"The weather was nice today. Sunny," I said stiffly.
Julian must have heard my retreat. He didn't push, smoothly steering away. "All the more reason not to stay. I moved up my flight to the earliest one. Should be back in New York by early morning."
His easy tone loosened the tension in my shoulders. Even when turned down, he showed the kind of composure and grace you'd expect from someone in his position.
"By the way, Anthea. Tomorrow's Valentine's Day. I know this is a bit sudden, but I'd like to take you to dinner. I know a great restaurant. I think you'd really like it."
Valentine's Day. The words made my stomach clench. Six years ago, on Valentine's Day, I'd been pregnant with Olei, wearing that gemstone ring threaded on a chain, thinking I had the whole world. But that man had only given me the illusion of tenderness that night, before throwing me straight into hell.
"Anthea? Are you there?"
"I'm here." I snapped back.
I needed a normal life. I needed to prove to myself that I'd moved past Silas's shadow. I couldn't let the ghosts of my past trap me anymore. Julian was a good person to go out with.
"Dinner sounds great," I said with a smile. "I'd love to."
"Wonderful!" Julian's delight was obvious. "I'll see you tomorrow night then."
After hanging up, I set the phone down and leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes. But in the darkness, a pair of deep gray eyes surfaced, unbidden. I snapped my eyes open, heart racing.
Damn it. Six years, and that bastard's face still haunted me?
Chapter Ten
Silas
A pink Band-Aid with a cartoon dinosaur in the corner covered Olei's knee. He stood in the foyer, his face lit up with an expression I'd never seen before.
"Dad, look." He tilted his head up, eyes shining. "The new teacher put it on for me."
"Who hurt you?" I frowned.
I crouched down, fingers lifting the edge of the Band-Aid to check the scrape underneath. Not deep, but enough to make me start building a list in my head. Whichever little shit touched my son, his parents were going to pay.
"Just some kids." Olei's voice was too calm for a six-year-old. "They said I don't have a mom. Then they pushed me."
No whining, no complaining. Damn it.
I knew some wounds couldn't be stopped by bodyguards and walls. Six years now. Even if I could shield this kid from everything, I couldn't make up for the mother missing from his life.
"If you need my help, you can tell me their names," I said.
Olei struggled silently for a moment, then suddenly changed the subject, his tone brightening. "It's okay. The new art teacher helpedme. She was really fierce—yelled at those bad kids and made them apologize. Then she took me to the office, poured me hot milk, and gave me chocolate."
I went on alert instantly. In this world, no kindness came free. Women being sweet to my son usually meant they wanted to get close to me—or worse, they were connected to my enemies. Maybe Olei had met a nice teacher, but I had to be careful.
"What else?" I asked casually.
"She asked if I had allergies. I told her I'm allergic to peanuts." Olei was unusually talkative. "Dad, she hugged me. Her arms were warm, and she smelled really good."
This was weird. Olei wasn't easily bought. He didn't trust people. But now he seemed attached to some new teacher.
"What's her name?" I asked offhandedly, already planning to have Marco dig into this teacher's background.
"Anthea Carter. She said we can just call her Anthea."
The name froze my thoughts solid.
