Chapter 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aiden\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
Father caught me sliding down from the leather seat, and before I could steady myself, his strong hands gripped my shoulders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A cold sweat broke across my forehead as I met his icy gaze. I felt what little color I had drain from my face. I pressed my lips together, determined not to show fear despite the thundering in my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat were you looking for? Father\u2019s voice cut through the silence like steel.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words lodged in my throat. I couldn\u2019t lie\u2013not to him. The principles instilled in me since birth wouldn\u2019t allow it. Silence was preferable to dishonesty. even if it meant harsher consequences.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Father deposited me on the sofa, loosening his tie. I watched his movements, recognizing the calculated calm that always preceded his disciplinary actions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing through a senior family member\u2019s office without permission is unacceptable in the Sterling household,\u201d he said, each word measured and final.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I straightened my back, meeting his gaze directly. \u201cI accept the consequences.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood. Very good. So you\u2019ve decided to challenge me too.\u201d Father\u2019s laugh held no warmth. \u201cI can tolerate Oliver\u2019s impulsive escapades because he\u2019s the youngest. He doesn\u2019t carry the weight you do. But you- he paused, his eyes boring into mine, \u201c-you are different. The future of Sterling Design Group rests on your shoulders. You don\u2019t have the luxury of indulgence.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He pointed to the minimalist reading desk by the floor\u2013to\u2013ceiling windows. \u201cSit there. Two hours of silent reflection. No devices, no books. Just consider\u00a0<\/p>\n
what it means to be a Sterling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I walked to the desk without protest, squaring my shoulders. I wouldn\u2019t give him the satisfaction of seeing me defeated. As I took my seat facing the Chicago skyline, I heard Henderson shift uncomfortably by the door. I knew he wouldn\u2019t intervene\u2013no one ever did when Father made a decision.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before Father left, he delivered one final blow: \u201cAfter this, I hope you\u2019ll never mention that person again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The expansive office feit enormous with just me sitting there. Though I have siblings, I\u2019ve always known I\u2019m fundamentally different from them. I am the\u00a0<\/p>\n
heir. The future. The responsibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been alone since I can remember. Studying alone, Growing up alone. Coming to the office alone. Returning home alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yet my mind kept replaying what I\u2019d seen yesterday\u2013Oliver with that woman. Her gentle hands ruffling his hair. His silly faces making her laugh. Their shared happiness radiating between them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pressed my small palm against the cold glass window, watching people move like ants below. Six years old, and already I understand that some things are forbidden to me that my brothers can freely have.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But perhaps\u2026 perhaps I could try too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stretched lazily in bed. When I attempted to get up, I found my arm trapped beneath a small, warm body.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
3:51 pm D M\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, still sleepy\u2026 Oliver mumbled, burrowing deeper against me. He\u2019d insisted on climbing into my bed last night, attaching himself to me like a little\u00a0<\/p>\n
koala.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not used to sharing my sleeping space with anyone, but strangely, I\u2019d slept more soundly than I had in years, wrapped in peaceful dreams I couldn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
quite remember upon waking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to look at the little boy beside me. His dinosaur pajamas were rumpled, his round belly exposed as he sprawled across my mattress. Each beath made his tummy rise and fall in a thythm that somehow squeezed my heart. He was so adorable I couldn\u2019t resist pinching his chubby cheek.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOw! Mom, that hurt\u2026 He pouted, sitting up with his hair sticking out in every direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I burst out laughing. \u201cAw, you woke up too soon! I wasn\u2019t done pinching your cute cheeks yet!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHmph, you\u2019re mean! He turned away, pretending to be angry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, will you always like me?\u201d he asked, suddenly serious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1 smoothed down his wayward hair, surprised by the vulnerability in his question. \u201cOf course I will. Forever and ever.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut\u2026\u201d he fixed his gaze on me intently, \u201cwhat if there was another kid who was cuter, better behaved, and smarter than me, and he also called you Mom? Would you stop liking me then?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on in that little head of yours?\u201d I tapped his nose playfully, trying to hide my confusion at his worry. \u201cWho else would call me Mom? In this\u00a0<\/p>\n
whole wide world, you\u2019re the cutest, most special boy, and no one could ever take your place.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite my reassurance, anxiety still clouded his face. I wondered what prompted this insecurity. Did he fear I would abandon him like everyone else in his\u00a0<\/p>\n
life had done?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright, enough worrying,\u201d I said, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. \u201cI\u2019m making breakfast, and after we eat, I need to head to Nest Design for my\u00a0<\/p>\n
interview. They accepted my resume.\u201d I fixed him with my most serious look. \u201cAnd I\u2019m telling you one more time: no sneaking out of the apartment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Absolutely not. Can you promise me that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes!\u201d He agreed without hesitation. \u201cI\u2019ll be waiting for your good news, Mommy!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I massaged my temples, unconvinced. This little schemer didn\u2019t seem trustworthy at all, but I had no choice but to believe him for now. Once I secured this\u00a0<\/p>\n
job, I\u2019d enroll him in kindergarten where he\u2019d be properly supervised.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I slipped into my interview outfit\u2013a tailored suit I\u2019d splurged on last year\u2013and applied subtle makeup. As I closed the apartment door behind me, I couldn\u2019t shake the feeling that Oliver was up to something. But the interview at Nest Design was too important to miss. This could be my chance to finally establish myself professionally, away from Selena\u2019s shadow and Jonathan\u2019s control.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our Uninished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 25 Chapter 25\u00a0 Aiden\u2019s POV\u00a0 Father caught […]<\/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":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zero-stars-for-daddy-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30424","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=30424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30424\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}