James cautiously approached me again:
\n\u201cLuna, it\u2019s not safe for Emily to go back alone with the kid. You stay here at Mom\u2019s for a bit. I\u2019ll drop her off and come right back for you.\u201d
\nI nodded.<\/p>\n
James looked at me, seemed to want to say more, but only squeezed my hand before ushering Emily out.<\/p>\n
Watching their taillights disappear, I called myself a ride. Ignoring Mrs. Miller\u2019s attempts to keep me, I went home alone.<\/p>\n
The rain hit me. I must have looked miserable.
\nJames rushed back through the rain and pulled me into a hug.
\n\u201cSorry, Luna. I made you suffer.\u201d
\n\u201cBut Emily has the kid with her. Since I picked her up, I had to make sure they were settled.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you wait at Mom\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n
By the end, his tone held a hint of reproach.
\n\u201cWere you the only one who could drive her?\u201d I asked him very seriously.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou all drove today\u2014Mark and the others. Was yours the only car that could take Emily?\u201d
\nJames\u2019s expression shifted from confusion to shame and annoyance. He pressed his lips together. \u201cI\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
I cut him off. \u201cYou wanted to drive her.\u201d
\nHe suddenly looked defeated, sighing. \u201cLuna, are you jealous? I only see Emily as a sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s alone, divorced with a kid. Life\u2019s not easy. I\u2019m just helping out of old friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEven quitting your job for her? Starting a business with her?\u201d
\nI pushed him away, no longer clinging to warmth that wasn\u2019t mine.<\/p>\n
James was stunned, then continued explaining. \u201cYou misunderstood. The company was a group decision. We all wanted to seize the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
He loosened his tie impatiently, looking at me with those still-deep eyes:
\n\u201cStop overthinking. You\u2019re going to be a mom soon. Don\u2019t be so jealous, or you\u2019ll have a little jealous one too, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
But our child was already gone.
\nI was about to speak when James\u2019s phone rang.
\nAs soon as he answered, a tiny, milky voice came through: \u201cDaddy James, when are you coming to see me? Tommy misses you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me, panic unmistakable in his eyes, quickly covering the receiver and walking toward the bedroom.
\nSoon, he changed and was heading out again.
\n\u201cSorry, Luna. Emily says the kid is sick, wants to see me. I\u2026\u201d
\nI shook my head indifferently. \u201cIt\u2019s fine. Go.\u201d<\/p>\n
James kissed my cheek lightly. \u201cOnce we get past this busy period with the company, I won\u2019t see her alone anymore. I\u2019ll spend all my time with you and the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
The moment he left, texts from Mark and two others arrived:
\n\u201cLuna, there\u2019s a bit of a situation with Emily. Can you let James come over?\u201d
\nI didn\u2019t reply. Instead, I started discussing London details with Sarah.<\/p>\n
On Instagram, Emily posted an update:
\n\u201cThe two most important men in my life.\u201d
\nA picture of a sleeping James and her son, Tommy.<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Time Paused Between Silent Moments by Aven Slate 4 James cautiously approached me again: \u201cLuna, it\u2019s not safe for Emily […]<\/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":[52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-goodbye-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23161","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=23161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23161\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}