Five Years On The Run: The Billionaire's Secret Baby のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 111 - チャプター 120

ColetteI told Oliver to handle whoever had sent that text because I knew him well enough to know that he already had a plan forming and I wanted him to execute it without hesitation and without worrying about what I was doing."I know you," I said on the phone while Lea was in the other room drawing pictures with markers. "And I know that you know something about who's behind this. You have twenty four hours to handle it and I don't want to hear about it until it's done."He didn't argue because he understood what I was asking. He understood that I needed him to be the one who fixed this so I could spend time with the children and pretend that the world wasn't falling apart around us."Twenty four hours," he said. "I can do that."I hung up and I turned my attention entirely to Lea and Elijah who were very energetic and completely oblivious to what was happening in the adult world around them. They didn't know about threats or photos or rival businessmen or any of it. They just knew

ColetteThe children engineered the sleepover without me even realizing it was happening until Oliver mentioned it casually on a Thursday afternoon.Apparently Elijah and Lea had been plotting with his mother Renée who had extended her stay in the city longer than she'd originally planned and who had developed a slightly terrifying bond with Lea that Colette found both touching and alarming. The two of them had decided that both apartments should be empty on Friday evening which meant Oliver and I could do something that didn't involve children or logistics or anyone interrupting us."Your mother is in on this?" I asked when Oliver told me."Completely," he said. "She told me this morning that I was being ridiculous about taking things slowly and that I should stop wasting time."I laughed because Renée was exactly the kind of person who would say something like that and mean it completely without apology.So Friday evening came and I was standing in my apartment looking at the dress

ColetteI woke up in his arms and it was the most peaceful sleep I had ever had.My body was warm and his arm was still around me and everything felt right in a way that nothing had felt right before. There was no panic. There was no running through all the ways this could fall apart. There was just me and Oliver and the morning light coming through my bedroom window and the absolute knowledge that I was exactly where I wanted to be.Weirdly enough we were both normal when he woke up.He opened his eyes and looked at me and asked very casually if I was good, making a bit of reference to the sex we'd had the night before with a slight smile that made it clear he wasn't being crude. He was just checking in and making sure I wasn't tired out or hurt or regretting anything that had happened between us."I'm good," I said and I meant it completely.He got out of bed and went to make coffee while I showered and we moved around my apartment easily like everything was okay which it was. Th

ColetteI waited for the phone to ring while I lay in bed staring at the ceiling and counting the hours until morning came. I waited for a text that never arrived. I waited for some kind of gesture that would show me he understood what he'd done wrong but nothing came and the silence was almost worse than the anger had been.Lea went to school from Oliver's house that morning and I called her early before she left for work to tell her that I loved her and that I would see her after school. I didn't bring her home with me the night before because I didn't want to exhibit anger in front of my daughter even though every part of me wanted to bring her home and hold her and make sure she understood that what had happened wasn't normal.So I went to work and all through the working hours Oliver never called.The silence stretched from morning into afternoon and I didn't know if that pisses me off more than what really happened or if it was all part of the same disappointment. I started t

ColetteThe school visit happened on a Saturday and we brought both children with us which was Lea's condition for cooperating at all.She'd been excited about the idea of a new school when Oliver first mentioned it but in the days since our fight she'd gotten quieter about it like she was picking up on the tension between us and wasn't sure what to think anymore.So when we told her we were going to visit the school together as a family she lit up again and insisted that Elijah come too even though he didn't particularly care one way or the other.The drive over was filled with Lea's chatter about all the things she hoped the new school would have. A bigger library and a playground with monkey bars and a garden where they could plant things. Oliver listened patiently and answered her questions and I watched him do it and felt something warm move through my chest.He was trying so hard to be a good father. To be present and engaged and to really listen to his children in a way that h