All Chapters of RIGHTFULLY MINE : Chapter 41 - Chapter 45

AUSTIN’S POV “Daddy!” Jamie came barreling towards me, arms wide, yelling. His laughter filled the house as I scooped him into my arms and spun him around and I didn’t realize how much I’d missed him until he was back in my arms again.Zoe stood just behind him, watching us with a soft smile. She looked… calm. Collected. And so different from the woman who had sobbed the day Chloe vanished with Jamie. Stronger, maybe. Like she’d found a kind of quiet resolve. And I was painfully aware that Owen’s house had something to do with that.After Jamie ran off to his room with a toy he couldn’t wait to show me, Zoe followed me into the living room. There was an awkward beat of silence as we both sat down, knowing exactly why she was here but dancing around it.“So… what do you suggest?” She spoke softly.I sighed and rubbed my neck. I’d thought about this exact question so many times during my trip. I had played every possible outcome in my head and every one of them led to some version of

OWEN'S POV I wasn’t expecting her to say yes.When I asked her out yesterday I had been bracing myself for rejection—gentle, respectful but rejection all the same. There were too many complications between us. And with everything she was going through… Jamie, Austin, Chloe still out there—why would she want me in the middle of all that?But she surprised me.She met my gaze and said “Let's do it. Let’s see where it goes.”I left her door stunned, heart hammering like I’d just sprinted a mile. I’d held my feelings back for so long—pushed them down, convinced myself it was too soon, too fragile. But the moment she said yes, it felt like something real had opened up between us. A quiet door I didn’t even realize I’d been waiting to see unlocked.And now here I am.The restaurant was beautiful. One of those tucked-away places on a quiet street in the city, candlelit and private. I’d pulled every string I had to reserve it just for us tonight. I wasn’t trying to show off—I just wanted her

ZOE'S POV “Will he always be able to protect you?” Austin’s words kept replaying in my head no matter how many times I tossed and turned.I couldn’t sleep.At first, I’d wanted to dismiss it. Chalk it up to jealousy or pride, maybe even fear of losing me. But the more I thought about it… the more it unsettled me.Because he wasn’t wrong about one thing: I barely knew anything about Owen’s past.Not because I hadn’t been curious, but because… Owen never shared. Not once. Not even in passing.No childhood stories. No stories about his parents, siblings or where he grew up. When he spoke about his life, it was always in the now—his company, his work, his properties, his staff.I’d once assumed it was just him being private, maybe guarded. But now, I was starting to wonder if there was more to it.And the protection measures…I sat on the bed, lost in thought.Owen had stood by me from the moment I was attacked, to tracking Nick, to Jamie’s kidnapping. He’d always had a plan, always mov