fidgety.“Hello?” I say.She spins around, clearly startled, phone tumbling from her hand. Her eyes go wide, then her mouth forms into an innocent smile.“Madam. I… I was just…”She doesn't finish. Just picks up her phone and hurries past me toward the back do
The Fathers of My Child? CHAPTER HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THREE
#Joel’s POV#I didn't know I could feel relief and guilt this deep in the same breath. Not until last night.The nurse had come in, saw the clumps of hair on the floor and Dorothy's tired eyes, and asked, very carefully, if I could let her rest. But Dorothy shook her head, mumbled that I could stay. She didn’t even look at me when she said it, but she said it, and that was enough. I just nodded. No big movements or dramatics. I stayed… for her.Sat by her side and watched her chest rise and fall for what felt like hours.They offered to clean up my hands, to bandage them properly, to help with the bruises from punching the sink. I said I was fine. I wasn’t, but I didn’t care.I left that room early this morning, got my hands tended to properly by one of the attending nurses, took some painkillers, brushed my teeth, then looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize myself.And then I came back to her.She was still asleep. Hair gone. Head smooth, soft-looking, fragile.She didn’t know I w
The Fathers of My Child? CHAPTER HUNDRED AND THIRTY-TWO
#Dorothy’s POV#The rain hasn’t stopped.And for some reason… I can’t stop thinking about him.Joel.I hate that I am.I’ve had a whole week to breathe, to just let my body be without the noise of pain and betrayal and timelines and expectations. Dr. Malik gave me the clear for quiet recovery. Nurse Lira only checked in when necessary. No calls from Rico. No messages from Cass. Joel kept his distance like I asked.And I’ve healed.A little.But the worst part is… the more I’ve healed, the more I’ve missed him.Not the him from last month. Not the him from year one. Not the cruel, cold, untouchable man who stood over me like a statue and called it support.No. I’ve been missing the man I think I only saw in pieces. The Joel who said my name like it mattered. The one who held me when I was breaking down at three in the morning. The one who kissed my shoulder and stayed awake while I fell asleep.But he’s never been consistent. Or sure. Or kind long enough for me to believe it wasn’t a l
The Fathers of My Child? CHAPTER HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE
#Joel’s POV#The rain hasn’t stopped since the message started playing.I don’t know if it started before, or if it began right when his voice did, but now I can’t tell what’s louder; Rico’s voicemail or the water crashing down like it’s trying to beat me into repentance.I’m still sitting on the edge of the bathtub when the final seconds of the message play. His voice is slurred and tired.“You treated her like a debt to be paid off… not like a human being. And you want to win now? For what? For who? You had her in your house, your bed, your name… and you crushed her. You’re worse than me, Joel. And that’s saying a lot.”My skin prickles all over. I finally move; my shaking hands grab the towel and the bathrobe I threw earlier. I wrap it around myself and stagger to my feet, stepping into the dim hallway toward my room. My wet feet slap against the cold tiles. The storm outside lashes against the windows like it’s trying to warn me not to walk further. Like it wants me to sit back do
The Fathers of My Child? CHAPTER HUNDRED AND THIRTY
#Rico’s POV#The crunch of my knuckles against brick echoes louder than the shitty bass from the speaker beside me. I drag my fist back from the backstage wall and stare at the blood blooming across my hand like ink in water.Another failed pitch. Another rejection. Another patronizing, “We’ll get back to you when the market’s more stable,” from a man who didn’t even let me finish my fucking proposal.I lean forward, both hands pressed to the wall now, breathing hard.This was supposed to be the last one. The last shot. The last glimmer of anything remotely resembling progress. And now… I can’t even afford my rent in two weeks. And Paulina’s gone. Her money’s gone. The bar tabs? All mine now. My bank app hates me. I hate me.I pull my phone from my back pocket, swipe it open, and press call on the only number that matters.Xavier picks up on the fourth ring.“Bro, I’m inking right now,” he says, background buzzing with tattoo needles and some customer’s moaning. “Make it fast.”“You e
The Fathers of My Child? CHAPTER HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE
#Joel’s POV#The numbers aren’t adding up again. And this is already the fourth sheet I’ve stared at in the last two hours.I rub the side of my face, squint at the projected ROI, and type something quick into my laptop. My back hurts from sitting like this too long, hunched in the corner of my home office upstairs. But I don’t want to go downstairs. I don’t want to see anyone. I just want this damn spreadsheet to tell me something positive for once. Something hopeful. But no… red. All red. Again.My phone buzzes once, then again. It’s the nurse. The one I paid off to keep me quietly updated on Dorothy.I answer and lean back in my chair. “Yeah?”“Sir Joel,” she says quickly. “I only have a minute before my supervisor walks back in.”“Okay. Go ahead.”“She’s doing fine, from what I’ve seen. Recovery’s slow, of course, but… she took a walk outside the clinic yesterday. She looked better than usual.”I sit up. “Outside? Where?”She hesitates. “I… I don’t know. I tried not to make it obv
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