The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 45

Chapter 39: Battle Lines

Bella POV

The aquarium trip was supposed to distract Tom from yesterday’s tension, but I couldn’t stop checking over my shoulder, half-expecting Caleb to appear around every corner. Maya noticed my paranoia and kept shooting me concerned looks while Tom pressed his face against the glass of the shark tank, completely oblivious.

“Big fishies!” Tom pointed at a hammerhead gliding past. “Mommy, look at his funny head!”

“I see it, baby.” I crouched beside him, one hand on his shoulder, always touching, always making sure he was close. “Hammerhead sharks use their special heads to find food in the sand.”

“Cool!” Tom’s eyes went wide with wonder, and for a moment, I could almost forget the disaster waiting for us back at the hotel.

Almost.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see a text from Jennifer.

Emergency. Call me NOW.

My stomach dropped. I stood up quickly, scanning the aquarium for threats. “Maya, can you stay with Tom for a minute? I need to make a call.”

“Of course.” Maya moved closer to Tom, who was now narrating a story about the sharks to himself. “Take your time.”

I walked to a quieter corner near the jellyfish exhibit and called Jennifer back, my heart pounding.

“Bella, where are you?” Jennifer’s voice was tight with stress.

“At the aquarium with Tom. What’s wrong?”

“Caleb Black just called me directly,” she said, and my blood turned cold. “He wants to meet. Says he has a proposal regarding a ‘family matter’ and that if you don’t agree to see him, he’ll be forced to take legal action.”

“He’s threatening me?” Rage replaced fear, hot and sharp. “After everything, he’s actually threatening me?”

“Technically, he’s being very careful with his wording,” Jennifer said. “But yes, that’s

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< Chapter 38: Bella Dilemma-2

you that snack. What do you want?”

+25 Points

“Goldfish!” His face brightened immediately, the resilience of childhood on full display. “And juice!”

While Tom settled back at the table with his crayons, I mechanically pulled out goldfish crackers and juice, my mind replaying the moment Caleb saw Tom for the first time. The raw devastation on his face, the way his entire body had trembled, the tears he couldn’t quite hide.

He’d looked at Tom the way I’d always dreamed a father would look at his son, with wonder and love and desperate longing. And it terrified me.

My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number, but I knew who it was before I even opened it.

I saw him. I saw our son. And Bella, he’s beautiful. Thank you for keeping him safe all these years, for raising him into such a bright, sweet boy. I know you don’t believe me, but I meant what I said. I’m not giving up on being his father. I’m not giving up on us. However long it takes, whatever I have to do, I will prove I’ve changed. I will prove I’m worthy of being in his life. You kept him safe from me when I was the monster. But I’m not that man anymore. And one day, I’ll find a way to prove it to you.

I stared at the message for a long time, my vision blurring with tears I refused to let fall.

Tom looked up from his drawing, goldfish crumbs on his shirt. “Mommy? Can we still go to the aquarium tomorrow? You promised.”

“Yes, baby,” I said, forcing brightness into my voice. “We can definitely go to the aquarium.”

“Will Aunt Maya come too?”

“If she wants to.” I sat down next to him and picked up a crayon, pretending everything was normal even as my world crumbled around me.

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