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

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.

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

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

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

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