Chapter 12
ALICIA
I didn’t know how long I held Jeff.
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His small arms were wrapped tightly around my back, his cheek pressed against my stomach. When I looked down and saw the softness in his eyes–those eyes that looked so much like Damien’s–I couldn’t help myself. I just let go. Of everything. My pain. My past. My hatred for Diana.
In that moment, Jeff wasn’t Diana’s son. He was just… a little boy who wanted to be loved.
A tear slipped out before I could stop it. And then another. My throat tightened as my thoughts spiraled― what if my baby had lived? What if I hadn’t been locked away like a rabid dog? Would he or she have been this gentle? This open?
Would I have held my child like this?
The sound of a car door opening jolted me. I turned immediately, and there was Damien, standing beside the open passenger door, a look of surprise etched on his face. His brows furrowed slightly as his gaze met mine, catching the wetness still clinging to my lashes.
“Cia,” he said slowly, “what happened?”
For a split second, I panicked. But then I drew in a breath, blinked the tears away, and offered him the most practiced smile I could summon.
“Oh, nothing,” I said, shaking my head. “Jeff just reminded me of a child I used to know… back when I was much younger. Sweet boy. He made me very emotional, that’s all.”
Damien didn’t look fully convinced, but he didn’t push either. His eyes lingered on me for a second longer than necessary before he turned his attention to Jeff.
“You okay, buddy?”
Jeff nodded eagerly. “I’m fine, Daddy. Miss Jones was just playing with me.”
I swallowed.
“Why are you back so early?” I asked, changing the subject as quickly as I could. “I thought your meeting would take longer.”
Damien shrugged, walking around to the driver’s side. “I’ve got my ways. Besides, I didn’t want to keep Jeff waiting. He deserves some time with me.”
I smiled, but a little piece of me winced.
This was what he had that I didn’t–a living, breathing child to come home to. My womb had been robbed of that blessing, while Diana got to raise a son and still smile in public like nothing happened. The unfairness of it burned, but I buried the flame deep down where it couldn’t escape.
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Chapter 12
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“Jeff,” I said softly, turning to him, “have you had breakfast yet?”
He shook his head. “No. Mommy was on the phone and forgot.”
I clenched my fingers slightly. Forgot?
Damien sighed. “We’ll fix that. Let’s go grab breakfast together.”
I raised my brows.
Breakfast? With Damien?
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It was such a simple offer, so casual, yet it hit me like a secret thrill. This wasn’t an office brunch or a planned business breakfast–it was spontaneous. Something about that made it feel… happy.
I slipped into the passenger seat as Jeff climbed into the back. Damien drove.
He took us to a well–known Italian place just outside the business district. The kind of place that served thick, fluffy pancakes and brewed their own coffee in ceramic kettles that looked older than my childhood.
When the waiter came, Damien ordered his favorite without even glancing at the menu. I ordered something light, but when Jeff made his order, I caught myself staring.
He’d picked almost exactly the same things I had.
I tilted my head, genuinely surprised. “You like scrambled eggs with extra parmesan and syrup on pancakes?”
Jeff grinned, his eyes lighting up. “Yes! That’s my favorite.”
“No way,” I said with a soft laugh. “That’s mine too.”
“I didn’t know we liked the same food,” he said excitedly, “I’m really happy.”
Something about his smile made my chest ache again. I forced myself to breathe slowly, deeply.
When I turned to Damien, he was already watching me. Not in a curious way. Not in a suspicious way. Just… watching.
I felt myself blush.
“Is there something on my face?” I asked, wiping the corner of my mouth just in case.
He shook his head slowly. “No. It’s just… my son seems to like you a lot. That’s rare, Jeff’s not the kind of kid who warms up to people quickly. But with you… I don’t know, he’s like a little chatterbox.”
I turned to Jeff, who was now swinging his legs under the table, happily sipping his juice.
“I guess we’re just… connected,” I said quietly.
But I didn’t say the rest out loud.
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Chapter 12
‘Maybe because I’m his aunt.
Maybe because fate is twisted like that.’
Maybe because the same blood runs through us–even though I wish it didn’t.
Jeff smiled and said. “Yes, Daddy. Miss Jones is different.”
His words hit me and I chuckled at him.
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“I wish you were my mommy,” he added with a wide, innocent smile that melted the air between us. “Miss Jones, you are pretty, you are nice, you are the best.”
I froze, the juice glass in my hand trembling just slightly. My lips parted, but no sound came out. I wasn’t prepared for that. Not from him. Not in front of Damien.
I turned to look at Damien and saw the unmistakable flicker of annoyance in his eyes. He didn’t yell, but his tone changed.
“Jeff,” he said sharply. “That’s not a nice thing to say. Your mother has done so much for you. She brought you all the way here to see me, and now she’s up in my hotel room, resting with an injured leg. Why would you say you don’t want her anymore?”
Jeff’s face fell, but his voice remained steady. “Because she doesn’t like me,” he whispered.
I blinked. My eyes moved from Damien to the little boy beside me, and something unfamiliar twisted in my chest. Not just pity–but something dangerously close to affection.
Damien let out a soft sigh, clearly trying to manage his irritation. “Don’t say things like that, Jeff.”
“But it’s true,” he insisted, his voice more firm now. “She’s always on her phone. She doesn’t talk to me. Even when we’re together, it’s like I’m not there. She just scrolls and talks to other people.”
I sat completely still, watching Damien’s expression change.
“Didn’t you tell her you wanted to come see me?” Damien asked slowly, his voice lowering.
