Chapter 25: Truth Reveal

The next morning, my eyes slowly open. A soft light is spreading through the room. Out of habit, I extend my hand to the side, but the other half of the bed feels empty. For a moment, my heart panics. I quickly open my eyes fully and look around he isn’t beside me.

I lift my gaze and look around the room.

He is standing near the mirror, buttoning his shirt, folding his sleeves. His movements are calm, as if everything is under control. The morning light falls on his face, and seeing him like this fills me with a strange warmth.

I sit up on the bed, leaning slightly, and ask in a loving voice, “Are you going somewhere again today?”

He looks at me through the mirror, then turns toward me with a smile.

“No,” he says, “today I’m staying with you… my babydoll.”

The moment I hear those words, a smile automatically appears on my face. I move a little closer while still sitting on the bed. He comes over and sits on the edge of the bed near me. There is a softness in his eyes that I rarely see.

Leaning toward me gently, he asks, “Did I hurt you too much?”

His question touches my heart directly. I stay quiet for a few moments, then say softly, “Yes… you did hurt me.”

Then, looking into his eyes with a faint smile, I add, “But in that pain, I also found peace.”

He looks slightly surprised, then suppresses a smile and says, “So you’re getting used to it being hard?”

I start laughing at his comment. For a moment, the room feels lighter, as if all the tension has melted away.

Suddenly, my eyes fall on one corner of the room, and my heart remembers at once.

“Where is Ria?” I ask immediately.

He answers in a completely normal tone, “She’s with Mom.”

I breathe a sigh of relief, “Ohh…”

He stands up and says, “Get ready.”

I nod and reply, “Okay.”

Then he pauses and looks at me. A seriousness appears in his eyes, “In the evening, I need to talk to you about something very important.”

With a little innocence, I ask, “What important thing?”

With a faint smile, he says, “You’ll find out tonight.”

I don’t think much and simply say, “Okay… you go ahead, I’ll come.”

He nods in agreement, looks at me one last time, and then walks out of the room.

A little while later, I come downstairs after getting ready. The moment my eyes fall on the lawn, I stop in my tracks. Little Ria is playing with Neil. Both of them have a small football in their hands. Ria is laughing loudly, kicking the ball with her tiny legs. Her laughter lights up the entire atmosphere.

I am left stunned.

I have never seen Ria this happy before. Her eyes are shining, her cheeks have turned rosy, and she keeps looking at Neil and laughing. Neil, too, is running around her just like a child—sometimes stealing the ball from her, sometimes deliberately falling down so that Ria laughs even harder.

Seeing all this, a smile automatically appears on my lips. Laughing softly, I quickly come down and walk toward them. “What is all this running around?” I ask.

The moment they hear my voice, both of them stop. Neil and Ria look at me with completely innocent faces. In a slightly scolding tone, I say to Ria, “Ria, what kind of manners are these? What if you got hurt?”

Then I turn to Neil and add, “And she’s just a child. You’re an adult. You also become a child along with her.”

Both of them keep staring at me with innocent expressions. Then Ria says in her broken, childish voice, “Don-don’t scold d-daddy!”

Hearing that, I get even more annoyed and say, “Be quiet! You both always end up troubling me.”

Neil immediately holds his ears and says, “Sorry.”

Then he looks at Ria affectionately and says, “Ria, say sorry.”

Ria also holds her tiny ears and says in her babyish voice, “Tolly…”

Looking at both of them, I just nod my head, as if to say, it’s fine, you’re forgiven.

After some time, Neil leaves for the office. The day passes slowly, and by evening it turns into night. Today the wind is quite stormy. Loud sounds come from the windows. My heart starts feeling restless for no reason, as if sensing some unknown storm.

Little Ria has fallen asleep in my lap. Her breathing is calm and steady. I gently run my hand through her hair. Just then, I see Neil entering through the main door.

I immediately say, “Where were you? I got so worried.”

At that moment, my eyes fall on his hand. He is holding a paper. His face looks serious, and there is a strange depth in his eyes. He slowly walks toward me and says, “Kiara… I need to talk to you about something.”

My heart starts pounding faster. Trying to steady myself, I say, “Yes… tell me.”

He takes a deep breath and then says, “The man you hate… the one Ria is connected to… I’ve found out who that person is.”

Hearing this, I am completely shocked. My lips part slightly, my eyes widen, and my heart starts pounding hard.

For a moment, I can’t say anything. My body goes stiff, and my fingers tighten around Ria instinctively, as if holding her a little closer will protect her from whatever is about to come next. My heartbeat grows so loud that I’m sure Neil can hear it.

I swallow hard, “W-what do you mean?” I finally manage to ask. “You… found him?”

Neil nods slowly. His jaw is tight, his eyes filled with a heaviness I’ve never seen before. He looks at Ria sleeping peacefully in my lap, then back at me, “Yes,” he says quietly. “I found him.”

A thousand emotions rush through me at once fear, anger, confusion, pain. My mind starts racing. The memories I’ve tried so hard to bury come flooding back. The loneliness, the humiliation, the nights I cried myself to sleep while holding my unborn child.

“Who is he?” I ask.

TO BE COUNTINUE...!!!