Chapter One Hundred And Ninety Six

Chapter One Hundred And Ninety Six
Chapter One Hundred and Ninety Six

The night came quietly.

Everyone had freshened up, and soon it was all four of them Mr. Black, Adam, Tia, and little Andy seated around the long dining table.

The table was filled with different dishes, and the chandelier above them gave a warm glow.

Tia sat quietly, trying not to feel too out of place. It was her first night in the Blacks’ mansion here in newyork.

Everything was different here the air, the silence, even the way the servants stood by waiting to serve.

Her eyes moved to Adam.

He was helping Andy cut his meat into small pieces and making sure he drank his juice. Watching the two of them made her chest tighten. Andy smiled as he ate, completely at ease beside his father.

Mr. Black noticed where her eyes were and smiled kindly. “It’s nice to see you again, Tia,” he said, his voice deep but gentle.

Tia smiled back politely. “Thank you, sir.”

Mr. Black shook his head.

“Welcome back, and thank you for giving us an heir,” he said proudly, his eyes softening as he looked at Andy. “This means a lot to me, and I really appreciate you.”

Tia felt her heart melt at his kindness. “It’s okay, sir,” she said quietly, her tone shy but sincere.

“Sir?” he repeated with a light laugh. “No, Tia dad. You call me dad now.”

Tia froze for a moment, not expecting that. Something stung in her chest, and before she could stop it, her eyes grew a bit wet.

She looked down at her plate, smiling faintly. “Thank you… dad,” she said softly.

Mr. Black smiled warmly. “That’s better.”

Adam looked up briefly, catching the small exchange between them. Seeing his father speak so gently to Tia made him grateful. He could tell she was nervous, but she was trying..

They continued eating. Mr. Black, between bites of steak, looked at her again. “So, how’s your brother doing? Haven’t seen him in years.”

The question hit her unexpectedly. Her fingers froze around the fork. “I lost him five years ago,” she said in a low voice.

Adam’s hand paused halfway to his mouth. The guilt he’d been hiding all this time burned inside him again.

That night everything that went wrong he was partly to blame. He wanted to say something, to comfort her, but no words came out.

“I’m sorry for bringing that up, Tia,” Mr. Black said quickly, realizing his mistake. His voice turned soft, apologetic. “We also lost Nana three years back.”

Tia’s eyes widened a bit. “Oh, that's sad ” she said genuinely.

Nana had been her everything.

The revelation shocked her.

The table fell quiet after that. Only the soft clinking of forks and spoons could be heard.

The silence wasn’t awkward it was emotional. Each of them, in their own way, was thinking about loss, about how fast life changes.

Andy, who had been full of energy earlier, began to nod off, his head slowly dropping. Adam noticed and smiled.

“Guess someone’s ready for bed,” he said gently.

Mr. Black chuckled. “He eats like his father. That explains the sleep.”

Adam stood up and carried Andy in his arms, careful not to wake him completely.

“Goodnight, Dad,” he said softly. “I’ll sleep with my son tonight. His room will be ready tomorrow before he moves in.”

“Goodnight, son,” Mr. Black said, his eyes proud.

Tia smiled faintly, watching Adam carry Andy upstairs. That sight father and son always had a way of softening her heart no matter how much she tried to stay firm.

It was soon just her and Mr. Black at the table. The old man dabbed his mouth with a napkin and looked across at her.

“Tia,” he said calmly.

She turned to him. “Yes, dad?”

He smiled at the word “dad.” “Life always throws stones at us,” he said slowly, looking thoughtful. “But you learn to dodge them by letting go of the past.”

His words sank deep into her.

“I hope you understand what I mean,” he added.

“Yes, dad,” she nodded softly. Her voice almost broke, but she managed to keep it steady.

Mr. Black stood and walked over, gently patting her shoulder. “You’re a good woman, Tia. I’m happy you’re here.”

Tia could only nod, her eyes glistening slightly. “Goodnight,” she said, standing too.

“Goodnight, dear,” he said with a fatherly smile.

Tia walked down the quiet hallway toward the guest room she had chosen earlier. She made sure it was far from Adam’s room she needed that distance, even if her heart disagreed.

Inside her room, she closed the door softly and leaned back against it. The night outside was calm, with the city lights glowing faintly through the balcony window.

She sat on the bed, staring at the suitcase she hadn’t finished unpacking.

Her thoughts went to Adam again. The way he looked at Andy, the way he helped him eat, how patient he was none of that matched the man she once hated. He had changed.

She took a slow breath and tried to shake it off. “Don’t start, Tia,” she whispered to herself. “You promised.”

But the truth was, she still felt something something she was scared to admit.

In Adam’s room, he laid Andy gently on the bed and covered him with a blanket. He stood there for a while, watching his son sleep peacefully. His heart felt full.

He thought about Tia’s face at the table, the way she said “dad” to his father. It made him proud and hurt all at once. He knew she was trying to move on, but he also knew she still had pieces of him somewhere deep inside her.

He sat by the window, the night breeze touching his face, and whispered quietly to himself, “I’ll respect her boundaries. But I’ll never stop loving her.”