LOST IN THE BILLIONAIRE'S SCANDAL のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

“You really did scare me" Adam said, staring at me with so much focus from the other end of the counter.I looked up, surprised at the softness of his voice. His hair glowed in the late-afternoon sunlight. "No, not at all," I said, smiling and shaking my head. "Thank you. I didn't think you were actually going to get the ice cream and I really appreciate it but if I'mgoing to take it, you'llhave to have some too."“Nah… I bout it for you. You can have all if it.”I lifted an eyebrow. "You did not buy it for Sami but Lee and Sami are having it." I nodded toward the kids on the lawn below us, vanilla melting in blue plastic bowls. “Why then can't you have mine?”Adam laughed quietly, that rare, easy sound I've come to crave. "Good argument.".The sun danced in and out of the trees as Sami and Lee built another teetering block castle. Their laughter drifted up to us, birdlike in its innocence. I breathed slowly, tasting chocolate on my tongue."Sami's more responsive now," Adam said qui

Adam's POVI didn’t think I would feel this torn.When Sami said those words—two simple, fragile words—I lost something in me. Or maybe I found something. I don’t even know anymore. But I knew right then I wasn’t going anywhere."Let's go back inside," I said to them, my voice barely above a whisper, thick and cracking. They all hesitated, even Maya. Especially Maya. But I couldn’t look at her just yet. I just needed a second.Sami was still wrapped in my arms, his little body trembling, worn out from all the crying. I lowered myself onto the couch with him, still holding him, my hands cradling him like he might break if I let go. And maybe I would too.The moment they were all inside, silence dropped over the room like a heavy blanket. I felt it, pressing down on me, making it harder to breathe."I don't know what to do," I whispered to no one, my lips brushing the crown of Sami's head. The tears came quietly. They weren’t dramatic or loud. Just steady. I didn’t even realize I was cr

Adam's POV The sun penetrated the tall windows, tracing golden stripes across the breakfast table. I sat in silence, its warmth having little effect on the heavy chill settled deep within my chest. My coffee remained cold, unmoved. Across from me, Sami poked at his toast with a cautious fork, as though he was tasting something new. Maya encouraged him with a low, gentle monotone, one so different from the one I'd built for us.I watched him, my son, this little human who once had burst into my arms unguarded. Now, even looking at me seemed to take effort.After breakfast, the scraunch of my chair against the marble was too loud. I stood up slowly, hands moist despite the serenity I tried to project."Sami," I said to him, very quiet, soft. "Do you want to take a walk with me? Just a little one, around the garden."He froze. Juice glass hovering in mid-air, halfway to his mouth, eyes wide and perplexed. He looked over at Maya, and something in my chest tugged tight at how he looked f

The kettle was just starting to sing when someone knocked on the entrance door.I blinked, half-dazed, the spoon in my hand suspended mid-air. I wasn't expecting any visitor, nobody even knew I lived here. It was already seven o'clock, who visits people that late? The children were sleeping upstairs, and the stillness in the house was sacred.One part of me was afraid as I switched off the stove and moved silently towards the door, tightening the sash on my robe.When I opened it, I almost forgot how to breathe as a result if whom I saw. "Adam?" My voice shattered on his name. He was standing there, weary from travel, eyes dark with something feral. His box stood lazily behind him, his jacket rumpled, hair uncombed. He looked as though he'd had no sleep, as though he'd just stepped off the plane, he looked a total mess. “What are you doing here?” You're supposed to be gone for a week and today is just…”His gaze found mine. "Shhhh," he whispered, voice low and pleading. "Someone w

The initial thing I noticed that morning was the absence of warmth beside me. Adam had slept in my room but he was gone. I reached over instinctively, hand brushing against chill sheets. No surprise… this has been the pattern lately. Early mornings, sunrise calls, messages buzzing on silent as I lay awake and watched shadows creep up walls. And we also didn't want the kids to see us in the same bed so…I cautiously sat up, brushing sleep from my eyes. A gentle sigh escaped my mouth, one that I hadn't even known I was holding. Part of me relaxed in relief. I had space to breathe, to gather myself but a part of me also ached.Downstairs, the house sprang to life with morning sounds of cereal clattering into bowls, spoons scraping against glassware, and muffled giggles drifting from the kitchen.I had been following the scent of freshly made coffee down stairs. It was blended with something else, his cologne. It was faint, almost invincible but it was present. Lee's toys were scattered a