Jeff shook his head. “No. She came into my room and said we were going somewhere. I asked where, and she said, ‘I’m taking you to see your daddy.’ I was excited….. she was finally doing something nice.”
There it was. The truth, plain and unfiltered, spilling from the lips of a child who didn’t know he was unraveling every illusion.
I lowered my eyes for a moment, hiding the amusement tightening the corners of my lips.
So, she used the child as a pawn.
Diana hadn’t changed.
Still selfish. Still manipulative. Still willing to twist anything–even her own son–to get her desires fulfilled.
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Chapter 12
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I looked at Damien. He was clearly shaken. Quiet. His lips were pressed in a thin line. He wasn’t the kind of man who let emotions show easily, but Jeff’s words had slipped past his armor.
And me?
I could barely contain the swirl of emotions inside me.
‘So, it’s not love. She doesn’t have his heart.”
Maybe she never did.
Whatever they shared–it wasn’t built on connection. It wasn’t rooted in mutual trust. It was convenience, perhaps… or obligation.
I tilted my head and turned gently to Jeff, keeping my voice soft, as though what I was about to say didn’t come with layers of buried pain.
“Jeff, sweetheart,” I said with a faint smile, “you mustn’t be too harsh on your mom, okay? Sometimes adults get caught up in things. Work. Responsibilities. But deep down, every mother loves her child. With all her heart.”
He frowned. His little hands tightened around the edge of the table.
“But my mommy doesn’t love me,” he said stubbornly. “She only cares about her phone and her friends.”
I didn’t expect a child to carry this much sadness in his eyes.
“Even when I beg her to read me bedtime stories,” Jeff said, his voice small, “she never reads them to me. She just says she’s tired… or that I’m too noisy. She doesn’t eat with me either. Says I’m messy, so I eat alone.”
His lashes trembled as he added, “And if I try to sit beside her or ask her to play with me, she says I’m a pest.”
A pause. Then, quieter: “She only plays with me when Daddy’s around.”
I felt a lump rise in my throat. I looked at him and all I could see was a lonely boy desperately reaching for affection. A boy craving the warmth every child deserved but hadn’t been given. My fingers curled into fists on my lap.
‘Oh, Diana… some mother you are!’
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I had always known Diana was selfish–calculating, even–but to treat her own son like this? It was a cruelty I hadn’t anticipated. She had ruined my life, yes. But at least I thought she’d have enough sense to love her own child. Apparently, I’d overestimated her humanity.
I swallowed hard and forced a gentle smile. I bent slightly toward Jeff, trying to sound as warm and understanding as I could, even as my insides churned.
“Sweetheart… maybe your mom is just really busy. Maybe she doesn’t know how to show her love properly. Sometimes adults don’t realize how their actions affect others….”
“Enough.”
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Chapter 12
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The sharpness in Damien’s voice startled me.
I turned to him slowly, pretending to be caught off guard. His face was unreadable, but his cold. He looked right at me.
“Don’t make excuses for a woman you don’t even know.”
I lowered my gaze, painting a look of regret across my face.
eyes had
gone
“I’m sorry, Sir.” I murmured. “I didn’t mean to overstep. It’s just… Jeff is such a sweet child. I guess it’s hard not to feel for him.”
It was only half a lie. Jeff was sweet. But this was an opportunity to turn Damien against Diana. How could I let
go to waste?
it
As I glanced down at Jeff again, watching him sip his juice quietly, I knew what I had to do. ‘You’ll be my bridge, little one. I’m sorry, but this is the game we’re in.
“Dad,” Jeff piped up, turning to Damien with wide eyes, “can I spend more time with Miss Jones? She’s really nice. I like her a lot.”
Damien frowned. “No. Miss Jones is very busy. She’s not a nanny. She’s my….”
“I don’t mind,” I cut in gently, placing my hand lightly on the table. “As long as I’m free, I really don’t mind spending time with Jeff. I actually love children…. especially good ones like him. It would be my pleasure.”
Damien gave me a look, one I couldn’t quite read. Then he said flatly, “It’s not part of your job description.”
“Oh, no, of course not.” I lifted both hands in mock protest, smiling. “I’m not asking to be paid for it. Just consider it… a thank–you gift. For all the kindness you’ve shown me so far.”
He didn’t respond right away. I could feel his eyes scanning me, searching for an angle. But I gave him none.
“The truth is,” I added softly, “spending time with Jeff makes me happy. He reminds me of pleasant events in my childhood. It’s comforting. I feel… lighter when I’m with him.”
“Lighter?” Damien asked. “Why? What sort of burdens are you carrying?”
I blinked at him, startled for real this time. His tone wasn’t teasing. It was probing.
I was about to give some vague, soft–spoken answer when Jeff broke in again.
“Daddy, please. Miss Jones doesn’t mind. She said it’s okay. Please let me spend time with her when I’m not in school. Please?”
Damien sighed. He looked at Jeff, then at me, and finally said, “Okay. Whenever she’s free, and she agrees to it, you can spend time with her.”
“Yay!” Jeff lit up instantly, his smile so wide it made the corners of his eyes crinkle. He turned to me, holding up his hand.
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Chapter 12
“High five?”
:
I smiled warmly. “High five,” I whispered, and our palms met with a soft clap.
But when I turned back to Damien, he was smiling.
Not politely. Genuinely.
That was the second time today.
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It didn’t happen often. I took a mental snapshot of the moment, branding it into memory like a victory.
And in that instant, something inside me shifted.
‘Diana,’ I thought with quiet triumph, ‘I hope you’re watching.
Because I’ve started with your son… and soon, your fiancé will follow.
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Chapter 13
