All Chapters of Loving You Is My Greatest Mistake : Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

 Catherine Cross's POV I sat alone in my office with Lily's drawing spread on the desk in front of me and felt something inside me crack open like a dam that had been holding back thirty years of grief. The crayon picture was simple. Childish. Three people holding hands under a smiling sun. Nathan with angel wings. Me with a smile I had not worn in decades. Lily in her purple dress connecting us both. "Dear Uncle Nathan's Mommy," the words read in uneven letters. "Thank you for letting me meet you. I am sorry you are sad. Love, Lily." My hands trembled as I traced the outline of Nathan's face. She had drawn him with kind eyes. With the gentle expression he wore when he thought no one was watching. When he let his guard down and allowed himself to be soft in a world I taught him required hardness. I remembered Nathan at Lily's age. Small. Bright. Always drawing pictures just like this one

Amelia Anderson's POVThe door to our room opened and Catherine Cross stood in the doorway looking nothing like the cold calculating woman who kidnapped us hours ago. Her eyes were red. Her makeup smudged. Her perfect composure shattered into something raw and human and completely unexpected."Pack whatever belongings you have," Catherine said. Her voice was steady but I heard exhaustion beneath it. "You and Lily will be released within the hour. I have arranged everything."I pulled Lily closer to me and stared at Catherine like she might be a hallucination brought on by stress and fear. "What?""You heard me," Catherine replied. Stepped into the room. "I negotiated terms with Agent Torres. Full immunity for both of you. Witness protection if you want it. A trust fund for Lily. In exchange, I surrender myself and provide evidence against my entire organization."My mind struggled to process the words. This was the same woman who threatened to kill us. Who wired the building with expl

Israelite's POV I watched Amelia through the observation window of the medical room and my chest ached in ways I could not explain. She sat on the examination table with her shoulders hunched and her hands folded in her lap while a trauma counselor spoke in low tones. Her face was pale. Exhausted. Beautiful in a way that made me hate myself for noticing."Mr. Israelite?" The FBI psychologist appeared at my elbow. "I need to discuss Lily's evaluation with you."I turned away from the window. "Is she okay?""Physically, yes. Remarkably resilient actually. But children process trauma differently from adults. She might seem fine now, but then experience nightmares or anxiety weeks from now. She needs stability. Routine. People she trusts are around her consistently.""She will have that," I said. "I will make sure of it."The psychologist studied me with eyes that saw too much. "You care deeply about this family."It was not a question. I did not answer it.Inside the medical room, Ameli

  Amelia's POV I woke up screaming for the third night in a row and my hands clutched at sheets that were not mine in a room I barely recognized. The nightmare was always the same. Catherine's compound. Lily crying. Gunshots. Darkness was closing in until I could not breathe. I gasped for air and reminded myself we were safe. The safe house. Protected. Alive. "Mommy?" Lily's voice came from the bed next to mine. We had been sharing a room since Arizona because neither of us could sleep alone. "Another bad dream?" "Yes baby," I managed. My voice shook. "Just another bad dream. Go back to sleep." But Lily climbed into my bed instead and curled against my side. Her small hand found mine in the darkness.  "It is okay to be scared, Mommy. The therapy lady said so. She said being scared means we survived something scary and our brains are just trying to m

  Amelia's POV I sat at the kitchen table in the safe house staring at plane tickets I had not bought yet for a trip I had not agreed to take. Switzerland. Six months. Treatment that could give me decades or give me nothing but false hope and wasted time away from my daughter. The choice felt impossible and I had forty eight hours to decide. "You look like you have not slept." The Israelite set coffee in front of me and sat down. "Have you made a decision yet?" "How do I choose between time with Lily now and potentially more time with her later?" I asked. "She just survived a kidnapping. She has nightmares. She needs stability and routine and her mother. How do I leave her for six months?" "You leave her so you can come back to her for decades," Israelite said gently. "Lily is strong. Resilient. She would rather have you gone for six months than gone forever in two years."