Chapter 2 Bella's POV
Bella’s POV
When the man I was in love with for more than half my life walks on stage, I feel the wind gets knocked out of me. I stiffen, my hands holding Noah tighter than I intend. I hear him wince beside me, but he sounds so far away.
Too far and quiet to be compared to the blood roaring inside my head.
“Shit!” Daniel whispers beside me, his hand landing on my shoulders. “Bella, I didn’t know… Shit. I had no idea. He told me….”
“Mommy,” Noah’s voice finally pierces through. “You are hurting me.”
That does the trick. My breath is heavy as I reduce my grip. “I’m sorry, baby,” I murmur, still unable to take my eyes off the stage.
Off Xander Knight.
He strides up to the stage in a black tux, easily towering over almost everyone in the room. He doesn’t say a word as he drinks it all in, his steel-gray eyes scanning the room without giving anything away.
The man I married. The man I told myself I’d never see again.
“We can leave now if you want,” Daniel murmurs, his voice frantic. “God, I feel so horrible right now.”
I am about to say something when I feel his gaze on me.
Xander’s.
If he is shocked about my sudden presence, he gives nothing away as he pulls his gaze away, addressing the crowd. His tone is as cold as ice, but no one in the room notices.
At least, not in the way I do.
“Bella, please say something,” Daniel whispers again. “I am…”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” My voice shakes. “We are here to see the doctor for Noah’s treatment, and we are not going to leave until we speak to her. I don’t know if we will ever have another chance like this again.”
“Are you sure?”
I turn back to face Xander, listening to him talk about philanthropy, about scalability, about health. Nothing has changed. I should have known.
They are the same words I used to hear across our cold dining table, while I pretended I was not hungry for his look. Just one look. He ends his speech in a melancholic note, yet the whole room applauds, the sound ringing in my ears.
I don’t.
“I don’t think I can wait anymore,” I panic, nudging Noah along. “Let’s go. Now.”
Daniel takes my arms and we turn towards the exit. But Xander appears, standing right in front of us before we can even make it five steps. The ice from earlier is gone, and I can feel the rage bouncing off him in waves.
He takes one look at us, and I see those eyes darken. “This has got to be the most unbelievable thing I have seen in forever,” he sighs, his lips barely moving, yet his words clinging to every fiber of my being.
“What? You got tired of me and moved on to my cousin?”
“Stop it, Xander,” Daniel chides softly, looking around to ensure he isn’t drawing any attention. The Knight family has always been one of order and quiet. God forbid a squabble between the cousins ruin that. “We are at an event.”
“Don’t.” Xander holds a hand up to stop his cousin. His gaze rakes me from head to toe, and stops at my arm still laced with Daniel’s. I see the conclusion in his eyes. It doesn’t matter that I am practically holding on to him for dear life.
I doubt he even sees it.
Those gray eyes drop to the small boy pressed to my side. Noah’s gray eyes, the same pair of eyes, blink up at him. For a split second, my whole world halt.
Time seems to slow down, and my heart thuds hard against my chest when something crosses Xander’s features. I am so certain he is going to figure it out. So scared.
But it is gone before I can make anything of it. So fast, like it was only my imagination.
Daniel notices where his attention is hooked.
“Noah,” he whispers, reaching out to touch the back of his head. Territorial. A strong sentence. The weight in my chest lifts. “Say hi to my cousin.”
“Hi,” Noah whispers, staring at the giant in front of him, his eyes wide with awe.
Xander ignores him. “I warned you, Daniel. Don’t parade her here and expect me to tolerate…this. How did you…Did you expect me to…”
“I wouldn’t have come here if I knew you were hosting,” I finally say, my voice deciding to work. “I had no idea…”
“You shouldn’t have returned at all to New York,” Xander snaps. “What did you think? That you will be received with wide arms?”
He scoffs. “You don’t have to pretend with me, Bella. You came for a spectacle, and I’m guessing you got it. It has always been. It was the reason you were seeing my cousin all the while we were married. I am guessing he was the reason you couldn’t wait to be done with our marriage. You always did have great timing. Straight from my house to his bed, and now with his son.”
I shake my head, the words I should have said to him years ago pulsing on the tip of my tongue. But I can’t. I just can’t.
“Xander, it isn’t what you think.”
“Then what is it?” A muscle jerks in his jaw.
My mouth falls open and then shut again, in rapid succession.
And then, Xander nods. “I thought as much. You have nothing to say.”
“The room is watching, Xander,” Daniel whispers. “Let’s take our business out of the hall. At least, not in front of her ….”
“In front of what?”
“My son.” Daniel’s voice is calm, and I try to hide the sudden flare in my eyes. “You got it right. Noah is my son, and I will protect him with all my might. So, keep your anger in check and out of his vision.”
A smile stretches on Xander’s lips as he steps out of the way. “Congratulations, cousin. I didn’t realize you liked my leftovers.”
Daniel pushes out through the doors, and for a flitting second, I pause when she walks right past me.
The reason I had to leave New York in the first place.
And when her gaze wavers, I think she might have actually seen me.