Chapter 193\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance\u2019s expression shifted. \u201cShe\u2019s not wrong.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d I exhaled, the sound rough. \u201cLance, I want to be better. For her. For the boys. But I don\u2019t even know where to start.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d Lance said, \u201cyou can start by not pretending you don\u2019t care.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes flicked up. \u201cWhat are you talking about? I\u2019m not.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEllie,\u201d Lance said simply. \u201cShe told me once that she wanted to tell you about the pregnancy before she left. Tried a few times, actually. But she said you were always angry, or too busy, or too cold. You shut her down before she could say the words.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words hit like a blow to the chest. I leaned back, closing my eyes. \u201cShe told you that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course she did,\u201d I said bitterly. \u201cBecause I didn\u2019t make it easy for her. I didn\u2019t make anything easy for her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance hesitated before continuing. \u201cShe wasn\u2019t hiding them from you to punish you, you know. She was scared. She thought you\u2019d be angry, that you\u2019d see them as a mistake instead of a blessing. Or worse, you\u2019d see them as a tool.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart ached at his words. \u201cWhat else would she think?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance frowned, his eyes searching my face for something.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He nodded slowly. \u201cIt\u2019s not too late, you know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
19\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTo learn a different way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I huffed a laugh, low and humorless. \u201cYou sound like Alaric.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been spending time with him,\u201d Lance said. \u201cHe\u2019s got a good head on his shoulders. You should listen to him sometimes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to the window. \u201cYou think Ellie will ever forgive me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think she already has, in her way,\u201d Lance said. \u201cBut forgiveness, and trust aren\u2019t the same thing. You\u2019ll have to earn that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded, my jaw tightening. \u201cAnd the boys?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re still young,\u201d Lance said. \u201cThey won\u2019t remember this part. You still have a chance to be the kind of father they deserve.\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a long time, neither of us spoke. The rain softened outside, fading to a mist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, I said, \u201cYou ever think about what would\u2019ve happened if I\u2019d done things differently?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the time,\u201d Lance said. \u201cBut thinking about it doesn\u2019t change it. Acting does.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I met my brother\u2019s gaze. For once, there was no defensiveness there. No anger. Just quiet resolve.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be a part of their lives,\u201d I said. \u201cBut I don\u2019t want to force my way back in. I want Ellie to want me there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 193\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
To trust me enough to let me stay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance nodded slowly. \u201cThen show her. Not with grand gestures. With consistency. Be steady, even when she\u2019s not ready to meet you halfway. Make sure she knows that you\u2019re right here waiting.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gave a faint smile. \u201cSince when did you become the wise one?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance shrugged. \u201cSomeone had to be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I laughed quietly \u2013 a sound that felt foreign but good. \u201cYou\u2019re right. About all of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI usually am,\u201d Lance said, smirking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I rolled my eyes. \u201cDon\u2019t ruin the moment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance chuckled, standing. \u201cWell, I didn\u2019t come here to play therapist.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you need?\u201d I asked, standing as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to talk to you about Kieran. I talked to Cassian today. He told me that Kieran has been lurking around Moonstone a lot lately. He\u2019s been visiting Ellie a lot, but that\u2019s not the only thing he\u2019s been up to. Cassian doesn\u2019t trust it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe shouldn\u2019t. That creep is up to something, and I don\u2019t know if Ellie is his only motivation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else would he be doing in Moonstone?\u201d Lance asked with a frown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCampaigning, maybe? He\u2019s been doing campaign events all over the place. He even had a speech here in Silver Fang. Maybe he\u2019s identified Moonstone as a key demographic for some reason,\u201d I said thoughtfully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI nearly forgot about the campaign,\u201d Lance said with a scoff.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt hasn\u2019t exactly been a top priority for any of us. But it is for Kieran. Remind Cassian of that. His interest in Ellie isn\u2019t just to hurt me. The rumors about her connection to the goddess can\u2019t be overlooked. People are drawn to her, curious about her. Kieran wants that attention to be redirected to him. No matter how charming he seems, don\u2019t forget that he\u2019s using her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShit,\u201d Lance muttered. \u201cWe just can\u2019t catch a break, can we?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t help but smile at the comment. It seemed like our lives had been one emergency after another for years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it seems like we can\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
COIN BUNDLE: get more free bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
P\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 193 Chapter 193\u00a0 Lance\u2019s expression shifted. \u201cShe\u2019s not wrong.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u201d I exhaled, the […]<\/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-23762","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\/23762","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=23762"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23762\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}