Alle Kapitel von FATED TO A TYRANT: Kapitel 81 – Kapitel 90

Gallahan’s POVNot a single response came out from my lips as I found myself unable to weave a coherent response. I couldn’t even manage a proper reaction.I just went lax on the bed with my blank eyes glued to the pristine white ceiling.Meanwhile, William kept his mouth shut as well in an odd act of compassion, leaving me alone to dwell in my racing thoughts. Because damn it all!I had bollocksed things up again.I had messed up. Again.I did something to jeopardize my place in my family’s life.I let my emotions win and gave the monstrous side of me the leave to take charge and let fucking loose.Maybe Willa was partially right to see me as a cruel man.Fuck.Thoughts of how the twins might look at me after what I did were fleeting in the forefront of my mind, and a harsh pang of pain struck my right at my chest. It was so painful that I had to take a sharp and shuddering breath to ease it.“Hey, Wick?” William called cautiously from his comfortable perch on the armchair.I slowly

WILLA’S POVThe room seemed to stand still as the weight of my words hung heavily in the air. Complete silence cloaked everybody, and it was as if no one could even dare to breathe.But my heartbeat was loud. It pounded so boomingly that I could hear it within my ears and feel it reverberate in my chest.“I, I…” I stammered stupidly when the quietness of the room became too much to bear. My mouth had gone as dry as a dessert, and my throat was quickly closing up.Gallahan looked at me as if he was seeing me in a new light.Whatever kind of light it was, I wasn’t too sure due to the wave of panic that was slowly but surely consuming me. The only thing I was sure of, though, was the palpable shock written so clearly on his face.Finally, he took it upon himself to speak, saving me from having to say anything myself.“You cannot have chosen a much more wrong time for this.”His words made my blood feel cold in my veins, and yet I felt impossibly warmed by the fresh hot wave of embarrassm

GALLAHAN’S POVI counted it as a win that Willa neither chased me away nor blew her fuse and nagged my ears off.After all, I had broken a promise and disappointed our kids.BIG. TIME.And that was a line that should never be crossed. Hurting Calisto and Gillian—whether intentional or not, physical or otherwise—was something Willa would cut my head and balls for.Being a good father was a non-negotiable. Willa had also made it abundantly clear that our kids would always come first and foremost.It was something I agreed with. Wholeheartedly.Besides, my guilt and remorse wouldn’t reverse the damage I had done. I could only imagine the crash after the twins’ high when they realized I wouldn’t be able to keep my promise.Even then, I clung to hope that my battered state would court me some sympathy and the reason behind my delay would earn me understanding and forgiveness.So knowing the thin ice I was standing on, I let the silence loom around us as Willa tended to my injuries. I sat s

WILLA’S POV“That’s not true,” I refuted emphatically with a shake of my head. “That’s not true at all.”Gallahan let out a humorless laugh. It was short-lived but it rang heavily with the kind of bitterness that left my own mouth dry.“Please, Willa. Let’s not lie to ourselves. It’s pretty clear to me that my past, my history, and my flaws have always loomed over us. Like a guillotine ready to chop my head off. One wrong move. One failure. Then I’m out. It’s all over for me. The words I heard from you tonight just proved that you have been waiting for me to give you a reason to cut me off.”“No,” I denied, my vehemence making my voice loud and sharp. “It’s not like that, Gallahan! Do you think so little of me?”“Willa…” Gallahan sighed, running his fingers through his mussed-up hair. “It’s not because I think so little of you. And perhaps it’s really not true. But you’ve made me feel that way. Tonight more than ever.”I tried to swallow the growing lump in my throat, but it stubbornl

WILLA’S POVMy heart weighed heavily in my chest as I listened with horror, pain and anger to a story that had completely changed the trajectory of Gallahan’s life.He ended the tale with the assurance that he was no longer as vengeful and as angry as he once was, but he also told us that to completely forgive humans for what they had done was not on the table at the moment.I didn’t say anything about it. No objection. No comment. Nothing.After all, I had come to terms with the fact that Gallahan had dealt with his pain and trauma in his own way and that I couldn’t force what path of healing he should take. It was his road to choose and his journey to make. My role was to offer him strength and light if he needed it.The stubborn heaviness I felt stayed the same way even after we had managed to lull the twins back to sleep and tuck them back into bed. They still chose to sleep in my room, leaving me and Gallahan the option to sleep beside them or to retire to the spare room in the h