Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 267

Willa froze slightly. She wasn't entirely opposed to the idea of returning.

Switzerland was beautiful, but it would never truly be home.

Sophie visited once a month, staying for a few days before leaving. Corbin, perhaps afraid of making her uncomfortable, only came by occasionally.

Once they left, it was just her and the baby in the house.

Sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night, missing home so much that tears streamed down her face.

"We can help you take care of the baby," Sean added. "Once your dad gets out, he won't have much to do anyway. My business has slowed down, too. Between the two of us old men, we can definitely manage a toddler."

Tears welled up in Willa's eyes. "Okay. I'll come back in a while."

Sophie had just finished making a bottle for Nugget. Seeing Willa's red eyes, she paused. "What's wrong?"

"My dad is getting out of prison. I want to go back."

Sophie sat down next to her, took the baby, and started feeding him. "What about... Randal?"

"He has nothing to do with me anymore."

***

The winters in Switzerland were long.

A thin layer of ice formed over Lake Geneva, and the distant snow-capped mountains glowed with a pale golden hue beneath the sunlight.

Every morning, Willa would push Nugget in his stroller for a thirty-minute walk along the lake, then sit on a bench for a while, watching the pigeons fly overhead.

Nugget loved the pigeons. He giggled every time he saw them, and his bright laughter easily melted Willa's heart.

Less than a month after Nugget's birthday, Corbin returned.

He was alone; Sophie hadn't come with him.

He claimed he was on a business trip and had just dropped by to see them.

Willa didn't call him out on it.

It took over two hours by train from Zurich to Geneva. It was hardly a convenient detour.

She brewed him a hot cup of tea while he sat on the couch holding Nugget.

"Sophie mentioned you're heading back next month?"

"It's nothing," he replied calmly. "I'm just going for a walk."

Without waiting for her response, he turned and left the house.

Willa stood by the window with Nugget in her arms, her eyes tracking Corbin's retreating back.

The little guy squirmed restlessly in her arms, babbling in that direction as if trying to say something.

Corbin stopped under the tree and spoke quietly with the man for a few moments.

The man stepped out from behind the tree. They faced off briefly before the man turned and walked away.

When Corbin returned, Willa was still standing by the window.

Nugget had fallen asleep against her shoulder, his tiny hand clutching a strand of her hair.

Corbin closed the door and looked at her, his expression unreadable. "It was Randal."

He paused before adding, "It wasn't his first time here."

Willa's breath hitched. She thought he had already let go. She hadn't expected him to be this obsessive.