Chapter 0310
“Hello there, little one,” Noah murmured, his voice softer than I had heard it in years–or maybe ever. He tapped her little nose, and she wriggled and grabbed his index finger. “Aren’t you just the most beautiful thing?
As I watched Nosh with Olivia, a traitorous thought crept into my mind. Would he hold our baby like this? With such tenderness and love? And more importantly would I be there to see it?
The image of Noah cradling our child, of the three of us as a family, suddenly seemed so vivid, so real And for a moment, I found it harder to imagine denying him that chance, of never letting him meet his
own child
But no I couldn’t let myself be swayed by this momentary softness. I had to remember who Noah really was what he had done to me. I couldn’t raise my baby in a home like that. I couldn’t
Noah handed Olivia back to Lily, then glanced at me. He must have noticed something in my expression because he offered me a thin–lipped, tentative smile. But I quickly schooled my features and looked away. ignoring the pang in my chest as I did so
We entered the house, and I was immediately enveloped in a warm embrace by my mother. Her silver hair, long and straight, flashed in the sunlight as she twirled with me.
“Ör. Hannah,” she said, her voice muffled by my shoulder. “It’s so good to have you home
T’ve missed you, Mom,” I replied, hugging her tightly. She seemed a bit thinner than I remembered, which made me think about what Lily had told me, perhaps they were all tightening their belts in the wake of my father’s business ordeal, especially with a new addition to the family
When we pulled apart, there were tears shining in my mother’s blue eyes. “I take it you met your niece, she giggled
I couldn’t help but grin–and again, I wanted to tell her that she was soon to be the grandmother of not one but two little ones, but I held that urge back for now
My father was next, pulling me into a bear hug that lifted me off my feet–at least his strength hadn’t waned in the slightest. There’s my girl” he said, his deep voice rumbling in his chest
As we parted. I noticed my father’s brown eyes dart to Noah, who was standing a bit apart from our family reunion. His lips seemed to press into a thin line behind his salt and pepper beard. “Noah,” he said, extending a hand. “It’s good to see you”
Noah shook his hand femly “You too, ir Thank you for having us?
epiched her interaction closely remembering Noans words about my father’s financial troubica. Nach
then had knew about before I ever did, twed my father told him?
Something about the locks they shared made me wonder if they had been in communication as of late, which was wattippene if I was going to seek ye to get away from Noah, then needed my family
|
on y side of the
My As
“Mannat dealsy marther and downing toy work to be, you must be tired from your journey. Why don’t you go up to your old
ceste plenty of tire to catch up over dinner”
Chapter 0310
The suggestion of rest suddenly made me realize how exhausted I was. I nodded and grabbed a bag before turning on my heel.
As I turned to head upstairs, I caught sight of Noah and my father moving off to the side, their heads bent close in conversation. Noah’s words from that night a week ago echoed in my mind:
“How can you be sure that they’d be so willing to let you end a marriage with someone who could get them out of that financial hole?”
I felt a fresh wave of anger and betrayal wash over me. Even here, in my childhood home, Noah was maneuvering, using my family’s troubles to his advantage.
Bastard.
www.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0311
