Chapter 7: Oh, what fuckery!

~Elara~

Before midday, I'd gone to the house and packed every little thing I thought we needed. By the time I got back to the house in the middle of nowhere, Rhys was waiting by the exit with car keys in his hand.

I should have asked more questions, but Lily tugged on my hand and looked up at me with those big brown eyes.

"Mommy, I'm hungry."

My heart melted the way it always did when she needed me. I pushed my suspicions aside and let Rhys lead us to the car.

I buckled Lily into the backseat and climbed in beside her. I wasn't ready to sit up front with Rhys.

He didn't comment on my choice. He just started the engine and began to drive.

"There's food in the bag by your feet," he said, glancing at us through the rearview mirror. "Sandwiches and juice. I didn't know what she liked so I got a few options."

Lily's face lit up. She dove for the bag before I could stop her, pulling out a wrapped sandwich and examining it with serious concentration.

"Turkey," she whooped. "No tomatoes?"

"No tomatoes," Rhys confirmed.

She beamed at him through the mirror. "That's my favorite. How did you know?"

"Lucky guess."

I was a little bit uncomfortable with their exchange. Lily didn't warm up to strangers. She was shy and cautious, always hiding behind my legs when new people approached her. But she was smiling at Rhys like she had known him her whole life.

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked.

"North. A few hours from here." He merged onto the highway. "My family has a property in the mountains.The people there can help your daughter."

"What people? Doctors? Specialists?"

He cocked his head like he was considering the best way to answer my question. "Something like that."

I wanted to push harder and demand specifics, like names, credentials. But Lily was eating her sandwich and humming softly, and the sound was so normal that I couldn't bring myself to shatter the moment.

The first hour passed in relative silence. Lily finished her food and started playing with the stuffed rabbit she had somehow kept through the crash. I watched the trees blur past the window and tried not to think about how far we were getting from everything I knew.

"What's her name?" Rhys's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I met his eyes in the mirror. "What?"

"Your daughter. Her name. You never told me."

"Lily." I glanced at her, making sure she was distracted. "Her name is Lily."

A little smile crossed his features and I couldn't help but think of how much he resembled Kaelan. "That's beautiful."

"Thank you." The words came out stiff. I didn't want to accept compliments from him. I didn't want to feel the warmth that spread through my chest when he looked at my daughter with genuine kindness.

"She looks like you," he said quietly. "Same eyes. Same stubborn chin."

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. "Her chin is definitely stubborn. She gets that from me."

"I can tell."

Our eyes met in the mirror again.A moment of connection that made my breath catch passed between us. I looked away quickly, my cheeks flushing.

This was dangerous. He looked like Kaelan. He could be lying about everything. I couldn't afford to soften toward him just because he bought my daughter a sandwich.

"Mommy." Lily's voice interrupted my spiraling thoughts. "Are we going on an adventure?"

I forced a smile. "Something like that, baby."

"Like in the stories? With castles and magic?"

"Maybe. We'll see."

She grinned, her whole face lighting up with excitement. "I hope there's magic. I want to see real magic."

The second hour brought more conversation. Lily peppered Rhys with questions that he answered with patience. What's your favorite color? Do you have any pets? Can you whistle really loud?

Blue. No pets but he liked dogs. Yes, but only when necessary.

Lily giggled at that last answer. The sound filled the car like sunshine breaking through clouds. I found myself relaxing despite my better judgment.

Then something happened that made me reverse my relaxation.

One second the highway was empty. The next, there was an animal directly in our path.

Rhys moved quickly. His hand shot to the wheel and he swerved, missing the deer by inches. The whole motion took maybe half a second. His reflexes were impossibly fast, faster than any human should be able to react.

But that wasn't even what scared me.

It was his eyes. For just a moment, his eyes had turned gold. The same gold I had seen in Lily's eyes.

I blinked and it was gone. His eyes were normal again. He straightened the car and continued driving like nothing had happened.

"Sorry about that." He apologised, his voice too calm. "Deers are unpredictable this time of year."

I couldn't speak. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.

I imagined it. I must have imagined it. It must be the stress of the crash, the lack of sleep, and my fear for Lily. My mind was playing tricks on me.

I pushed the observation aside. I needed to believe Rhys could help Lily. I couldn't afford to question him now.

"Look, Mommy!" Lily pressed her face against the window. "Mountains!"

I turned to look. She was right. The landscape had changed while I wasn't paying attention. Flat farmland had given way to rolling hills, which were now transforming into proper mountains. Trees grew thick and dark on either side of the road.

"Almost there," Rhys said.

He turned off the highway onto a smaller road. Then another. Then another. Each one narrower than the last, winding deeper into the forest. The GPS on the dashboard had stopped working miles ago.

Finally, we reached a large black iron gate. The bars were thick and tall, designed to keep people out. Or maybe to keep something in.

Rhys rolled down his window and pressed his hand against a small panel I hadn't noticed. The gate swung open silently.

"Welcome to Thornwood," he said.

It felt like someone shoved the air out of me.

Thornwood…

I knew that name. The lawyers who had threatened me, the letterhead had said Thornwood & Associates.

Before I could say anything, the house came into view.

No. Not a house. It was a mansion out of a dark fairy tale.

Walls rose three stories high, covered in ivy that crept toward the roof like grasping fingers. Windows shone in the morning light, dozens of them, watching us approach. The front doors were large wooden things that looked like they could withstand a siege.

It was beautiful and terrifying all at the same time.

Rhys parked the car and turned to face me. I could see the four cardinal points whirring in his head

"Are you okay?" He asked.

No, I'm not. Of course I'm not.

“Uhmm,” I stammered, “I'm sorry but I think it'd be best if I went back. Lily doesn't have to get healed here.”

Rhys’s brows furrowed as he looked at me with confusion. “But why? We're already here and –”

The front doors opened, cutting his speech off.

A man walked out and my whole body went rigid.

He looked like Rhys. The same face, the same features, the same unspeakable beauty. But where Rhys was warmth and concern, this man was cold, distant and cruel.

Oh, what fuckery!

I knew him.

I knew him in my bones, in my blood, in every nightmare I had suffered for five years.

Kaelan.

The man who had left me pregnant and alone. The man who had denied our daughter. The man who had threatened to destroy me if I ever spoke his name again.

He was standing twenty feet away, staring at me with recognition dawning in his eyes.

And I had just delivered his daughter directly to his doorstep.