All Chapters of Ex and Son Beg, But I Never Turn Back: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Willow's POVSighing inwardly, I couldn’t help but think what a small world it was. Luigi stood in front of me, his brows furrowed. He was handsome as ever, in dress pants and a fitted shirt rolled up at the elbows. A butterfly twirled in my stomach as I gazed into his eyes. All around us, people walked by and cars zoomed past, but for a moment, it was like he and I were the only two people in the world.But then the scene from the restaurant that night came back to me. In my mind’s eye, I saw Luigi violently hurting that man. I’d run away instead of calling the police. Was that man okay?Running into Luigi like this again was making me feel unsettled.Of all the people I could have run into on this street, it just happened to be Luigi?Honestly, I didn’t think I’d ever see him again. And certainly not again this soon.“Carl, are you okay?” Luigi asked, noticing the boy’s pale face. He knelt down in front of the boy.“There was an accident, over there,” I explained. “I think it…it ratt

Willow's Pov“That space was perfect. But the price tag? Good God! For that price I’d expect the walls to be made of gold!” Adonis shook his head as we stepped out of yet another building.The street was flooded with people, some on the lunch breaks from work, others just perusing the many storefronts, shopping bags in hand. It was one of the busiest streets in the city, full of trendy bars and high-end stores.We’d spent the majority of the morning touring potential storefronts for my new business. I really had my heart set on something in the commercial district, since there was so much foot traffic there.Apparently though, the storefronts there came with a cost that I couldn’t even wrap my mind around. And anything within our budget needed so many renovations – renovations that I couldn’t currently afford.Adonis put his hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side. “Okay, honey, I know you dreamed of having your store somewhere in this district. And I say this with love – but

Willow's PovLuigi’s luxurious mansion towered before, far more extravagant and imposing than anything I’d ever seen, including Logan’s house. A nervous shiver ran down my spine, but I approached the huge front door and rang the bell.Moments later, the door swung open and I came face to face with a short, stern-looking man. He introduced himself as Mr. Samson, Luigi’s butler and showed me inside.“I will inform Mr. Hernandez of your arrival,” he said to me. Then he left me alone in the giant foyer. While I waited, my eyes fell on an expansive wine cabinet, full of famous wines. Because Logan was in the wine business, I knew a thing or two about wine, but the labels and vintages on the bottles were clearly of a much higher quality that the wines Logan’s company distributed. The collection was very impressive and I felt myself drawn to the cabinet. I was studying the label of an especially expensive-looking merlot when I heard a voice interrupt me from behind.“Hello, Willow.”Turning

Willow's PovI stared at the little girl in the photo, dumbfounded by the resemblance between the girl in the photo and Zoe.‘It could just be a coincidence,’ I thought to myself. A lot of children look similar to each other. Besides, I’d only seen Zoe a couple of times. I barely knew her.But something nagged at me. The facial features were so alike, the hair color, the freckles across the bridge of her nose. Was this really just a coincidence? Or was my mind playing tricks on me?Instinctively, I picked up the picture and wiped it off with my sleeve to clear the spots on the glass. She looked SO much like Zoe. But if this WAS Zoe, what was she doing in a picture frame in Luigi’s sitting room?That didn’t make any sense.Not knowing what to think, I found myself lost in thoughts. That is…until the strong, fresh scent of soap enveloped me from behind.Luigi had appeared out of nowhere, wearing only a bathrobe, tied loosely in the front. Quickly, I placed the picture back on the table,

Willow's POVCarl and I were sitting in his playroom, a colorful, delightful room decorated with animal stencils and soft plushies that reminded me of Leo. One wall of the room was lined with board games, and I’d carefully gone through each one until Carl had finally nodded at a deck of UNO cards.Sitting criss-cross apple sauce on the floor, we took turns putting down our cards. I couldn’t help but notice Carl’s careful hesitation though each time it was his turn. He’d furrow his little brows and study the cards splayed out in his hand. Occasionally, he’d withdraw a card, pause, and then put it back in his hand again.While he was hesitating, I discreetly counted the cards left in my hand and his. Having one less card than him meant that I would win if I played my cards out. Carl put down a red 8 and then stared down at his cards.I had a blue 8, and two more blue cards. I could end the game right then and there. But instead, shaking my head, I told him:“I can’t go.”Then I watched a