142\u2013My Husband\u2019s Disgusting Mate\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kaylee:\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had said those haunting words to Graham, words I would never have spoken under normal circumstances.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I realized that the harder I tried to hold on to him, the further I pushed him away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, the guilt in his eyes told me there was a small chance for us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After all, he had never cleared up the rumors or the suspicion that he still loved Madeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had admitted it too many times to ignore, yet I refused to believe he meant it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I always felt that he simply didn\u2019t know what he wanted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The only reason he gravitated toward her was because I couldn\u2019t give him a child, and that excuse made it easy for him to fall back into her orbit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But things were going to change soon, I knew that deep inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stayed in his bedroom with him, watching how he kept himself apart from me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He lay on the couch after returning from a run, showered and lied down exhausted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His body probably ached from not being near Madeline anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I remembered something else, something he had let slip when confessing his love for her. He had called her his mate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had overheard it once, during a conversation he didn\u2019t realize I was there for.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t confronted him about it, questioning him would only make him bolder, and I wasn\u2019t ready to deal with that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then a soft knock sounded at the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I immediately stood from the bed, motioning for him to stay down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had promised myself I would act differently, not lash out at him, not curse him, not bruise his pride the way I used to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But when I opened the door, disappointment swept through me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lord Eldon stood there, smiling like a man who lived off trouble.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I could speak, he gestured for me to move aside, exactly the type of dismissive behavior he had adopted ever since learning I struggled to conceive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He started walking straight toward his son.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s actually resting,\u201d I said, hoping to stop him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Graham heard my voice and pushed himself up from the couch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHis tiredness will vanish once he sees what I brought,\u201d Lord Eldon said, rubbing his hands together and exchanging a knowing look with his son.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even Graham looked confused. \u201cWhat did you bring me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome with me. I\u2019ll show you.\u201d Eldon held out a hand like he was coaxing a child. Graham didn\u2019t take it, but he followed him anyway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hurried after them. Their suddenly renewed bond terrified me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Graham had been emotionally broken before, wounds that created deep abandonment issues, and his father knew exactly how to exploit them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew too, I had used those weaknesses for five years. But things were slipping now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ever since Madeline reentered his life, Graham had been healing. And once he healed, he wasn\u2019t mine to influence\u00a0<\/p>\n
anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They stopped near the living room. I leaned to see past Graham\u2019s shoulder and felt my stomach drop.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sitting on the couch was a tiny, familiar face. A demon\u2013like reminder of Madeline\u2019s existence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGina?\u201d Graham\u2019s voice burst with joy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He rushed forward, scooping her into his arms and tossing her lightly before hugging her close. But she wasn\u2019t nearly as excited as he was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Gina is here,\u201d he said, beaming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow is she here? Why is she here?\u201d The realization finally dawned on him as he set her down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a long story. I spent the entire night arranging this. And this is how you thank me?\u201d Eldon\u2019s voice shifted as he turned toward Gina. \u201cCome here, my little grandchild.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He crouched and opened his arms, but Gina hugged herself and stepped behind Graham.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you upset about what I said earlier about wanting Bodhi?\u201d Eldon asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These kids were unbelievably sharp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One would think a child wouldn\u2019t hold onto moments like that, but they were Madeline\u2019s children, they remembered everything, and they knew exactly how to twist a mistake into leverage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was only saying it. I actually like you more,\u201d Eldon added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Penny appeared with chocolates. The two of them acted like Gina belonged to them, not to Graham.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gina hesitated, then started walking toward Eldon, but Graham immediately placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The shift in Penny and Eldon\u2019s expressions was instant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFather,\u201d Graham said, \u201cwhy is she here? Why isn\u2019t she with her mother?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His question stunned me. He had wanted Gina desperately, yet at the first opportunity to have her, his thoughts circled right back to Madeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Graham questioned his father, his eyes drifted to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKaylee, can you take Gina to the room and make sure she\u2019s looked after?\u201d His voice softened, and I instantly recognized the opportunity, my chance to show him I wasn\u2019t the villain everyone painted me as.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That I could be a mother, even without being able to give birth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
243\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded and hurried to Gina\u2019s side.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you like to come with me? We can watch cartoons on my phone,\u201d I told her gently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She slipped her tiny fingers around mine, and something inside me tightened, a small, painful spark of longing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe it was the desire for a child of my own. Maybe it was simply the ache of knowing I would never have one. Either way, the feeling rose sharply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby\u2019s writing style is bold and irresistible\u2014perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.<\/p>\n
142\u2013My Husband\u2019s Disgusting Mate\u00a0 Kaylee:\u00a0 I had said those haunting words to Graham, words I would never have spoken under […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-no-daddy-novel-by-novelnozi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19138"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19343,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19138\/revisions\/19343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}