Chapter 93\u00a0<\/p>\n
68% FA\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ridley\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a long day at Sterling Design Group, I guided Aiden through his analysis of a project. Despite being only six, his grasp of spatial\u00a0<\/p>\n
relationships continued to astound me. His methodical approach reminded me of myself at a much older age.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour assessment is sound,\u201d I told him, watching satisfaction briefly illuminate his serious expression. \u201cThe proportions need adjustment, but\u00a0<\/p>\n
you\u2019ve identified the critical flaws.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aiden nodded, carefully organizing his notes. \u201cThe ceiling height creates imbalance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPrecisely.\u201d I checked my watch. \u201cIt\u2019s late. Dinner?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Father. Always polite, always measured. Sometimes I worried about the weight of expectation on those small shoulders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We took my Aston Martin, driving along Michigan Avenue. The city lights reflected off Lake Michigan, creating the illusion of stars falling into\u00a0<\/p>\n
darkness. Aiden sat quietly beside me, his gaze taking in everything with characteristic intensity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a new restaurant on Oak Street,\u2018 I mentioned, spotting an elegant fa\u00e7ade with subdued lighting. \u201cMediterranean fusion. Acceptable?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to try it,\u201d he replied, his formality never wavering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The ma\u00eetre d\u2018 recognized me immediately, his professional smile widening as he led us toward a secluded corner booth. Halfway across the dining room, I noticed Aiden\u2019s attention fixed elsewhere, his usual composure briefly fractured by interest. Following his gaze, I saw a familiar\u00a0<\/p>\n
profile framed by golden hair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar Wright.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something inexplicable pulled me toward her table. Perhaps curiosity. Perhaps confusion at her continued appearances in my life. Whatever it was, I found myself changing direction, Aiden following silently beside me\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCedar?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked up, startled. But it wasn\u2019t her surprise that froze the blood in my veins. It was the child sitting across from her\u2013Aria. My daughter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My silent, withdrawn daughter who barely tolerated the presence of strangers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMiss Wright,\u201d Aiden greeted her formally, though I caught the subtle warmth in his eyes before they darted to his sister.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar straightened, visibly disoriented. \u201cMr. Sterling, Aiden. What a surprise.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I barely registered her words. My focus remained on Aria, who had gone completely still, her pencil suspended above her sketchpad. My\u00a0<\/p>\n
daughter, who refused to attend social gatherings, who communicated primarily through her art, was sitting comfortably in a public restaurant\u00a0<\/p>\n
with Cedar Wright.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAria,\u201d I said, keeping my voice carefully controlled despite the alarm bells ringing in my mind. \u201cWhat are you doing here with Miss Wright?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar\u2019s eyes widened, darting between Aria and me. I watched realization dawn on her face as she noted our similar features.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Sterling,\u201d she began, clearly struggling. \u201cI ran into Aria at an upscale boutique nearby. Her\u2026 caretaker had left her alone, so I offered to\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:15 Mon Feb 2 DBB.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 93\u00a0<\/p>\n
buy her dinner while waiting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHer caretaker, I repeated, rage simmering beneath my controlled exterYou mean Dalay\u00a0<\/p>\n
She just nodded slightly\u00a0<\/p>\n
60%\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw tightened involuntarily. Another failure in judgment from Daisy. Eped she would have a good reason for that. I see.\u2019 I turned to Aria,\u00a0<\/p>\n
softening my tone. Are you alrigh\u00a0<\/p>\n
To my astonishment, Aria nodded and gestured toward Cedar, then to her sketchbook. Not just comfortable she was communicating, in her\u00a0<\/p>\n
way\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019s been drawing, Cedar explained. \u201cShe\u2019s very talented.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aiden stepped closer to examine Aria\u2019s sketchbook, his movements delibete and controlled. \u201cThis is quite accurate, he observed. \u201cYou\u2019ve captured Miss Wright\u2019s features precisely.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mind raced, connecting impossible dots. Cedar Wright had somehow independently encountered each of my children. First Aiden at her interview. Then Aria. The statistical improbability was staggering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst my eldest son,\u201d I said in a voice only Cedar could hear. \u201cNow my younger daughter. Quite the coincidence, wouldn\u2019t you say, Miss Wright?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shock registered on her face. \u201cI don\u2019t understand,\u201d she whispered, genuine confusion in her\u00a0<\/p>\n
eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you?\u201d The accusation in my tone was unmistakable. \u201cFirst, you somehow form a connection with Aiden. Then I find you with Aria, who hasn\u2019t willingly spent time with anyone but her therapist in three years, yet seems perfectly comfortable with you. What move will you take to\u00a0<\/p>\n
win my other son over?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAria was your daughter?\u201d she repeated numbly. \u201cYou have three kids\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Is that what your investigation told you? Don\u2019t play dumb,\u201d I said, never breaking eye contact. \u201cNow, perhaps you\u2019d like to explain what game you\u2019re playing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched emotions cascade across her face\u2013shock, confusion, disbelief. Ether she was an exceptional actress, or she genuinely had no idea.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not playing any game,\u201d she finally managed, her voice barely audible. didn\u2019t even know you had three children until now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I considered her words, weighing probabilities. The likelihood of these encounters being purely coincidental was minuscule. Yet her confusion seemed genuine, and more significantly, two of my children had responded to her. That alone was unprecedented.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps,\u201d I said after a calculating pause, \u201cwe should all sit down and clear up some apparent misunderstandings.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t a request. To my surprise, she nodded, looking almost relieved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Throughout the meal, I studied Cedar when she was occupied with the children. There was no calculation in her interactions, no agenda I could discern. She responded to each child as an individual, adapting naturally their different needs Aiden\u2019s formality, Aria\u2019s silence. It was\u2026 unsettling how seamlessly she fit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:15 Mon, Feb 2 DB B.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 93\u00a0<\/p>\n
As dessert arrived\u2013chocolate gelato for the children\u2013I leaned slightly toward her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever is happening here,\u201d I said quietly, \u201cI expect your absolute discretion. The existence of all three of my children is not public\u00a0<\/p>\n
knowledge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She nodded, understanding immediately. \u201cOf course.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
68%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as the children finished their dessert, commotion erupted at the restaurant entrance. Daisy Black stood there, face flushed, eyes scanning frantically. When she spotted our table, she rushed over, her practiced concern so transparent it set my teeth on edge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, thank goodness!\u201d she exclaimed, her voice artificially high. \u201cAria, sweetie, I was so worried! I just went to the ladies\u2018 room, and when I\u00a0<\/p>\n
came back, you were gone!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I regarded her with frigid silence, cataloging this latest failure alongside her previous ones.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe security guard said you left over an hour ago,\u201d Cedar said quietly. \u201cFor drinks at the Bellevue Club.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daisy\u2019s face flushed deeper. \u201cThat\u2019s ridiculous! I would never leave Aria alone! He must be confused-\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Enough, I cut her off, my patience exhausted. \u201cWe\u2019ll discuss this later, Ms Black.\u201d I turned to Henderson, who had approached the table. Please escort Miss Black home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aria\u2019s face fell, and she clutched her sketchbook tighter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s late,\u201d I explained gently to her. \u201cWe\u2019ll take you back home. Don\u2019t be afraid, your room is just next to Aiden\u2019s.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As we led Aria away, she turned back once, her eyes meeting Cedar\u2019s in a silent goodbye. Cedar smiled encouragingly, a genuine warmth in her expression that even I couldn\u2019t dismiss as fabricated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the way back, I considered the improbable sequence of events that had connected Cedar Wright to my children\u2013and what it might mean for all of us going forward. One thing was certain: Cedar Wright was either the most remarkable coincidence in my life, or something far more complicated. Either way, I couldn\u2019t afford to let her go just yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our UnfiAnished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 93 Chapter 93\u00a0 68% FA\u00a0 Ridley\u2019s POV\u00a0 […]<\/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-30492","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\/30492","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=30492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30492\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}