My Daughter Called Another Woman Mommy のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

KEONA“I heard you got married.”I look away, my fingers tightening around the stem of the wineglass.For a second, I forget how to breathe. I force a small smile, hoping it looks convincing, “yeah, I did.”“How long ago.”“Six years.”Something in my expression must give me away because his smile slowly fades; “that long?” I nod, taking another sip of wine even though I can no longer taste it. There are so many things I could say. That six years can feel like a lifetime when you’re married to someone who never really wanted you.That I spent those six years convincing mostly that things would eventually change. That I’m finally learning to accept they never will.Hardin is in love with his childhood sweetheart. End of story.But instead of saying all those things, I just shrug. “It’s complicated.”Thane watches me carefully. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”After a moment, he says quietly; “okay.”He doesn’t push, and deep down, I appreciate that. I turn towards the wate

HARDINI’ve never cracked under pressure. Pressure is nothing more than a test of control, and I’ve never been the kind of man who loses his.I was seventeen the first time I led a board meeting filled with the movers and shakers of Manhattan and New York’s hospitality industry. Father entrusted Cromwell Holding’s biggest deal to my hands, and asked me not to come home if I failed to close it.Of course I had no option but to bring the deal home. Even then, I never cracked. Not even for a second. I have spoken in a room full of men and women who would not hesitate to butcher me if I even dared to breathe wrong. But even then, I never broke a sweat.I trained myself long ago to keep my emotions on a tight leash. Emotion is poison. Given enough of it, it can get you killed.So why, then, does the sight of another man touching my wife make me want to forget every lesson I’ve painstakingly ingrained in myself over the years?What is this inexplicable urge to storm across the room and dra

KEONAIt takes a full five seconds for my brain to stop running in circles before I realize Hardin is doing that thing again. That thing where he tries to intimidate me into submission.Feeling a surge of irritation rising in my chest, I ignore him completely, keeping my entire attention fixed on Cora. I can feel his annoyance rolling off him in waves, spreading through the room like a dark cloud.Hardin hates being ignored almost as much as he hates losing control. Which is funny, considering he’s had no problem ignoring my feelings for the past six years. It’s about time I gave him a taste of his own medicine.“What’s going on here?” A soft breathy voice suddenly asks. I look up from my daughter to find Sophia plastered against Hardin’s side, her right arm firmly tucked into the crook of his arm. Oh, and he makes absolutely zero attempts to push her away. Before I even get the chance to decide how I feel about their closeness, someone’s body heat presses into my back.And judgin

KEONAThe silence inside the car is almost unbearable. Cora sits beside me in the back seat, her small body curled against my side. Sophia is on her other side, while I stare through the darkened window, watching Manhattan blur past in streaks of light. The smoky darkness in my mind is yet to fade. It keeps replaying that moment, Keona’s voice echoing in my brain like a haunted chorus.I’ll be leaving with Thane. It wasn’t just the fact that she visibly chose another man over us. It was the certainty in her voice. The way she looked me in the eyes and said “no.”She said no to me. “No” has officially become my most hated word in the English dictionary, especially when it comes from the woman I call my wife.My wife, who used to follow me without question. The woman who never refused me anything. But tonight, she did.She chose another man over us. Over me. Cora shifts against me; “daddy?”I claw my way out of the bottomless pit of my thoughts and look down at my daughter.Her l

KEONAA part of my brain recognizes that I’m in big trouble, that I should probably climb out of Hardin’s lap before my alcohol-induced mind forces me to do something I’d regret. Like grinding my throbbing pussy against his juicy dick print. Or licking the happy trail that disappears into the waistband of his slacks. I try to back away, but my brain is too fuzzy. My arms are weak. And the exhaustion that weighed me down earlier suddenly returns tenfold, making my bones feel heavier than usual.My gaze drops to Hardin’s chest, then lingers on the tantalizing cord of muscle standing out along his bicep.But I force myself to look away.I’m far too tired to start thinking about why being this close to him still affects me.So instead, I curl into him, resting my head against his chest and letting my drooping eyes finally fall shut.“Five minutes,” the sleepy mumble falls from my lips. “Please hold me for five minutes.”A second later, I feel Hardin’s fingers slip into my hair, gently