All Chapters of His Terms, My Surrender: Unfinished Surrender: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter One

Sofia’s POV“Martha Clarissa Rodriguez Vargas,if you’re not dressed in the next five seconds, I swear—”A giggle bounced down the hallway before I could finish my very empty threat.“I can’t find my other sock!” she shouted from her bedroom, which, judging by the sound of her thumping feet and the screech of a drawer, now looked like a war zone.“You had both socks ten minutes ago!” I snapped, already halfway up the stairs with her packed lunch in one hand and her school blazer in the other. “Don’t make me come in there.”“You won’t,” she singsonged.The cheek in that tone. It was always the accent that got me—that crisp, British lilt that made everything sound smarter and sassier than it had any right to be. Like raising a mini royal gremlin with too much attitude and not enough fear.I threw open her door.She was standing dead in the middle of the room in her underwear, one sock on, the other nowhere in sight, hair still wild from sleep, and eyes twinkling with mischief.“Seriously

Last Updated : 2025-11-26

Chapter Two

While I drove Martha to school, my hands were on the wheel, my eyes on the road—but my mind was far away.That text.You think the story is over?It looped in my head like a broken record. My chest felt tight. My fingers gripped the steering wheel too hard. Who sent it? Why now? After all this time…“Mummy!”Martha’s scream ripped through the car just as I snapped back to reality—and slammed the brakes.The screech of tires, the loud honk from the car I’d nearly hit, and the rush of blood in my ears all hit at once. My heart thundered.We’d almost crashed.I turned to Martha.Her eyes were wide, her face pale, hands clutching the seatbelt across her chest.“I’m sorry,” I breathed. “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.”I reached for her hand.She didn’t say anything at first. Just stared at me like she wasn’t sure if I was still here or still lost in whatever world I’d slipped into.“You scared me,” she whispered.I nodded, swallowing hard. “I know. That was my fault. I wasn’t paying attention.

Last Updated : 2025-11-26

Chapter Three

Time passed.The soft hum of the radio, the quiet scratch of brushes, the distant sounds of traffic outside—it all blurred together as the hours slipped by.By the time I checked the clock again, it was 3:00 p.m.Time to pick up Martha.I looked down at the canvas in front of me. Swirls of color, soft edges, blurred lines. But no meaning. No story. Just noise.I’d been painting for hours, but nothing made sense. My mind had been elsewhere the whole time.With a quiet sigh, I set the brush down and stepped back.“Lily,” I called gently.She poked her head out from the back room, a roll of paper towels in one hand and blue paint streaked across her arm. “Yeah?”“You can close up early today. I’m heading out to pick up Martha.”Her brow lifted, but she just nodded. “Sure thing. Want me to lock up?”“Please. Thank you.”“No problem. See you tomorrow?”I nodded and offered a faint smile. “Yeah. Tomorrow.”I slipped off my apron, grabbed my bag, and made my way out the door. The cool aftern

Last Updated : 2025-11-26

Chapter Four

Martha peeked from behind me, her eyes wide—then suddenly lit up like the stars had dropped into her lap.“Daddy!!!”Before I could stop her, she darted out from behind me and ran straight into his arms.Theo dropped to one knee, catching her easily, his arms wrapping around her small frame like he’d been waiting a lifetime for this. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips, but his eyes—those dark, unreadable eyes—never left mine.“Hey, sweetheart,” he said softly, his voice low and soothing, like a whisper meant only for her.I stood frozen.Everything inside me was screaming.The last thing I ever expected was for him to walk back into our lives—especially like this. Unannounced. Calm. Sitting in my living room like he had every right to be here.Like five years hadn’t passed.Like he hadn’t watched our daughter grow up from a screen.Martha, glowing, held his face in her hands like he was a miracle.“You look just like in the calls!” she beamed. “Mummy, look—it’s really Da

Last Updated : 2025-11-26

Chapter Five

Theo leaned back slightly on the couch, stretching one arm along the backrest like he owned the place.No guilt. No shame. Just calm, smug confidence.“I’ve missed you too Sofia,” he said with a slow smile.I stared at him, unmoved. “Fifty seconds.”He chuckled—actually chuckled—like this was some game. “Relax, Sofia. You act like I broke into your house.”“You did,” I snapped. “You showed up uninvited. You sat here like you belonged. Like you didn’t ruin everything.”He tilted his head, eyes steady on mine. “I knocked. Your door was open. That’s not my fault, is it?”I clenched my fists. “Why are you here, Theo?”He stood slowly, rising to full height, his presence as overwhelming as ever. That old arrogance rolled off him like smoke.His voice dropped, smooth and maddening. “I came to see my daughter.”I folded my arms, trying to keep my voice steady. “She’s been perfectly fine without you.”Theo’s smirk softened, his tone losing some of its sharpness. He looked almost… resigned.“

