Hiding The Billionaire's Son After Divorce のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 31 - チャプター 40

Valeria's POV We sat there sipping our drinks and talking about nothing in particular. My father asked Elliot about school, about his friends, about what he liked to do for fun. Elliot answered enthusiastically, telling him all about his best friend Marcus who lived next door and how they liked to build forts in the backyard."We made one last month that was so tall I could stand up straight inside!" Elliot gushed in excitement.My father smiled, a real smile that reached his eyes. "Is that so? What did you use to build it?""A couple of useful but harmless stuff like old blankets and some chairs from Marcus's garage. We pretended to be explorers.” "That sounds like quite an adventure," my father chuckled, leaning back in his chair."It was! Marcus brought his binoculars and we watched for birds and rodents."I watched them, my chest swelling with joy. My father seemed so relaxed, for the first time in so long. He didn't get many chances to just kick back like this. There were times

Valeria's POV Earlier, I noticed that mom hadn't joined us at the table, which was odd, and when I'd asked him about it, he was unresponsive. I asked a second time and he snapped at me.Even as young as I was back then, I'd known something was horribly wrong. It was obvious from the way he held my shoulders, and couldn't bear to look me in the eyes."Valeria," he'd started softly. "I need to talk to you about Mommy."I tilted my head, urging him to go on."She's not coming back, sweetheart. She... she decided she wasn't happy with her life here with us. So she left."The words hadn't made sense. Just last night, mommy had brushed my hair tenderly and sang me to sleep with a lullaby that was about how much she loved me."You're lying!" I'd screamed as the weight of his words finally sank in. "You're a liar! Mommy wouldn't leave me! She loves me!""Valeria—" The helplessness in his eyes was what triggered my anxiety."No!" I had run through the hallway to her room and the kitchen whil

Valeria's POV This was planned. Calculated. Someone had gone to great lengths to make sure they couldn't be traced, which meant they were serious about whatever they were threatening to do.The panic I'd been trying to hold at bay came crashing over me like a wave.I couldn't breathe. The room felt too small, the walls closing in. My vision blurred and I realized I was crying, hot tears streaming down my face.Get it together, Valeria. You can't fall apart. Not now.But I couldn't stop the fear from taking hold, couldn't stop my mind from racing through every terrible possibility.Someone wanted to destroy me. Someone was watching me, tracking my movements, waiting for the right moment to strike. And I had no idea who they were or what they were capable of.All I knew was that I had something precious to lose now. Elliot. My son, sleeping peacefully in his room, completely unaware that someone was threatening his mother.I thought about what my father had said earlier, about how I wa

Luka's POV I ran across the sidewalk, nearly colliding with a man walking his dog. “Sorry, sorry,” I apologized to the man, who muttered profanities under his breath.My speed in crossing the sidewalk didn’t waver. What kept me going was recalling her face, her walk. Everything about her screamed Isis, except for one detail. Her hair was bright red instead of the dark brown I remembered. But hair color could be changed. Besides that, everything else was exactly the same, down to the dress she was wearing, which looked like something Isis would have picked out.I finally burst through the doors of the shop, panting like bulldogs were chasing me.The place was bigger than it looked from the outside, with rows upon rows of clothing racks.Customers were browsing through the sections, and sales assistants were helping people try on clothes, but I couldn’t see her anywhere. Two shop assistants immediately descended on me with bright smiles plastered on their faces. “Good afternoon, sir

Valeria's POVWe'd been in New York for weeks now. I was starting to realize we might be stuck here for a long time. The custody case could take months. Maybe even a year. Lillian told me that even if I won, the court probably wouldn't take away all of Luka's rights, not unless he was actually dangerous to Elliot.That meant he'd get visitation rights at least. I knew Luka as a stubborn man. He'd never let me take Elliot back to Auckland. He'd fight tooth and nail to keep us here in New York so he could see his son whenever he wanted. If I tried to run away with Elliot, I'd be breaking the court order. I could get in serious trouble and maybe even go to jail.So we were staying. I hated it but that was the truth.I couldn't keep Elliot at home all the time. That wasn't fair. He needed to go to school, he needed friends. It wasn't healthy to coop him up at home indefinitely. Back in Auckland, he'd been thriving at his school, making friends, participating in activities. I couldn't let