Chapter 144\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran\u2019s visits had become more frequent since the morning of the attack. It wasn\u2019t unusual for him to show up at the packhouse under some pretense, usually to speak with Nolan about security, and then somehow find a few minutes alone with me afterward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had stopped trying to question it. Part of me didn\u2019t mind the company, and another part knew it was easier not to fight the inevitable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After everything that had happened, the thought of stability, of safety, had become a kind of lifeline. The boys were my first thought when I woke up, my last before I went to sleep, and every fear I carried was tied to them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The dreams, the woman who had attacked me, the goddess\u2019s whispers at the edge of my consciousness, it all felt like a storm brewing on the horizon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So when Kieran suggested we make our arrangement official soon, I didn\u2019t argue. He didn\u2019t set a deadline or anything like that. I wasn\u2019t even sure he was that serious about it. I think he was just testing the waters, making sure I didn\u2019t try to back out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stood near the window of my sitting room, sunlight catching in his pale hair, the picture of confidence and calm. \u201cWe should make an announcement,\u201d he said. \u201cA formal one. It\u2019ll quiet the gossip before it has a chance to spiral out of control. And it\u2019ll make things safer for you. For all of you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t need to explain what he meant by all. I knew he was talking about the boys, even if he didn\u2019t yet know the details.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hesitated. \u201cYou really think now\u2019s the right time?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He turned, smiling faintly. \u201cThere\u2019s never a perfect time for these things. But the sooner people see that you\u2019re protected, the better.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had a way of making everything sound reasonable, inevitable even. It was part of what made him so dangerous, I supposed-the ease with which he could convince others to trust him. Still, the idea of being protected by him brought a strange sort of comfort.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you should meet them,\u201d I said quietly, surprising myself as the words left my mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, Kieran looked caught off guard. Then his expression softened, and genuine excitement flickered across his face. \u201cYou mean the boys?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded. \u201cThey\u2019re everything to me, Kieran. If you and I are really doing this, they should know you. They need to.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stepped closer, the smile widening. \u201cI\u2019d like that. I\u2019m great with kids, actually.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That made me laugh under my breath, an involuntary sound, small and uncertain, but real. \u201cAre you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course,\u201d he said, the confidence in his voice absolute. \u201cYou\u2019ll see. They\u2019ll love me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His certainty was disarming. I wanted to believe him, wanted to think this would all work out somehow, that the boys could be safe, that I could keep them hidden from everything that had torn my world apart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 144\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
But more than that, I wanted to believe that the boys would be happy. If Kieran could really be a father to them, and not just their protector\u2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was probably hoping for too much. I needed to keep my expectations realistic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But then Kieran\u2019s tone shifted-still smooth, still pleasant, but edged with curiosity. \u201cEllie,\u201d he said, \u201cyou\u2019ve never told me who their father is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The air seemed to change between us. I forced myself to meet his gaze. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d I said softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDoesn\u2019t it?\u201d he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The look on his face was pure skepticism. Obviously it mattered, but I couldn\u2019t tell him. If Nolan somehow found out it would complicate everything so much more than it already was. I couldn\u2019t risk it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said, more firmly this time. \u201cNot anymore.\u201d (1)\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, he looked like he might press the issue, but then he only smiled again-gentle, reassuring, the perfect gentleman. \u201cAll right,\u201d he said. \u201cNo more questions. I\u2019m just honored that you\u2019d trust me with them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He reached for my hand, and I let him. I told myself it was because I needed his help, because I couldn\u2019t do this alone. But the moment his fingers brushed mine, a flicker of unease moved through me. I ignored it. I was too tired to question everything anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third Person POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Kieran left the packhouse that evening, his expression was unreadable to anyone who didn\u2019t know him. To the guards and servants he passed, he was the picture of composure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even if they were becoming suspicious of his frequent visits to the packhouse, none of Nolan\u2019s staff would suspect the truth behind what he was planning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why would they? He had Ellie fooled, and she was the one who should be the most cautious. He felt bad for her, the poor thing. She was so desperate to be safe, to be shielded from the madness that had been swirling around her for the past few years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran could give her that. He\u2019d be happy to do it. Ellie was fun, he honestly liked being around her. It was a bonus, given the reason he wanted her had more to do with Nolan than with her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As he walked down the sidewalk, no one spared him a second glance. Which was exactly how he wanted it. Right now, he was just a man taking a walk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A most promising young alpha, calm, polished, gracious. But beneath the surface, his thoughts were sharp and calculating.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie\u2019s refusal to name the father hadn\u2019t deterred him. If anything, it had confirmed what he already suspected. The timing, the secrecy, it all fit too neatly. The boys were his.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A slow smile curved Kieran\u2019s mouth as he strolled down the sidewalk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He couldn\u2019t know why Ellie was hiding the truth from Nolan, but he was sure that she was. He\u2019d never even\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 144\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
entertain the idea of a divorce if he knew that the children were alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If the children weren\u2019t Nolan\u2019s, then Ellie must have conceived immediately after she vanished, and the twins would have been born premature. It was possible, but not likely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The simpler answer was the one that made the most sense-and the one that delighted him the most.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Raising Nolan\u2019s children. Winning the woman he had lost. Becoming the man who offered her safety and stability when Nolan could not.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was perfect.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was like the goddess had chosen to bless him specifically. He couldn\u2019t have arranged a more perfect revenge if he\u2019d tried.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was going to spoil Ellie and her sons. He would make sure that she was happier than she had ever dreamed of being, so that every time they crossed paths with Nolan he would see the woman he had failed radiating happiness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And the kids? He\u2019d give them everything they could ever want. Raise them to be intelligent, polite, strong young\u00a0<\/p>\n
men.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They\u2019d be the darlings of society in a few years, Kieran would make sure of that. And Nolan would know. He\u2019d see the family resemblance as they aged, he was sure of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d know that Kieran had taken everything from him and it would destory him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran had wanted to hurt his rival for a long time-but this\u2026 this would be exquisite.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 144 Chapter 144\u00a0 Ellie POV\u00a0 Kieran\u2019s visits had become more frequent since the morning […]<\/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":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-unremembered-mate-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23713","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=23713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23713\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}