Chapter 85 Chapter 85
Amelia
The moment I shut the bathroom door, my knees almost gave out. I quickly turned the tap on, letting the water run just so there would be noise. My hands gripped the edge of the sink as I stared at my reflection in the mirror.
Who took the girls out? How did Rafe manage to see them and even snap a picture without whoever was with them noticing?
My breathing became uneven.Was this Declan’s doing? Questions kept flooding my head, one after another, not giving me a second to think straight.
My heart pounded violently against my ribs. What if it had been Maxwell who saw them? He would have investigated immediately, he would not let something like that go. And just like that my cover would have been blown.
For a brief second, I considered walking back into the bedroom and telling him everything myself. Maybe it would be better if it came from me instead of him discovering it on his own. But the consequences of that thought alone made my stomach twist.
I stayed in the bathroom longer than necessary, splashing water on my face again and again until my breathing slowed. Then suddenly, the bathroom door opened.
I froze. Maxwell stepped inside, his brows drawn together in concern.
“Are you okay, Mel?” he asked softly, walking toward me quickly. His hand rubbed my back gently.
I forced a small smile. “I’m fine. I just felt a little dizzy and decided to splash water on my face.”
He looked at me closely, studying every inch of my expression. “You sure? You look pale.”
My heart skipped. I stepped closer to him before he could ask more questions. I placed my hands on his chest and ran them slowly downward. I knew he liked that and knew it would distract him.
“I’m fine,” I repeated softly. Then I leaned up and kissed his lips, deeper than necessary, hoping it would shift his focus.
His body relaxed slightly. Still, his eyes searched mine for a moment longer. “Let’s go back inside,” I said gently. He nodded, and we walked back into the bedroom.
I forced my face into something neutral. But inside, I was anything but calm. That night, I didn’t sleep. Maxwell eventually drifted off beside me, his breathing slow and steady, one arm resting over my waist.
But my eyes remained open in the darkness.Every worst-case scenario replayed in my mind.
The next morning, I was at Adele’s apartment before noon. I barely remember the drive there. My mind had been racing the entire time.
She opened the door wearing a silk robe, the moment she saw my face, her eyebrows lifted.“What happened? You didn’t sleep at all last night, did you?” she asked immediately.
I didn’t answer, I just walked past her and into the living room, dropping my bag on the couch before sitting down heavily.
She closed the door slowly. “Amelia,” she pressed.
I swallowed. “Maxwell has somehow found out about the girls.”
Adele blinked. “No way.”
“Rafe saw them at the park,” I continued, my voice low. “He thought they looked familiar, like they were somehow related to the Sinclairs. So he took pictures of them.”
Adele’s eyes widened. “And he showed them to Maxwell.”
She froze. “And?” she asked carefully.
I let out a shaky breath. “He’s convinced they are his. He told me this morning that he wouldn’t mind spending his last resources to find them.” My voice dropped to almost a whisper. “He thinks they belong to Rhea.”
Adele stared at me. “But it won’t take long before he figures out they are mine,” I added quietly.
Silence filled the room. Adele muttered a curse under her breath and ran a hand through her hair.
“I don’t even know who took them out,” I said as I stood up and began pacing. “What if Maxwell had been there instead of Rafe? What if he had actually met them? What if they told him I’m their mother?” My breathing started picking up again.
“Calm down,” Adele said firmly, standing up.
“I am not panicking,” I snapped.
“You are,” she replied, calm but unyielding.
I stopped pacing and buried my face in my hands. “What do we do?” I finally asked, my voice smaller now.
Adele was quiet for a few seconds, thinking. Then she spoke. “We go to your parents first. We tell them the girls shouldn’t go anywhere near that park again.”
I looked up. “For now, they only go to school. Nowhere else,” she added.
I frowned. “Isn’t that too harsh? They are kids. And I don’t even know if my parents will agree to that.”
“It’s not forever,” Adele said. “Just for a while. Until Maxwell either finds nothing or gets tired of searching.”
I rubbed my face, exhaustion pressing heavily on me. “And besides,” she continued, “it’s easier to get information from Rafe. We can use that. If Maxwell is searching, we need to know how and where. We can throw him off if necessary.”
I slowly lifted my head.“You are right,” I said quietly.
She gave me a firm nod. “We handle this before it grows bigger.”
By afternoon, we were at my parents’ house. The moment I saw girls run toward me, laughing, my heart both melted and broke at the same time.
They threw themselves into my arms. “Mommy!” I hugged them tightly, breathing them in, making sure they were safe.
We spent the next hour playing in the living room. I forced myself to smile, to laugh, to act normal. But inside, the fear hadn’t left.
Later, when the girls were distracted with their toys, I pulled my mother aside.
“Mom,” I said quietly, “did you take them to the park?”
She smiled, “yes, and they totally loved it.” She paused. “Did your dad send you the pictures?”
I shook my head, “No but someone else did.” I said and she stared at me in confusion. “Can you please not take them back there or take them out at all for a while?”
She looked at me carefully. “Back where?”
“The park.”
Her eyes sharpened. “Did something happen, who saw them and decided to take pictures of them without our consent, is it their dad?” She asked.
“Someone close to me and I somehow got to know about it.” I admitted. “Please don’t bring them out for now.”
She crossed her arms. “Amelia, you can’t keep hiding these kids forever because of your selfishness, they will grow up and hate you for it one day. What if it was their dad that saw them ?”
The question hit me harder than I expected. “I will tell him about them ,” I said quickly. “Not just soon.”
She studied me for a long moment, then sighed. “You can’t hide the truth forever, Amelia.” I knew that.
That evening, I returned home trying to act normal. Dinner was already set by the time I walked in. The smell of food filled the dining room, but the atmosphere felt anything but warm.
Maxwell was already seated at the table, quiet and distant.
He didn’t look up immediately when I entered. He just continued staring at his plate like he was deep in thought. I took my seat across from him, forcing myself to breathe normally.
We had barely started eating when Rhea walked in like she belonged there. Without asking, she pulled a chair and sat down beside Maxwell.
My stomach tightened. “Maxwell,” she began smoothly, folding her hands on the table, “I kept refreshing my account all day waiting for an alert.”
She paused dramatically. “Still nothing.”
He didn’t look at her. He simply continued cutting his food calmly, like she wasn’t even there.
Her smile stiffened. “It seems to me,” she continued, “that you don’t really care about seeing your son. Or maybe you want to lose everything to Declan?”
Maxwell still didn’t respond. Rhea waited a few seconds, then her expression hardened when she realized he was ignoring her.
“I’m serious,” she pressed. “When will you wire the money?” She leaned forward slightly now, lowering her voice.
“If you don’t send it by this weekend, I’m moving back. And if I leave…” she paused, letting the threat hang in the air, “…you will never get the opportunity to meet your son.”
Maxwell finally lifted his gaze.The look in his eyes made my pulse jump. “I dare you to leave, Rhea,” he said calmly. “You would regret hiding those kids from me.”
Rhea blinked.
“Kids?” she repeated, confusion flashing across her face.
For a second, even I stopped breathing. His phone suddenly beeped. Maxwell glanced down at the screen. He read whatever message had come in, then gave a small nod to himself.
Slowly, he turned back to Rhea. “I will arrange for the money to be wired to you this weekend,” he said evenly. “On Saturday. Precisely.”
Rhea’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “But,” he continued, his eyes locking onto hers, “I want to meet my son immediately.”