Chapter 203\u00a0<\/p>\n
My chest tightened. \u201cI should\u2019ve been there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes flicked to mine, full of quiet understanding. \u201cYou\u2019re here now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded slowly, the words settling deep inside me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t bring myself to be angry with her for keeping me away. Her reasons made perfect sense to me. If the roles were reversed, I probably would have done the same.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance, sensing the shift in tone, stood. \u201cI\u2019ll grab coffee,\u201d he said. \u201cGive you two a minute.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he disappeared into the kitchen, I set August back on the rug beside his brother. The twins immediately grabbed each other\u2019s hands, babbling nonsense to one another, and I laughed quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGuess they don\u2019t need words either,\u201d I said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie smiled. \u201cThey have their own language.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked at her for a long moment. \u201cYou look happy here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am,\u201d she said softly. \u201cIt\u2019s peaceful.\u201d Something in her expression told me there was more that she wanted to say, but I didn\u2019t push.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded, then glanced toward the kitchen where Lance was humming off-key. \u201cHe seems comfortable here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She smiled faintly. \u201cHe\u2019s good with the boys. He comes by sometimes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d I said. \u201cHe told me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something flickered across my face before I could stop it, not anger exactly, but something raw. \u201cHe mentioned that he was here a lot after\u2026\u201d I hesitated. \u201cAfter you left.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie\u2019s smile faded. \u201cHe helped. I didn\u2019t have anyone else. Just Lance and Cassian.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad he did,\u201d I said quickly. \u201cI owe him for that.\u201d I hesitated, then added more quietly, \u201cI just wish it hadn\u2019t needed to happen that way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie looked at me then, really looked. I knew that she could see it, the exhaustion in my eyes, at the guilt that lived there, but didn\u2019t consume me like it once had.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe past can\u2019t change,\u201d she said gently. \u201cBut what we do with it can.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I could answer, Lance returned with three mugs. \u201cI found your coffee stash, Ell. You\u2019ve been holding out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie laughed softly, the tension breaking. \u201cThat\u2019s because Cassian drinks it all when he visits.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took the cup Lance offered, grateful for the small distraction. I listened as they chatted-the easy rhythm of old friends, the sound of laughter bouncing off the walls.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a fleeting moment, I let himself imagine it \u2013 this apartment, this warmth, this small life with her and our sons. The sound of the boys\u2019 laughter filling every corner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My chest ached with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Lance mentioned his fianc\u00e9e, I blinked, startled\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s actually not so bad,\u201d Lance said, grinning. \u201cFunny, dever, and doesn\u2019t mind that I\u2019m terrible at dancing,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie raised a brow. \u201cThat\u2019s progress\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShocking, I know,\u201d Lance said \u201cMaybe I\u2019m finally growing up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled faintly, sipping my coffee. \u201cYou? I\u2019ll believe it when I see it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance laughed, the sound easy and untroubled. \u201cYou\u2019ll see \u2018m full of surprises.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elle smiled, and I felt that same old flicker of jealousy stir in my gut \u2013 not because of anything she did, but because Lance fit so easily into her world. He belonged herein a way I didn\u2019t yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But when I looked down at the twins again, both of them watching me with curious eyes, I knew I wanted to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wanted to belong here- with them. With ber.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When are left later that afternoon, I lingered at the door, reluctant to go. The twins had fallen asleep in their playpen, tiny chests rising and falling in perfect rhythm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d I said quietly. \u201cFor letting me come.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie smiled. \u201cYou\u2019re their father, Nolan. I want you to be part of their lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded, something like hope flickering in my chest. \u201cStill Thank you\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance clapped me on the shoulder as we stepped into the hall \u201cYou did good in there, big brother.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gave a fair langin, \u201cDid 1?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t break anything, no one cried \u2013 that\u2019s a win in my book.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled, the pressure in my chest seeming to ease just a fraction. \u201cI\u2019ll take it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
As we walked away, I glanced back once more through the open door \u2014 at the quiet apartment, the soft glow of afternoon light spilling across the twins\u2019 faces, and Ellie\u2019s silhouette as she tidied up their toys.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pulled the door closed and listened to the lock click into place, sealing my family safely inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the first time, the ache in my chest didn\u2019t feel like punishment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It felt like a promise.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 203 Chapter 203\u00a0 My chest tightened. \u201cI should\u2019ve been there.\u201d\u00a0 Her eyes flicked to […]<\/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-23772","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\/23772","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=23772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23772\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}