Chapter 190
Ethan had carried Aiden to another room to calm him down.
Luckily, the boy had finally fallen asleep, his little breaths steadying after the storm of tears.
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Mia sat alone in the quiet, her body curled into itself as if she could shrink into nothing. She wrapped her arms around her knees, pressing her forehead against them, letting the tears fall without trying to stop them this time.
They streamed hot and unending, sliding down her cheeks, dampening her shirt.
She felt horrible–truly horrible–about the way she had reacted.
The moment she saw Aiden’s face, red and wet from crying, she had wanted to reach for him, to hold him, to be the safe place he always ran
- to. But she didn’t.
She had frozen. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe. Her mind had been somewhere else–dragged back to a time and a
name she thought she had buried deep enough never to face again.
She had failed him in that moment. Her own son.
The guilt was heavy, crushing.
Her heart twisted painfully at the memory of his voice–his small, trembling voice–calling for her, while she just sat there like she wasn’t
even in her own body.
He had been worried, scared, and she hadn’t been able to be his comfort. She had been too busy drowning in her own panic.
And all because of a name.
Just one man’s name was enough to rip her apart, enough to shatter the fragile pieces she had been holding together for so long.
God… she really thought she was moving forward. She had been telling herself over and over that she was healing, that maybe–just maybe -things could finally work out for her. That she and Aiden could have a fresh start here. That the past wouldn’t follow her.
But here she was. Back at square one. No–worse. Set back ten thousand times.
She dragged the back of her hand across her cheeks, but the tears kept coming. Her chest felt tight, almost sore from how hard she was holding in the sobs that wanted to break free. The silence in the room only made it worse. It gave her nowhere to hide from the storm inside
her.
She couldn’t stay here.
That thought was sharp, cutting through the chaos in her mind like a blade.
Alex cannot see her.
Alex cannot see Aiden.
The very idea sent a fresh wave of panic through her, curling in her stomach like something poisonous.
Lily had been right.
God, Lily had been so right.
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Chapter 190
She thought the chances were small. She thought she could blend in, disappear among millions of strangers.
But how was she supposed to know Alex Blackwell was here?
Not just here–but owning a freaking empire here?
Her mind was spinning. She could see his face in her head, as clear as if he was standing right in front of her. That cold, unreadable expression he wore like a mask. The sharpness in his eyes, the weight of his presence…how it had always been too much for her to handle.
She could almost hear his voice, smooth and cutting, saying her name like it belonged to him.
Her hands trembled. She gripped her own arms tighter, as if she could keep herself from coming apart completely.
What was he even doing here?
Wasn’t he supposed to be in Willowcrest? That was his world, his territory.
She had been careful to build her life far away from there. She had thought that distance would be enough to keep them safe.
But now…
Now it felt like he was right outside her door.
Her mind jumped to Aiden… She couldn’t let him get anywhere near Alex. She couldn’t risk it.
Alex will draw in Charles Blackwell, she doesn’t want her son to have anything to do with that monster.
She needed to leave.
That decision settled inside her. It was the only way. They had to go back.
She pushed herself to her feet, her legs shaky, her body heavy from the weight of everything.
Her breath caught in her throat, and for a second, she just stood there, gripping the edge of the couch like it could hold her together.
Then she moved.
She went straight to the closet and pulled out their suitcases.
Her tears blurred her vision as she started pulling clothes from hangers, tossing them onto the bed in messy piles. She didn’t care about folding. She didn’t care about order. She just needed to get everything in the bag.
Her hands kept moving, but her mind wouldn’t stop racing. Every shirt, every pair of jeans, every little pair of socks she stuffed into the suitcase felt like proof of how unstable their lives are.
She swiped at her cheeks again, but it was useless. The tears kept falling.
She told herself she couldn’t break down. Not now. She had to be quick, she had to think, she had to move.
But as she shoved another handful of clothes into the suitcase, her knees gave out. She sank onto the bed, the fabric of Aiden’s little hoodie clutched in her hands.
She pressed it to her face, inhaling the faint scent of him, his soap, and the innocence she was desperate to protect.
Her chest ached so badly it felt physical.
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Chapter 190
She stayed like that for a moment, hunched over on the bed, tears soaking into the soft fabric, before she forced herself to straighten up.
She had no idea where they were going yet. She just knew they couldn’t stay here.
Her hands kept moving. Packing.
Even as the tears kept running down her face.
She’s leaving, she can’t stay here.
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