Chapter 86

ANASTASIA’S POV

I watched as Nolan held Hailey so gently, his large hands supporting her fragile frame. I stood beside him as he admired her. His brows were furrowed as if he was still fighting to feel joy through all the pain.

“I should’ve been here,” he murmured, barely above a whisper.

“You can still be,” I said softly.

His jaw clenched.

Nolan turned slightly, not enough to face me completely. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” I asked, although I already knew.

“Act like everything’s fine now,” he said, voice low and tight. “Like I can just forget what you did.”

My heart sank. “I’m not asking you to forget,” I said quietly.

He looked back at Hailey, gently swaying her as she nestled deeper into his chest. “I missed a whole week of her life because I thought she was his.”

“I know,” I whispered, my voice catching. “And I hate myself for that.”

For a long moment, there was nothing but the sound of the low hum of the air conditioner.

“I’m moving back in,” he said firmly.

My head snapped up. “What?”

“I’m not doing this from a hotel room,” he said, brushing a thumb over Hailey’s soft cheek. “I’m not giving Ivan the chance to steal my child from me.”

I wanted to agree with what he said and let the relief wash over me. But my stomach clenched with dread at the thought of Ivan.

“No,” I said firmly.

Nolan blinked. “No?”

“You can’t stay here," I said.

His brows drew together. “Why the hell not?”

I hesitated for a moment. “Because Ivan comes here every day. He watches the house. Sometimes he parks across the street and just... sits there. Other times he comes into the house to threaten me.”

Nolan’s body stiffened. “You let him come here?”

“I didn’t have much of a choice,” I snapped. “He forced his way into our lives and wouldn’t go. He is always lurking. I’ve been planning to leave, but it has been difficult since he had eyes on me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?" he asked.

“You weren’t talking to me, Nolan. You weren’t answering my calls or texts.”

He turned away for a second, running a hand over his face.

“So let’s move,” I said, stepping closer. “Let’s leave tonight. Before he comes back.”

He stared at me, unreadable. “You want me to move with you?”

“I want Hailey to be safe,” I said. “And I want us to be in a space where neither of us feels suffocated by everything that’s happened here.”

Nolan looked back at the baby. “You really think he’ll come back?”

“I know he will,” I said. “It’s only a matter of time. And I don’t trust what he’ll do when he finds out you’ve come back.”

He let out a sigh, then slowly walked over to the bassinet and gently laid Hailey inside. She stirred a bit but didn’t wake. He stood over her for a moment, then turned to me.

“Where will we go?” he asked after a few minutes. “I can quickly plan something,” he said, pulling out his phone.

“No, I have a place in mind,” I said. “A small apartment. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s secure. And more importantly, Ivan doesn’t know about it.”

He turned to look at me then. “You already rented a new place?”

I nodded. “Athena helped me get it some days ago. I was planning to move out anyway. I couldn’t stay here anymore, not with him coming around.”

"Good call," Nolan's face twitched, and he nodded slowly. “I’ll help pack.”

I blinked, surprised by how quickly he agreed.

“Oh shit, I forgot I didn’t come here alone,” Nolan burst out suddenly.

“Huh?” I asked , confused.

“Camila brought me here,” he said, already tapping on his phone’s screen.

I nodded, watching him as he put the phone on speaker and joined me in packing.

“Camila,” he said when she answered. “Change of plans.”

There was a pause, then her voice crackled through the speaker. “What do you mean, change of plans? Are you staying the night?”

“No,” he said, his voice steady. “We’re moving out tonight. Anna already has a place ready, we just need an extra car to carry some of the stuff.”

There was a beat of silence before she responded, "Wait... you and Anna are moving out together? Like, right now?”

“Yes,” Nolan said firmly. “I’ll explain everything later, but it’s urgent. Ivan’s been showing up here and watching the house, sometimes coming inside. It’s not safe.”

“Uh, there’s still a lot I don’t understand pretty boy, but we’ll save it for later,” Camila muttered. “Do you need help packing?”

“No, we’ve got it,” he replied quickly. “Just get Dimitri down here fast, we’ll be done soon.”

“Okay,” she said, still sounding a little stunned. “I’ll let him know. 

“Thank you for helping out,”  I responded softly.

“She’s my daughter too,” he said as he turned to face me. “But we’re not playing house, Anna, this doesn’t mean I trust you again," he added sharply. 

“I know,” my voice came out in a low tone. 

“I’m only doing this for Hailey. Don’t confuse it with something it's not," he retorted.

The words hit harder than I expected, but I nodded as he brushed past me and headed to the closet again.

“I’ll start with Hailey’s things,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

We moved like strangers around each other, packing in silence. Only the occasional shuffle of boxes and rustle of clothes filled the room. After packing the things in the room, Nolan moved to Hailey’s nursery to get her clothes.

“You remember where I kept the baby bottles?” I asked gently.

He pointed without looking at me. "The top cabinet by the microwave.”

I opened it and began pulling things down, and we each focused on different things, strange silence settling between us as we packed faster. 

It didn’t take long before the bags were piled up by the front door. The silence between us hadn’t eased, but it had become… familiar. Like we’d both accepted that the weight of everything unsaid was better than saying the wrong thing.

Nolan walked out first, carrying Hailey’s carrier carefully in one hand and a diaper bag slung over his shoulder. I pushed the suitcase with Hailey’s clothes ahead of me as I followed him to the trunk of the car where Camila was waiting for us.

“Wow... she’s really cute,” Camila said as she collected the carrier from Nolan and strapped Hailey into the backseat. 

As if on cue, Dimitri drove into the compound. He got down and walked up to us. “I hope I’m not late,” he said.

“Let’s pack the rest into your car,” Nolan said to Dimitri as they both walked into the house.

They packed everything that was left in one trip and arranged them in Dimitri’s car. 

Nolan walked up to the backseat where Hailey and I were sitting. “You drive with Camila. I’ll follow with Dimitri,” he said. “We shouldn’t all be in the same car in case something happens.”

My stomach twisted at his words, but I nodded. He wasn’t wrong.

Camila slid into the driver's seat, and Nolan gave us both a tense but lingering look before entering Dimitri’s car.

As we pulled out of the driveway, I looked back one last time. The porch light flickered weakly, and for a moment, I could almost see Ivan’s shadow in the corner.