I touched her ear, my voice a dark, teasing whisper.
“Let’s find Malik,” I murmured. “He’ll verify I’m not lying.”
Her body stiffened beneath me, but she said nothing.
“After that,” I promised, “I’ll leave if you still don’t believe me.”
I ran my tongue over her ear’s shell, feeling how she tensed, resisting the urge to melt.
“But I don’t think you’ll want me to leave.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, her hands gripping the sheets beneath her.
“That’s what I thought,” I whispered.
I pulled away, climbing off the bed, my body aching from leaving hers.
Then, I held out my hand.
“Let’s go find Malik.”
She eyed it like a raptor sizing up its prey. A long silence stretched between us.
“Come on,” I coaxed. “I can prove it to you, my darling. I won’t hurt you—I swear. No more games.”
With a sigh, she took my hand and slid off the mattress.
The thin fabric of her nightgown clung to her form, revealing the soft curve of her growing belly. Seeing her pregnant silhouette sent a wave of emotion crashing through me. I bit my lip to keep it from breaking.
That’s my child. I’m going to be a father. I must prove to her I’m not a liar—that I deserve to be in my child’s life.
As we stepped into the dimly lit corridor, muffled voices drifted from a room down the hall.
Malik. And from the sound of it, Roman and Olivia were with him.
We moved toward the open door, stopping just before the threshold.
“Well, well,” I said, a smirk tugging at my lips. “What a lovely family reunion.”
Olivia spun to face me, eyes blazing. “You bastard! Why are you here? Get the hell out before I?—”
“Why are you here?” Malik interrupted. He glanced at the sleeping child on the bed, then motioned for everyone to step out. “We don’t want to wake Rosie. You can explain yourself downstairs.”
No one argued. We descended the sweeping staircase in tense silence.
Malik lit the lamps in the front room, bathing everything in a golden glow.
Roman and Olivia settled onto the sofa, their gazes drilling into me. I remained standing, fingers clasped tightly around Emily’s hand.
Malik faced me, his expression unreadable. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
“And yet, here I am.” My body hummed with tension. “I’m done with that demon, Balthazar. He’s lost his mind—completely unhinged.” I shook my arms, trying to dispel the frustration. “I adore my wife. Being apart from her has been hell. But I had to betray her—to betray all of you—to fulfill your mission.”
“The fuck are you saying?” Olivia snapped, whirling toward Roman. “He’s been Balthazar’s minion this entire time. That’s one of the things I needed to tell you.”
Roman’s face turned beet-red. “What?” He started to rise, fists clenched. “So you’ve gone dark on us, then?”
Olivia grabbed his arm, holding him back. “Don’t. You don’t know what he’s capable of. Emily and I have seen his treachery with our own eyes.” She shot me a glare that could have burned through steel.
