Chapter 24:
The little girl’s hand was so small and delicate in mine, her fragile fingers barely curling around my own as we walked side by side through the dimly lit streets. Her tiny legs struggled to keep up with my pace, but she didn’t complain, only glancing up at me with wide, unblinking eyes.
Earlier, when I bought her a warm meal from a food stall, she had devoured it hungrily, as though she hadn’t eaten in days. Each bite she took sent a sharp pang through my chest, twisting something deep inside me that I had tried so hard to keep buried.
Who in their right mind would abandon a child like this, leaving her to fend for herself on the streets?!
After she finished eating, she wiped her mouth with the back of her tiny hand before turning to me with an expression so pure, so heartbreakingly innocent, that I felt my breath catch in my throat
Then, without warning, she spoke.X
“Can you be my mommy?”
Everything around me stilled.
The world, the passing cars, the distant murmur of voices–all of it faded into the background as her words crashed into me.X
I could only stare at her, my vision blurring as an unbearable tightness coiled in my chest, squeezing my ribs like an iron vice. She didn’t understand what she had just done.X
She didn’t understand that those simple words had unraveled the last fragile threads of control I had left, shattering the walls I had desperately built around my heart.
She didn’t understand that what she had just asked for was the p real daughter
one thing I had prayed for every single night
ht since the moment I lost my
My Amara.
And yet, despite the agony clawing its way through me, despite the knowledge that this wasn’t my child, that she could never replace what I had lost, I found myself unable to say no.
I didn’t want to say no.
“Y–yes.”
The little girl’s entire face lit up with a smile so radiant, so filled with joy and relief, that it nearly destroyed me. She didn’t hesitate before wrapping her small arms around my waist, clinging to me as though she had found something–someone–she had been searching for all her life &
And maybe, in a way, she had X
But what neither of us realized in that mornent was that this fleeting sense of peace, this fragile illusion of happiness, was nothing more than a carefully laid trap, waiting for the perfect moment to close around me.
I brought her back with me.
Back to the house where Darius had taken me after everything fell apart.
The moment I stepped inside, I felt the weight of his presence before I even saw him.
Then-
“Where the fuck were you?”
I turned my head sharply, and there he was, standing near the fireplace, his broad shoulders rigid with tension, his dark eyes burning into mine X
Lexhaled slowly, keeping my expression neutral. “I went out.“11
Darius let out a sharp, humorless laugh, his jaw clenching as he took a step forward. “No shit, Valeria. You disappeared for hours, ignored my calls, and now you just waltz back in here like nothing happened?”
I didn’t respond.
Because I wasn’t alone!!
His gaze flickered slightly before finally landing on the small girl standing beside me.
Instantly, his entire body went ngid
His eyes darkened, sharp and assessing, as he took another step closer, his voice quieter now but no less intense.)
I hesitated for only a moment before answering
“Her name is Amara“).
Silence fell between us, thick and suffocating
Darius inhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face as if trying to hold back whatever storm was brewing inside him ♬
“Jesus Christ, Valeria he muttered under his breath, his tone laced with frustration. “Do you even realize what the hell you’re doing night now?
“Yes,” I replied, my voice firm i
His dark gaze met mine, searching, before he let out a slow, measured breath “No, you don’t. Because if you did, you wouldn’t have brought a random child into this house without knowing who the hell she really is.”
327 PM &
I squared my shoulders. “She’s homeless, Darius.”
“And you don’t find that fucking suspicious?‘ he shot back, his voice like a waming!
My jaw tightened. “What exactly are you trying to say?“)
His expression hardened, his tone lowering. “She was used to send you a message, wasn’t she? A girl that looks like your daughter. appearing out of nowhere, delivering a threat to you? You don’t think that’s a little too convenient?”
“How did you know ‘bout the threat?”
“I just know.”
I faltered, my stomach twisting uncomfortably.
Because, deep down, I knew he was right
It was suspicious.
But it didn’t change the fact that she was just a child…
A child who had no one. A child who needed me.
And God help me, but I needed her just as much!!
Danus exhaled heavily, his gaze locked onto mine, his voice quieter now, “I know you want to protect her. I know what this is doing to you But Valeria..” He ran a hand through his dark hair, frustration evident in every movement. “You’re walking straight into something .dangerous, and you don’t even see it.“)
looked away, swallowing against the lump in my throat!
Not now.
Not when everything inside me was already crumbling.
“I need time,” I whispered.
Darius stilled. “What?“2
I lifted my gaze, meeting his
“I need time,” I repeated, my voice steadier now. “Away from you!
For the first time since I had known him, I saw Darius Kingsley freeze.
Something flickered across his face–something raw, almost vulnerable–but it was gone in an instant, replaced by the cold, unreadable mask he always wore.
“What?”
“I need to heal on my own.” My voice didn’t waver, but my hands trembled slightly at my sides. “I can’t do that if you’re always there, controlling every part of my life.”
His jaw clenched. “I’m protecting you.”
“I know,” I murmured. “And I’m grateful for that. But this… this isn’t your fight anymore.”
His dark eyes burned into mine.”
