Chapter 122: Hundred and Twenty Two

The apartment felt smaller than I remembered.

Maybe it was just the contrast. The two days away, laughter in the air, the lush greenery, moments with Declan still buzzing faintly in my veins. Out there, I’d been able to breathe. Here, the walls seemed to close in around me.

Jacob carried Noah inside while I trailed behind, still dragging my suitcase. Noah was babbling excitedly about something he saw on the drive, but Jacob’s silence was louder than his voice. By the time I set my bag down in the bedroom, Jacob was already leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, eyes sharp.

“So,” he said. The word hung in the air, casual only on the surface. “How was it?”

I forced a smile, trying to keep my tone light. “Fine. Tiring. The hike was harder than I thought, but I managed.”

His gaze narrowed, scanning me as if he could read the truth from my skin. “And Declan?”

My chest tightened. “What about him?”

“Don’t play dumb, Willow.” His voice was quiet, but the edge was there, unmistakable. “You spent the weekend with him. Where was he? With you the whole time?”

I exhaled slowly, keeping my tone even. “He was part of the group, Jacob. Same as everyone else.”

Jacob pushed off the doorframe, stepping closer. His height, his stance, it all felt deliberate, a shadow crowding mine. “I asked if he was with you. Alone.”

“No.” The lie slipped out too fast, too smooth, before I could stop it. My body betrayed me. The slight tremor in my hands, the way I couldn’t meet his eyes. A vision of Declan pressing his lips to my neck flashed in my mind.

Jacob noticed. He always noticed.

“What happened?” he pressed, his voice dropping. “Did he touch you? Did he say something?”

“Jacob, please.” I sighed, pressing my thumb to my temple, rubbing it too soothe the sudden searing pain that was growing in the spot.

“Don’t you dare lie to me.” His jaw clenched. “You think I don’t see it? You got off the bus together. And I see the look on your face, Willow. Different. Like you’ve been somewhere else.”

Heat prickled the back of my neck. “I’m telling you the truth. Nothing happened.”

But my voice lacked conviction. I could hear it myself.

Jacob’s hand curled into a fist at his side, then released. He paced once, twice, before pinning me with a stare that made my stomach turn. “You think I don’t know what he’s doing? He wants to take what’s mine. He wants to take you.”

“I’m not…” My throat constricted, unable to say the words. I couldn’t finish.

He stepped closer, his voice a low hiss. “I won’t let that happen.”

The air felt heavy, suffocating, pressing down on me until all I could do was stand there, trapped between the wall and his body towering over mine.

And then, mercifully, Noah’s small voice cut through the tension.

“Mommy?”

We both turned. Noah stood in the hallway, rubbing his eyes, his stuffed dinosaur dangling from his hand. He looked between us with the innocent curiosity only a child could have.

“Yeah, baby?” I crouched down quickly, desperate to pull him into my arms. Some sort of shield for me, for him.

He tilted his head, his voice careful. “Why do some kids have two daddies?”

I felt my heart sink.

I blinked at him, my heart stumbling. “What do you mean?”

“At school,” Noah said simply. “Arjun has two daddies. He said it’s normal. Do I have two daddies too?”

The innocence in his voice sliced right through me. I felt Jacob’s stare burn into the side of my face.

My mouth opened, but no sound came out. My brain scrambled for an answer, for a way to patch the crack Noah had unknowingly pried open.

“No,” Jacob said firmly, too quickly. His voice was clipped, final. “You have me. That’s enough.”

Noah’s brows furrowed. “But… he said sometimes kids have two daddies or two mommies or even two families. Arjun lives with one dad during the summer and the other dad the rest of the time.”

Jacob’s jaw tightened. I could see the anger firing in him again, his body taut with the fury burning inside.

God, Noah. Not a good time.

I reached for Noah, pulling him into my arms, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “You just have one daddy who loves you very much,” I said softly, forcing steadiness into my voice. “That’s all you need to know.”

But the words felt brittle, hollow. My chest ached at the question. Fuck. Noah could have this reality. Two families. Two fathers.

Noah nodded slowly, satisfied enough to shuffle off toward his room. His little footsteps faded, the door closing behind him.

And then the silence returned.

Jacob’s eyes were still on me, sharp and unyielding. “See what you’ve done?” His voice was low, accusing. “You’ve confused him. All because you let that man linger around us like he belongs here.”

I shook my head, clutching the doorframe for balance. “I didn’t tell Noah anything.” I gulped, “That boy at school…his parents are divorced. And that’s probably -”

“You don’t have to. Kids pick up on things. He saw you with Declan, didn’t he? He felt it. And now he’s asking questions.”

My throat burned. “You’re twisting this.”

“No, Willow,” Jacob snapped, stepping closer again. “I’m protecting what’s mine.”

His words lodged like ice in my chest. Mine.

I couldn’t breathe.

The walls closed in tighter. The retreat, the laughter, the soft, sweet moments with Declan, it all felt like some dream I had barely woken from. And now here I was, back in the harsh daylight of my reality, with Jacob’s suspicion

pressing down on me and no air left in my lungs.

I had allowed myself to detach from my reality. I shouldn’t have.

I turned away, retreating into the bedroom before the tears could spill. Behind me, I heard Jacob mutter something under his breath, too low to catch, but the bitterness in his tone was enough to make my heart twist.

I sank onto the edge of the bed, head in my hands.

And for the first time, I thought of one thing I never had. Leaving.