All Chapters of Her Fiancé's Father's Obsession: Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

MaribelMy barista came back to work the following week fully recovered, and I thought that would be the end of Hudson's time at the cafe.Instead, something unexpected happened."Where's the cute guy?" Mrs. Smith asked on Monday morning when my barista handed her the vanilla latte instead of Hudson. "The one with the grey eyes?""He was just helping out temporarily," I explained, wiping down the counter. "My regular barista is back now."Mrs. Smith looked genuinely disappointed. "Oh. That's too bad. He made the best coffee."It wasn't just Mrs. Smith Over the course of that week, I heard variations of the same question at least a dozen times. The college girls who came in to study asked about him. Mr. Rodriguez grumbled that his espresso "wasn't quite right" even though my barista had made it exactly the same way she always did. Even the little girl who Hudson had given the cookie to came in with her mother and looked around, clearly searching for him."I think you accidentally hir

HudsonI was back in the cabin. Jane was tied to the chair, her pregnant belly swollen and she was crying. She kept saying my name over and over. "Hudson, please. Hudson, don't do this."But I wasn't listening. I was too consumed by rage and the twisted belief that I deserved her and that she owed me. I could hear my own venomous and cruel voice telling her she would never leave, that the baby was mine and that I would make her understand.Then the scene moved. I was watching myself from outside my body. I saw the monster I had been. I saw Jane's terrified face, the way she flinched when I moved too close and the protective way she curved her body around her unborn child.I tried to scream at myself to stop. I tried to reach out and pull that version of me away from her, but I couldn't move. I was frozen and forced to watch myself destroy the woman who had never deserved any of it.The scene changed again to the wedding day. Jane stood in the doorway, watching me with Maribel and

HudsonThe public library became my sanctuary. Between warehouse shifts and helping out at Maribel's cafe, I started spending every spare hour there. It was quiet, free, and nobody cared that I was an ex-con trying to figure out how to turn his life around.The business section was on the second floor, tucked away in a corner where natural light filtered through tall windows. I claimed the same table by the window as my regular spot, spreading out whatever books I checked out that week alongside my notebook.Today it was "Marketing Fundamentals for Small Business" and "Financial Planning Strategies." They contained dense and complicated stuff that made my brain hurt, but I was determined to understand it.I had been reading about target demographics for maybe an hour when I heard a frustrated sigh from the table next to mine.I glanced over and saw a kid sitting there. He was maybe elementary school age, surrounded by textbooks and papers. His backpack was on the floor next to him

HudsonThe public library had become my refuge in ways I hadn't expected.Between warehouse shifts and helping Maribel at the cafe, I carved out time almost every week to sit at my usual table by the window on the second floor, surrounded by textbooks and notebooks full of barely legible handwriting.Today I was working through a chapter on customer retention strategies, highlighting passages and making notes in the margins. The warehouse supervisor had mentioned they were looking for someone to help with client relations eventually, and I wanted to be ready if the opportunity came.I was so absorbed in reading that I didn't notice the group of students entering the library until I heard a familiar voice say, "There he is!"I looked up to see the kid from a few days ago. The one I had helped with fractions. He was with a group of other kids around his age, all carrying backpacks and talking in the hushed tones that libraries demanded.His face lit up when our eyes met, and something w

JaneI couldn't sleep that night. I lay next to Julius in our bed, staring at the ceiling while my mind raced through every possible scenario. I still couldn't bring myself to believe Hudson was free. He had been free for weeks, and I hadn't known.Julius's breathing was steady beside me, but I knew he wasn't sleeping either. I could feel the tension radiating from his body and the way his hand rested protectively on my hip even in the darkness."Are you okay?" He asked quietly, confirming my suspicion that he was awake."I don't know," I admitted, my voice coming out smaller than I thought it would. "I keep trying to figure out how I'm supposed to feel about this."Julius shifted, pulling me closer against his chest. "You're allowed to feel however you feel, Jane. There's no right or wrong way to process this."But that was the problem. I didn't know what I felt. I felt fear, yes. That was there. The old terror lived in my bones from the cabin when I was tied up and helpless while p