Chapter 83 083
RYAN
Aaron stood across the room like he had been waiting for this moment.
The air between us felt tense. Heavy. Like something was about to snap.
I leaned back slightly against the pillows, watching him carefully. He had not said a word since he walked in, but his silence felt louder than anything else in the room.
The steady beeping of the monitor beside me only made it worse, like a countdown I could not see but could feel ticking under my skin.
“What?” I finally said, my voice sharp.
Aaron did not respond.
He just kept staring at me. Not casually. Not like a friend checking in. This was different. This was the kind of look you gave someone when you were trying to decide if they were still the same person you used to know.
I exhaled slowly, irritation creeping in.
“If you have something to say, say it.”
He scoffed.
The sound was quiet, but it carried enough disbelief to make my jaw tighten.
“You really don’t remember her?” he asked.
I frowned.
“Who?”
“Emily.”
The name landed, but it meant nothing.
I shook my head.
“No.”
Aaron studied my face like he was searching for something buried deep inside me, something he refused to believe was gone.
“For real?”
“I said no.”
My tone hardened.
“I don’t remember her.”
Silence stretched between us again. It dragged, uncomfortable and thick, pressing in on my chest.
Then I added, colder this time, “And before you start, my mother already told me everything I need to know about her.”
Aaron let out a short laugh.
But there was no humor in it. It sounded hollow. Bitter.
“Your mom told you everything?” he repeated.
“Yes.”
I held his gaze, unblinking.
“So whatever this is, you can save it.”
Aaron’s expression shifted. The disbelief sharpened into something else. Frustration. Anger. Maybe even disappointment.
“Wow,” he muttered.
“What?”
He took a step closer.
“You’re just going to believe her like that?”
My patience thinned.
“She’s my mother.”
“And she’s lying.”
The words came out without hesitation. No pause. No doubt.
My eyes narrowed.
“You want to repeat that?”
“I said she’s lying.”
Something inside me snapped slightly at the certainty in his voice. Not loud. Not obvious. But enough to make my chest feel tight.
“And you would know better than my own mother?”
Aaron dragged a hand through his hair, pacing once before stopping in front of me again.
“Yes. I would.”
I let out a dry chuckle.
“That’s interesting.”
“It’s the truth.”
I shook my head slowly.
“No. What’s interesting is that everyone suddenly has an opinion about a woman I don’t even remember.”
My voice dropped.
“And somehow I’m supposed to believe you over my own family.”
Aaron stepped closer to the bed, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made it hard to look away.
“You don’t even realize what’s happening, do you?”
“Enlighten me.”
“You’re being manipulated.”
The word settled heavily in the room.
I stared at him, my expression unreadable.
“You done?”
His jaw tightened.
“No.”
“Then make it quick.”
Aaron leaned forward slightly, his voice lowering.
“The version of Emily your mom fed you? That’s not who she is.”
I felt irritation spike again, sharp and immediate.
“I don’t care who she is.”
“You should.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s—”
The door burst open before he could finish.
The sudden sound cut through everything.
Both of us turned.
Miranda rushed in, her heels clicking sharply against the floor, her grip tight around a small hand.
And that was when I saw her.
A little girl.
Her face was flushed, her cheeks wet with tears, her small body shaking as sobs wracked through her.
“Mummy… I want mummy…”
The sound hit something in me.
Not a memory.
Something deeper.
Instinct.
My chest tightened.
“Miranda, what’s—”
The little girl looked up.
Her tear filled eyes found mine.
And everything shifted.
“Daddy!”
The word slammed into me.
Before I could react, she pulled free from Miranda and ran toward me like there was no space between us at all.
Like she had done it a hundred times before.
My body moved before my mind could catch up.
I caught her as she climbed onto the bed, her arms wrapping tightly around my neck as she buried her face against me.
“They took mummy,” she cried.
Her voice broke on every word.
My hand came up to her back without thought, moving slowly, soothingly.
“It’s okay,” I said.
The words came easily.
Too easily.
“I’ve got you.”
I held her closer, my palm pressing gently against her hair, grounding her. Or maybe grounding myself.
“It’s okay. You’re safe.”
She clung tighter, her fingers gripping my shirt like she was afraid I would disappear too.
Then she pulled back just enough to look at me.
Her eyes searched my face, desperate.
“You didn’t come pick me from school.”
I froze.
“What?”
Her lips trembled.
“You always come.”
Confusion flooded me.
Sharp. Disorienting.
“I…”
Nothing came out.
I did not know what to say.
I looked up.
Aaron was watching me like this was the moment he had been waiting for all along.
“This is what I was trying to tell you,” he said quietly.
I frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
“You used to have your daughter sleep over all the time.”
My head snapped toward him.
“My what?”
“Your daughter.”
The words echoed in my head, loud and impossible.
I looked down at the little girl in my arms.
She fit there too easily.
Like she belonged.
Like she had always belonged.
My chest tightened again, sharper this time.
Slowly, I turned my head toward Miranda.
She stood by the door, unnaturally still.
Silent.
Her gaze dropped the moment our eyes met.
A sound escaped me. Low. Disbelieving.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
No one answered.
The silence said enough.
I looked back at the child, forcing my voice to soften.
“What’s your name?”
She sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.
“Zara.”
Zara.
The name settled into me, deeper than it should have.
I swallowed.
Miranda cleared her throat.
“Ryan, maybe Aaron should—”
“No.”
The word came out firm. Immediate.
Aaron’s brow lifted slightly.
I did not look at him.
I kept my eyes on Miranda.
“No one is leaving.”
The room stilled.
Miranda hesitated, her fingers twisting together.
Then she forced a small smile that did not reach her eyes.
“I just thought it might be better if—”
“I said no.”
My voice dropped.
Lower. Colder.
Final.
Aaron exhaled quietly.
“It’s fine,” he said.
I glanced at him.
“It’s not.”
He shook his head.
“I’ll step out.”
“Aaron—”
“It’s fine, Ryan.”
He held my gaze for a second.
Then he turned and walked out.
The door clicked shut behind him.
Silence fell immediately.
Heavy. Pressing.
Zara shifted slightly in my arms, her small fingers still clutching my shirt like she needed the contact.
I adjusted my hold on her, my hand steady against her back.
Protective.
Natural.
That was what unsettled me the most.
How natural it felt.
I lifted my head slowly.
And finally, fully looked at Miranda.
She stood there, rigid. Watching me now.
Waiting.
The air between us felt charged.
Like one wrong word would shatter everything.
I tilted my head slightly, studying her.
Calculating.
Piece by piece.
Nothing about this made sense.
Not the child in my arms.
Not the way she looked at me.
Not the way my body responded to her without hesitation.
And definitely not the look on Miranda’s face.
Something was off.
Badly off.
My voice came out quieter this time.
“What the hell is going on?”