Page 75 of Inked in Devotion

Something dark and oval projectiled out of Sebastian’s mouth. He erupted into tears and wailed.

“It’s okay, Seva,” I mumbled, relief flooding my veins. “Papa’s got you.”

“A grape,” Chloe whispered. “I…I…how?”

“You don’t know?” I spun on her, and I didn’t even disguise the disgust I was feeling. “You don’t know?” I repeated. “Then maybe you shouldn’t be watching our son. You don’t trust me? Well, fuck you, Chloe! I don’t trust you either!”

“That’s not fair,” she cried. “I really don’t⁠—”

She dug her fingers into her hair, and with the ghostly bolt of lightning, I didn’t recognize her. She reminded me of an unhinged person who’d lost control. Eyes wild. Mumbling nonsensical stuff. Excuses.

I was too furious to listen to them. She was unfit to take care of a baby.

“I’m taking Sebastian,” I told her. “He’s not safe with you. At least at the house, there’s Sorcha.”

“You can’t do that!”

“What the hell is going on?” Dora entered the house, lowering her umbrella, although with the condemnation on her face, it appeared she wanted to beat me with it. That riled me further. These two were supposed to be the pillars of a women’s shelter, and they couldn’t even keep a baby alive.

“Sebastian was choking when I arrived, and Chloe just sat there watching our son struggle, doing nothing.”

Worry furrowed Dora’s brow, and she paled. “Chloe?”

Tears streamed down Chloe’s cheeks as the downpour persisted, but I anesthetized myself against the anguish crumpling her features.

I hardened my jaw.

“Come here,” Dora spoke to her gently and led her to sit. “Talk to me.”

I scoffed. All this mollycoddling. My son wouldn’t live to see his first birthday if I didn’t take him now. I headed to the nursery.

Sebastian was still bawling, so with one arm carrying him, I started throwing things into the baby bag. There was already a diaper bag ready to go. I just needed some clothes. Come to think of it, I could just ask Sorcha to pick them up later.

I realized I was panting and my heart felt like it was about to catapult out of my chest. What happened to unemotional under stress? Fuck.

I regulated my breathing and dropped shorts and shirts into the bag. Sebastian made a high-pitch gurgling sound and my eyes went to him. He had stopped crying but his eyes were still shining from his tears. He was studying me curiously, a telltale smile on his face.

My heart splintered.

What the hell was I doing?

I was taking a baby away from his mother. Me, who didn’t carry him for nine months—and God knew what his birth was like. I never asked. Me, who didn’t nurse him—and how many months were those sleepless nights?

Me on my high horse, who killed people for a living, thought I could take Sebastian away from his mother.

But if I hadn’t arrived, Sebastian could have died.

I lowered my son into the crib.

He immediately rolled over and pulled himself up, peering up at me.

“What do I do, Seva?” Deep down, I was still livid. Something was wrong with Chloe. This wasn’t the first time this had happened. But who could I trust to give me the truth?

Dora? She would lie through her teeth to protect Chloe.

Marena? That woman didn’t like me, but she had to be honest, right? However, Theo was Sebastian’s legal guardian, and I couldn’t risk having him take my son away if Chloe was an unfit mother.

I didn’t know how long I contemplated my options as the storm raged outside. I didn’t even hear the light knock at first. I wasn’t ready to confront Chloe because I couldn’t erase the vision of her sitting expressionless while my boy was choking.