Chapter 10
Edmond Robinson had spent the last three days at the amusement park with Blanche and Finn.
Roller coasters plunging through the air, carousel music looping endlessly, the deafening clang of arcade machines- every noise hammered at his temples until they throbbed with pain.
“Daddy! Hurry up!”
Finn yanked on his wrist with all his might, the other hand pointing excitedly at the towering roller coaster. “I want to go on that next! And the limited-edition mech toy at the gate-you have to buy it for me!”
Edmond felt his headache spike. Blanche had said Finn would be traumatized after the kidnapping, that he’d need comfort and reassurance. Edmond had cleared his entire schedule to be here for him.
But looking at this hyperactive little maniac, he couldn’t see even a hint of trauma. If anything, Finn had the energy of a
caffeinated squirrel.
“Finn, we’ve been here for three days. It’s time to go home.”
He gently pried his hand from the boy’s death grip, his voice weary. Besides… he had something important to do once he
returned.
Divorce Blanche.
For the past few nights, every time Edmond closed his eyes, he saw Amelia’s face the day he walked out of that hospital
room. That shattered, gutted look-like something inside her had died.
It haunted him. Back then, when Blanche had turned up pregnant, he had hesitated.
She’d knelt on the ground, clinging to his legs, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.
“Mr. Robinson, the doctor said if I lose this baby, I may never be able to have children again. I don’t want anything from
you-just let me keep the baby. I’ll disappear. I’ll never show up between you and Miss Austin again!”
At the time, he and Amelia had been struggling to conceive. He’d caved-just a moment of weakness. But then Blanche started pushing.
First, it was: “The baby can’t grow up undocumented.”
Then: “Finn needs a father figure to grow up healthy.”
Before he knew it, she had wormed her way into his home, his schedule, and his legal records-until even a bogus marriage license had been signed.
Now Finn was about to start school. And this charade? It needed to end.
He needed to go back to Amelia and spend the rest of his life making it right.
“Ed, just one more ride on the carousel?” Blanche pleaded with a sugary tone, tugging Finn along beside her. “He said he didn’t get enough time on it.”
Chapter 10
“No more,” Edmond said, voice turning cold. “We’re going. I have business to handle.”
Blanche’s smile froze for a second. A flicker of resentment passed behind her eyes, but she said nothing and obediently began wheeling Finn toward the exit.
“All right, all right. We’ll come again next time.”
The moment the car left the amusement park, Edmond couldn’t stop checking his phone.
He’d messaged Amelia repeatedly over the past few days, but every one had disappeared into a void. When he tapped “send” again, a red exclamation point flashed across the screen.
His heart dropped. Amelia had always loved him-too much. Back then, she’d get teary if he was even ten minutes late coming home. She would never block him.
A chill crept up his spine. Suddenly uneasy, he slammed his foot on the gas.
The moment they pulled up to the villa, Blanche and Finn got out. She rose onto her tiptoes, angling for a goodbye kiss.
“Edmond… tonight-”
“I have work to do,” he cut her off, turning his face away. “Take care of Finn.”
There was no warmth in his voice. Blanche’s expression flickered with fury, but she quickly plastered on her signature
understanding smile.
“Of course, honey. Go handle your business. Finn and I will be right here waiting.”
But the moment Edmond’s car disappeared down the street, her expression collapsed. She yanked a cigarette from her
purse and lit it with shaking fingers. The red glow flickered against the warped fury on her face.
“Fucking Amelia Austin,” she hissed, dragging hard. “She’s scheming to win him back, I know it.”
With another deep drag, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number. When the call connected, her voice instantly
transformed into honeyed sweetness.
“Sweetheart… come over. He’s not staying here tonight~”
Chapter 10
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