Chapter 398
Madison
“Well, it doesn’t matter now. What’s done is done.” I said finally. “Go home, Mr. Knight. Go back to New York, to Katherine, and to your empire. I’m in love with Christopher. You’re wasting your time here.”
Alexander’s expression went carefully blank, that mask he wore during hostile negotiations. “Are you?”
“Am I what?”
“In love with Christopher.” He studied my face. “Really in love with him?”
I lifted my chin. “Yes.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.” He moved closer still. “You’re lying about Christopher, Madison. Why?”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “I’m not lying. We’re together. It’s serious.”
“How serious? Marriage serious? Moving in together serious?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“It is if you’re using him as a shield.” Alexander’s voice dropped. “If you’re pretending to be with someone just to keep me away.”
“I’m not pretending.”
“Then introduce us. Let me meet your boyfriend properly.” His eyes challenged me. “Unless you can’t because he doesn’t actually exist the way you claim he does.”
My hands clenched at my sides. “Stop it.”
“Stop what? Asking questions? Demanding the truth?” He was close enough now that I could smell his cologne, that familiar scent that still made my pulse race. “You owe me answers.”
“I don’t owe you anything.”
“You owe me the chance to know my son.” His voice cracked slightly. “You owe me an explanation for why you thought keeping him secret was the right choice.”
Tears pricked at my eyes. I blinked them back furiously. “You want to know why? Because you chose Katherine. Because I was just an arrangement to you. Because I couldn’t watch you build a life with someone else while carrying your child.”
The words spilled out before I could stop them.
Alexander went still. “You were never just an arrangement.”
“That’s all I ever was. An employee who warmed your bed when convenient.”
“No.” He shook his head. “That’s not-”
“Yes.” I stepped back, needing distance. “I left because staying would have destroyed me. Because watching you with her while pregnant with your baby would have broken me completely. So I made a choice. I chose to protect
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myself and my son.”
“Our son,” Alexander corrected quietly.
The words hit like a physical blow.
“Don’t,” I whispered. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Claim him now.” My voice shook. “You don’t get to waltz in and play father just because you finally figured it out.
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“I want to meet him.”
“No.”
“Madison-”
“No.” I shook my head. “You don’t get that right. Not yet. Maybe not ever.”
His expression hardened. “I have every right to meet my son.”
“Do you? After years of absence? After choosing Katherine over us? What would you even say to him? How would you explain where you’ve been?”
“I’d figure it out.”
“That’s not good enough. Ethan deserves better than your ‘figuring it out.“” My throat tightened. “He deserves a father who’s there because he wants to be, not because he feels obligated.”
“You think that’s what this is? Obligation?”
“I don’t know what this is. But I know I won’t let you disrupt his life on a whim.”
“This isn’t a whim. He’s my
son.”
“He’s my son,” I shot back. “You’re just DNA.”
The words hung brutal and sharp between us.
Alexander flinched. “That’s not fair.”
“Life rarely is.” I turned away. “I need to go.”
“Wait.” His hand caught my arm, gentle but insistent. “I understand you’re angry. You have every right to be. But don’t shut me out completely.”
“What do you want from me?” I asked, not looking at him.
“A chance. Just one chance to make this right.” His thumb brushed against my skin. “I know I don’t deserve it. But Ethan does. He deserves to know his father.” (2
I pulled my arm free from his grip, the touch burning hotter than it should. “No.”
“Madison-”
“No,” I repeated, sharper this time. “You don’t get to meet him.”
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‘He’s my son
“He’s my son. You’re just the sperm donor who happened to show up too late.”
The words were cruel, designed to hurt. They landed exactly as intended. I watched Alexander flinch, watched pain flash across his face before he locked it away behind that CEO mask.
“That’s not fair.”
“You want to talk about fait? Was it fair when you got engaged to Katherine without telling me? Was it fair when you ignored my existence? Was it fair that I spent nine months throwing up every morning while wondering how I’d pay for diapers?”
“You didn’t reach out after I left. You didn’t call. You didn’t check if I was okay. You just moved on with your perfect engagement and your billion–dollar empire like I never existed.”
Alexander moved closer, closing the distance I’d created. “You’re right. I should have contacted you. Should have asked why you left so suddenly. Should have done a lot of things differently.”
“Great. Wonderful acknowledgment. Gold star for self–awareness. But that doesn’t mean you get to meet Ethan.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s happy and stable, and I won’t let you disrupt his life just because you suddenly decided to care.”
“I’ve always cared-”
“Bullshit.” The word came out sharp enough to cut. “If you cared, you would have found me years ago. You’re Alexander Knight. You have resources most people can’t even imagine. You could have tracked me down in a week if you actually wanted to.”
He had no response to that.
“I need more time,” I said, softer now. “Time to process this. Time to figure out how to explain you to Ethan without completely upending his world.”
“How long?”
“I don’t know. A few days. A week. Maybe longer.”
Alexander’s expression hardened. “I’ve already missed five years. I’m not waiting indefinitely.”
“Then I guess we’re at an impasse.”
We stared at each other, neither willing to back down. The park stretched around us, oblivious to our standoff. A jogger passed. A dog barked in the distance. Normal life continued while mine fell apart.
“I bought him a gift,” Alexander said suddenly.
The words caught me off guard. “What?”
“A gift. For Ethan. I had it delivered to my hotel this morning.”
“You bought my son a gift? Without asking me first?”
“Our son,” he corrected. “And yes. I wanted to give him something. Show him I’m thinking about him.”
