CHAPTER 69 - I’ve always wanted more with you.

“You’re still in love with me, aren’t you?”

I stiffened, feeling my chest tighten. The words hung in the air like an accusation. I never admitted that aloud, at least not to him. But Jayden, always perceptive when it came to his own desires, had pieced it together from my conversation with Grace. The only problem was, he hadn’t heard it all. He hadn’t heard the parts about me being tired, about how I felt suffocated by the whole situation, about how I was already considering an exit strategy. No, he’d only caught the part where I’d hesitantly admitted to still having feelings for him.

His smug smile stretched across his face as he took a step closer, emboldened by the knowledge he’d just gained. “I knew it,” he murmured, as if he’d won some unspoken victory. “You still love me. You’re not as immune to me as you think.”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes, my disgust for him growing with every passing second.

The audacity of it. The arrogance. He had overheard a mere fraction of a conversation and now thought he had the power to manipulate me into staying. How dare he think that this could change anything.

It’s not that simple, Jayden. I’m not some puppet for you to control with your little revelations. You didn’t hear everything. You didn’t hear the part where I’m tired. You didn’t hear the part where I’m trying to figure out how to rebuild myself, to be strong for Jade. You didn’t hear that I’m not focused on you anymore. I’m focused on my daughter. I'm not going to let you twist my feelings. I'm not going to let you use my love against me. I mumbled inside of me.

Standing up from the couch, my movements deliberate, controlled, I turned to him “ You’re really delusional.”

The words left my lips in a rush, as though they’d been sitting inside me, ready to burst forth at any given moment.

Jayden’s face faltered for a moment, his expression flickering with something I couldn’t quite read. But then, his pride returned, stronger than ever. “You don’t have to do this alone,” he said, his voice lower, more coaxing. “I’m here. I’m willing to make this work. I can give you whatever you need, Daphne. I’ve changed. You can't keep denying that you don't love me, c'mon, I'm a ten.”

His words were smooth, too smooth. I could practically hear the rehearsed sincerity in them. He wasn’t saying this because he cared about me or wanted to make things right. He was saying this because, in his mind, this was just another game…a game he intended to win.

I crossed my arms over my chest, refusing to let him see how his words unsettled me. “You’ve changed?” I scoffed, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “In what way? Because you’re suddenly playing house and pretending to care about Jade? Or is this just another one of your calculated moves to keep me here, to make me stay in this marriage longer than the contract?”

Jayden’s jaw clenched, but he said nothing. He knew I was right. He knew that everything he’d done so far had been a series of moves, all designed to keep me locked in this arrangement for as long as possible.

I shook my head, refusing to engage any longer. “You can’t just fix everything with grand gestures. You can’t just buy my love, Jayden. I’m done with that.” I stood taller, my resolve hardening. “And as for this marriage…don’t…don't get any ideas. I’m not staying for you. I’m staying for Jade. To make sure she grows up in a stable home, to make sure she has the love she deserves. But that’s all I’m doing.”

Jayden didn’t respond immediately, and for a moment, I thought he might finally back off. But then he took another step forward, his voice soft and laced with something I couldn’t place. “Daphne, you’ve always been more than just a contract to me. You know that. I’ve always wanted more with you.”

I didn’t say anything. I didn’t need to. His words were hollow, empty. I wasn’t falling for it anymore.

“You should rest,” he said after a long, heavy silence. “I’ll take care of Jade for you. Go to bed.”

The offer sounded too much like a command, but I didn’t argue. I simply nodded and walked past him, heading toward the bed. I didn’t want to acknowledge his presence anymore. I didn’t want to think about the way he’d tried to play me, to twist my feelings into a tool he could use.

The days that followed were filled with strange, unsettling moments. I’d wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of Jade’s soft cries, and when I walked into the nursery, I’d find Jayden already there, gently rocking her back to sleep.

At first, I thought maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe he was just being a concerned father. But then it happened again. And again. Each night, when Jade stirred, Jayden would be there, calm, composed, and entirely in control of the situation.

It should have made me feel something. It should have made me feel comforted, maybe even a little grateful that he was stepping up as a father. But instead, it unsettled me. The small gestures, so meticulously timed, felt too calculated. As though he were trying to prove something to me, trying to show me that he could be the man I needed him to be.

I didn’t know what to make of it.

Is he really trying to change? Or is this just another game? Another manipulation disguised as affection?

One night, I woke up to find Jayden sitting by the crib, his hand gently brushing Jade’s hair as she slept soundly. He didn’t notice me standing in the doorway, watching him. The soft glow of the nightlight cast shadows across his face, making him appear almost... vulnerable. It was a side of him I rarely saw, and I didn’t know what to do with it.

When he finally noticed me, he didn’t look surprised. In fact, he seemed almost... relieved.

“I didn’t want to wake you,” he murmured, his voice low and gentle. “She’s been having trouble sleeping.”

I nodded, unsure of what to say. “You’ve been taking care of her every night.”

His eyes met mine, and for a moment, the walls between us seemed to dissolve. “I know I haven’t been the husband or father you wanted,” he said quietly. “But I’m trying, Daphne. I really am.”

The words were soft, and the look in his eyes was genuine…but I don't know if I could trust it.

I don't know if I can trust him.

I swallowed hard, the tightness in my throat making it hard to speak. “I’m going to bed,” I said, my voice hoarse. “You should go, too. I can handle Jade.”

Jayden didn’t argue. He stood, taking one last look at Jade before leaving the room. As the door clicked shut behind him, I let out a shaky breath, the confusion

inside me growing.

What is he doing? What is he really after?