Last Updated : 2025-11-26

Chapter Six

The day had gotten darker—clouds hanging low like a warning, and the wind tapping gently against the windowpanes. I lit the kitchen light and glanced down at the steaming dishes on the table. Baked mac and cheese, fried chicken, buttery corn on the cob. Comfort food. The kind Martha loved. The kind I made when I needed the illusion of control.I plated everything with silent efficiency, my hands moving faster than my thoughts, trying to outrun the unease still lodged in my chest. The sound of soft giggles and footsteps echoed from upstairs.I wiped my hands on a towel, stepped into the hallway, and called up the stairs.“Martha! Dinner’s ready!”There was a beat of silence, then, “Coming! Daddy, let’s go!”A few seconds later, I heard them on the stairs—Martha skipping the last two steps, barefoot and energetic. Theo followed behind, his expression unreadable as he entered the dining room, scanning the space like it was a memory being pieced back together.We all sat.Martha climbed i

Last Updated : 2025-12-25

Chapter Seven

It was Wednesday morning, and I was up before the sun.The house was still. Quiet. Even the birds outside hadn’t started singing yet.I had a buyer coming to the studio—an important one. The kind that could move five paintings in one afternoon and triple this month’s income. My stomach twisted with nerves, but I ignored it. I had no room for failure. Not today.I padded downstairs, made coffee, and set out Martha’s cereal and fruit like muscle memory. Then I headed back up and nudged her door open.“Martha,” I whispered, brushing hair from her cheek. “Up, love. Big day.”She groaned dramatically, rolling over and pulling the blanket over her head. “Too early.”“Come on. We talked about this. Mummy has someone coming to the studio this morning.”She peeked out with one eye, pout already forming. “Can Daddy take me to school?”I froze.“No,” I said quickly—too quickly. “He’s not.”“Why not?”“Because I said so, Martha.”The sharpness in my voice surprised even me. She blinked, her littl

Last Updated : 2025-12-25

Chapter Eight

Evening came, and it was time to pick up Martha.Arzhel had left a little earlier. Since he came by the studio, I figured he probably went to get his son too—even if school hadn’t finished yet.When I got to Martha’s school, the usual noise of children playing had already faded. Most of the parents had picked up their kids.But when I reached her classroom—Martha wasn’t there.I froze.She was always here. Always waiting by the door, swinging her bag, smiling when she saw me.I looked at her teacher, heart starting to race. “Where’s Martha?”The teacher smiled politely. “Oh—her father came to pick her up.”My blood ran cold.“What?” I asked, voice sharp. “Who?”“Her dad,” she repeated, clearly confused by my reaction. “He said you’d arranged it.”I shook my head. “No. I didn’t.”Her smile faded. “He… he said he was her father. He knew her name. She was happy to see him.”My heart started pounding, panic rising like a wave I couldn’t stop.No one picks up Martha but me.No one.I grab

Last Updated : 2025-12-25

Chapter Nine

I climbed the stairs on heavy legs, my vision blurred with tears. Every step felt like a struggle not to fall apart. When I reached my bedroom, I shut the door behind me and turned the lock with shaking fingers.Click.It was a soft sound, but it felt like a scream inside my chest.I leaned against the door, breath catching, and slid down to the floor until my knees met my chest. And then the tears came—hot and furious, as if they’d been waiting for too long, as if my body had been holding them in since the moment I saw that empty classroom.I buried my face in my arms and sobbed.It didn’t matter how many years had passed.It didn’t matter how many walls I’d built, how many layers I’d wrapped around myself to keep him out.One mistake—one act of Theo stepping back into our lives without permission—and suddenly, I was that girl again.The girl who had been dragged into hell.And I remembered it all.The door had flown open with a crash, shaking the very bones of the house. The air fel

Last Updated : 2025-12-25

Chapter Ten

It was around 5 p.m. already, the light from the streetlamps mixing with the fading glow of the sun as it streamed softly through the window. I blinked away the last of my tears and straightened my back.I still had dinner plans with Arzhel.It felt almost surreal to think about—normalcy, after everything that had just happened. But maybe I needed that. Maybe I needed something else to exist in this world besides grief and rage and the shadows of a past I could never fully outrun.I moved on autopilot, walking over to the wardrobe and pulling out the yellow sunflower-print dress I hadn’t worn in months. It had thin straps, a soft cinch at the waist, and a flowing skirt that made me feel like summer hadn’t abandoned me completely.I laid it on the bed, then walked to the mirror.My eyes were still puffy, but I dabbed some concealer under them, added a light bronzer, a hint of color on my lips. My short hair curled gently around my jawline; I tucked one side behind my ear and sprayed a

Last Updated : 2025-12-25

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