Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Unwanted Wife and Her Secret Twins: Kabanata 331 - Kabanata 340

Mia's POVKyle's eyes went red-rimmed, but he didn't look away. He dragged his hand across his face once, roughly, like he was angry at his own reaction.I could see him rebuilding his walls even as we sat there, even as tears still clung to his lashes. "Kyle.""My father was barely present when I was growing up." His voice steadied, taking on that businesslike tone I knew meant he was compartmentalizing. "I managed fine. Better than fine.""This isn't about your father.""You said Ethan figured it out. Smart kids adapt. They find ways to make sense of things."I wiped my nose on my sleeve, tasting the salt that had dripped to my lips. "He shouldn't have to make sense of this.""No." Kyle's voice dropped. "He shouldn't."For a moment, something shifted in his expression—softer, more vulnerable—before he caught himself."He asked me once," I said quietly, "if some daddies just disappear. Alexander was building something with blocks and Ethan just—he looked up at me and asked that. Like

Kyle's POVThe cigarette burned between my fingers. Everything the doctors had told me about preserving what remained of my failing lungs was gone. I stood on the narrow balcony attached to my private room, watching the smoke dissipate into the cold night air above Manhattan. Each drag felt like swallowing broken glass, but the familiar burn grounded me in a way that all their medications couldn't.The city stretched below me, a grid of illuminated windows where millions of people were living their uncomplicated lives. Eating dinner. Watching television. Tucking their children into bed without wondering if they'd be alive to see them wake up.I pressed my free hand against the metal railing, feeling the cold seep through my palm.Three floors below, I could see the emergency room entrance where ambulances arrived with their cargo of broken humanity. The red and blue lights painted shadows against the hospital's concrete facade, a light show of crisis and intervention. I'd been brought

Kyle's POVThomas stared at me for a long moment, shock, anger, and something that might have been pity. The pity was the worst part."Jesus Christ, Kyle." Thomas ran his hands through his hair.I took another drag from my cigarette, tasting blood at the back of my throat. The nicotine wasn't helping anymore, wasn't providing the chemical calm it once had. Everything tasted like copper pennies and medical antiseptic now."I'm stating a fact." I said, my voice carrying the rasp.Thomas's hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Don't.""Don't what? Tell the truth?" I flicked ash onto the sidewalk between us, watching it scatter in the wind. "You swooped in the moment I disappeared. How long did you wait, Thomas? A week? A month? Or were you already circling before I left?"The streetlight cast harsh shadows across Thomas's face, highlighting the tension in his jaw. He was bigger than me now. The kind of man who could lift Mia effortlessly, who could throw a football with Alexander in t

KyleThe elevator ride to the fourth floor was a masterclass in uncomfortable silence. Mia stood as far from me as possible in the small space, her arms crossed, her attention focused on the numbers counting upward. I could smell her shampoo—something floral and clean that reminded me of the early days of our marriage when everything had seemed possible."Jesus, Kyle." Mia's voice was barely above a whisper. "What were you thinking?""I wasn't.""That's been your problem from the beginning."The elevator chimed softly as we reached her floor. Mia led the way down a hallway.She stopped, keys jingling softly as she unlocked the door. "Take your shoes off," she whispered as we entered the apartment. "And be quiet. Madison's still adjusting, and loud noises make her anxious."I slipped off my shoes, feeling the give of carpet under my feet, breathing in air that smelled like home—coffee, children's shampoo, the lingering scent of whatever they'd had for dinner.The apartment was dark ex

Mia's POVI sat across from Kyle in my kitchen.Kyle's hands were resting on the table between us, and I could see the fine tremor that ran through his fingers. The IV site on his arm had begun to bruise more deeply, a purple-black mark."Mia," he started, but I held up my hand."Wait." I pushed back from the table, my chair scraping softly against the kitchen floor. "I need to check on them."I pushed the door open just enough to slip inside, breathing in the familiar scent of bubble bath and the faint mustiness that seemed to cling to all children's bedrooms. Both boys were asleep in their twin beds, Alexander on his stomach with one arm hanging off the mattress, Ethan curled into a tight ball with his favorite stuffed elephant clutched against his chest.In the soft light from the hallway, they looked impossibly young. I knelt beside Alexander's bed, brushing a strand of dark hair away from his forehead. His face was peaceful in sleep. I pressed my lips gently to Alexander's templ