Semua Bab RECKLESS DESIRES: THE ODEN LEGACY : Bab 61 - Bab 70

The suffocating stillness that filled the Oden mansion was like that which comes before the storm — thick, stifling, and full of tension. Stacy's departure had left an unseen blemish across the opulent mansion. The corridors where she had sped like a ghost were now vacant, eerily silent, but the hushed whispers and sidelong glances spoke of her presence.Amiriam stood in the stylish foyer, arms crossed stiffly over her chest, and observed the front gates close behind the black SUV which had borne Stacy away. The somber color of the vehicle concealed the figure within — Stacy's small but rounded belly unmistakable on the passenger seat.Rita and Christiana had approached her, their countenance pale but resolute."It's over," Rita breathed, breaking the silence.Amiriam smiled, but the tight knot in her stomach continued to refuse to relax. "For now," she said. "But there's something more. I feel it."Christiana's forehead creased. "What do you mean?"Amiriam could not get an answer out

The morning was cool with the scent of fresh dew, a quiet that covered the estate before the world was awake. Amiriam was at the community center she had started two years ago—a public center with lines of benches and wooden tables under a roof angled off. A line of children waited in front of the reading nook, holding frayed books, their eyes eager. She rolled up the sleeves of her simple linen blouse, catching the glint of light sheen on the perspiration on her forehead. Tomorrow was packed—lesson preparation, food distribution, a local fundraiser to organize—and she had no time to spare. Which was why Luke Oden's arrival was so. troublesome. She saw him out of the corner of her eye—dark blue jeans, rolled-up sleeves, backpack slung over his shoulder. He approached slowly, almost tentatively, like a guest trying to determine if he was welcome. "Morning," he said, giving a tentative smile. Amiriam didn't look up at her clipboard. "You're early." "You said volunteers arrive

The smell of rain swept the wind through the Oden estate that morning, thick with the kind of tension that came before a storm. The mansion was still, too still, until the knock at the front door, staccato and sharp, echoed through the marble halls like a gunshot.Mrs. Oden's gaze rose from where she was seated in the drawing room, eyebrows squeezed. A maid opened the door, and Stacy stepped inside—hair immaculate, belly swollen with child, eyes shadowed but calculating.She had not been seen in months.She said without introduction, "I must speak with Jackson Oden."Mrs. Oden rose to her feet slowly, hands smoothing her ivory blouse. "You have the audacity to barge in here uninvited?"Stacy's lips twisted in a bitter smile. "I would not be here if it was not important. It is about the baby."Mrs. Oden folded her arms. "The child you claimed was Luke's, then vanished?"Stacy's jaw tightened. "I made errors. But this is not about me. The baby—my daughter—has a rare condition. Doctors s

"You knew, didn't you?"Amiriam's voice sliced into the quiet of early morning like a scalpel.Luke spun at the sound of her voice, standing rigid beside the garden archway of the community center. The light of dawn cast a golden glow upon his face, but it could not ease the chill between them."DON'T," she snapped, striding toward him. "You knew the results, Luke. And you said nothing."He had turned away, jaw clenched. "I picked them up yesterday. It wasn't. I didn't know how to tell you.""You didn't know how to say 'I'm not the father'?" Her laughter had been acidic. "That's not a tongue-twister, exactly."There was a silence of a beat before he went on. "I didn't want you to think I was saying it to win you back.""So rather, you stayed quiet and let me learn through Rita sending me a rumor headline?" Her arms folded across her chest as her voice dropped into a tremble. "You let the media offer the closure you owed me."In the center, James drew alongside Christiana, little finge

"Rita, would you tell him I'm not here?" Amiriam growled, gazing through the peephole. Luke stood on the other side of the door with a bouquet of white gardenias and what seemed to be a leather-bound journal clutched in his hand.Rita, seated cross-legged on the couch with a half-eaten bowl of popcorn, rolled her eyes. "You’ve told him you’re not interested like, three times. The man's got the persistence of a stray cat that’s been fed once."Amiriam paced. "I don’t know what he expects. A romantic reconciliation montage? Flowers aren’t therapy. A six-year-old with a hand-drawn card isn’t accountable."Knocking. Again. Slightly louder this time."Amiriam, please," Luke whispered. "Just five minutes. I promise not to ask for more."She sighed. "Okay. Fine. Five minutes. Only because I'm not going to keep hiding behind curtains like a cartoon villain."Rita grumbled, "About damn time," and muted the TV as Amiriam opened the door.Luke looked. sorry. Not pretending. Gardenias shook in hi