169\u2013Torn Between His Children\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeline:\u00a0<\/p>\n
I saw the hesitation on his face, but he finally nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took my children to the first SUV while Elgin helped his daughters into the second. We drove back to the house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When we arrived, his daughters dragged him toward the guesthouse door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did not read us any stories last night,\u201d Hailey complained as she pulled his hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elgin glanced at me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes softened, and he looked torn between coming to my place to spend time with the children here or returning with his daughters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was only fair that he went with them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My kids did not see him as a father, so they would not be bothered by his absence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His daughters, however, would be upset.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gave him a nod to show it was fine. I was not planning to ask him to join me, especially because I wanted to be alone for a while.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He followed his daughters inside the guesthouse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took my children into mine. I changed into black shorts and a loose white shirt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After helping the kids change into their night clothes, they sat on their beds waiting for me to tuck them in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMother,\u201d Bodhi asked, tilting his head, \u201cwhy is Uncle Baxter marrying Yuyonne?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he likes her,\u201d I answered gently, pulling the blanket over him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you look way more prettier than her, Mother,\u201d Elara remarked, making me turn to give her a comforting\u00a0<\/p>\n
smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not how it works, Elara,\u201d I replied, reaching over to her bed and hunching down to tuck her in, brushing her hair with my fingers. \u201cThe prettier one is the one the groom wants.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I laid them down, pulled their blankets over them, kissed their foreheads, and turned off the light.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We were all tired, so I knew they would not ask for a bedtime story tonight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I stepped out of their room, I took a deep breath..\u00a0<\/p>\n
My chest felt tight, almost to the point of pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat on the couch in the living room and stared through the big window at the empty road. The house felt too quiet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There were moments when I wanted to email my so\u2013called husband, but I knew he would be too busy with his side -check again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a few drinks to calm my nerves, and then I fell asleep on the couch outside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I began to wake up, the light coming through the window told me it was morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
My neck felt stiff, and when I shifted, a blanket slid off my shoulder. I frowned, confused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I did not remember covering myself. Someone must have come in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I could think about who it was, I raised my head and saw Elgin stepping out of the kitchen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He carried a plate full of fresh pancakes in one hand and a coffee mug in the other.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The warm smell reached me before he did. He walked over and set everything on the small table in front of me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI came in last night,\u201d he explained quietly. \u201cYou were already asleep on the couch.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pushed myself up, still wrapped in the blanket. I reached for the coffee and took a sip.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The taste was strong and warm, spreading through my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d I told him. \u201cFor everything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My gaze dropped to the coffee and pancakes as I spoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d he replied, sitting on the other side of the table.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He adjusted his posture, and the change in his expression made it clear he looked anxious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He rested his hands on his knees before speaking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to tell you something,\u201d he began, clearing his throat. \u201cI am planning on rejecting and divorcing Silver. I don\u2019t want you to feel like any of this is your fault or like you are taking someone\u2019s husband. I want you to know where I stand.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hand paused around the cup. I lowered it onto the table but kept holding it to warm my fingers. I shook my head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not do that,\u201d I told him. \u201cI already said it before. We are only marrying to keep the children with me. I do not want her coming after me because of a rejection.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I urged him, but I could already tell he was stubborn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have already made up my mind, Madeline,\u201d he replied, his voice carrying more confidence. \u201cI have been thinking about it for a while, so do not feel guilty.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I opened my mouth to answer him, but before either of us could speak again, a knock came at the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We both froze for a moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elgin stood and opened it. The person who stepped inside was someone I had never expected to see here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was Lord Eldon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was prepared for him to start trouble, but instead he spoke calmly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like Madeline to come with me. There is an emergency, and we need her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As soon as he said it, I understood it was about the sickness. I had no choice but to leave.\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
169\u2013Torn Between His Children\u00a0 Madeline:\u00a0 I saw the hesitation on his face, but he finally nodded.\u00a0 I took my children […]<\/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-19170","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\/19170","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=19170"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19370,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19170\/revisions\/19370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}