The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 46

Chapter 40: Caleb Threats

Bella pov

“Jennifer called me,” I said coldly. “I know about your threats.”

“They weren’t threats.” He finally looked at me, his grey eyes pleading. “They were options. I don’t want to take you to court, Bella. I don’t want to fight you. I just want a chance to know my son.”

“You should have thought about that years ago.”

“I think about it every day.” His voice broke slightly. “Every single day, I think about what I lost. What I threw away. And now that I know he exists, now that I’ve seen him, I can’t just walk away. Please don’t ask me

to.”

“I’m not asking,” I said. “I’m telling you. Stay away from us.”

“Mommy!” Tom’s voice rang out across the lobby, and before I could stop him, he was running toward us, the stuffed penguin clutched in his arms, Maya tried to grab him, but he was too fast.

Tom skidded to a stop between me and Caleb, looking up at the tall man with curious eyes. “Hi! I remember you from yesterday. Are you Mommy’s friend?”

Caleb’s entire body went rigid, his eyes filling with tears he blinked back quickly. “I, I’m…” He looked at me, silently begging for permission to answer.

“He’s no one,” I said, reaching for Tom’s hand. “Come on, baby. We need to go.”

“But I didn’t get to ask about the penguins!” Tom looked between us, confused. “The man looks smart. Maybe he knows about penguins.”

“Tom”

“I love penguins,” Caleb said softly, crouching down to Tom’s level. Up close, the resemblance was even more obvious, the same grey eyes, the same stubborn chin, the same way their eyebrows quirked when they were curious. “They’re my favorite animal.”

“Really?” Tom’s face lit up. “Mine too! Did you know they can hold their breath for twenty minutes?”

“I did know that.” Caleb’s voice was thick with emotion. “And did you know that penguin dads help take care of the babies? They keep the eggs warm while the moms hunt for food.”

“That’s so cool!” Tom stepped closer, completely trusting in the way only children can be. “Do you have any penguin babies?”

The question hit Caleb like a punch. I watched his face crumble, watched him struggle to maintain composure in front of his son.

“No,” he said quietly. “But I wish I did.”

“Tom, we need to go,” I said firmly, pulling on his hand. “Say goodbye.”

“But”

Chapter 40 Etels-Threats

“Now, Tom.” My voice came out sharper than I intended, and Tom’s face fell.

“You’re being mean again,” he said, his lower lip trembling. “I was just talking about penguins.”

+25 Points

“I know, baby. But we have to go.” I pulled him away from Caleb, who stood slowly, his eyes never leaving Tom’s face.

“It was nice to meet you,” Caleb said to Tom, his voice barely above a whisper. “Maybe we can talk about penguins again sometime.”

“Okay!” Tom waved enthusiastically as I dragged him toward the exit. “Bye, mister!”

Maya fell into step beside us, carrying our bags and shooting me worried looks. Tom chattered about penguins the whole way to the car, completely oblivious to the fact that he’d just had his first real conversation with his father.’

Once we were in the car and Tom was buckled in with his headphones on watching a movie, Maya turned to me with serious eyes.

“He followed you here,” she said quietly. “Bella, this is escalating.”

“I know.” I gripped the steering wheel hard enough to hurt. “Jennifer says he’s threatening legal action if I don’t meet with him.”

“Then meet with him,” Maya said. “Set boundaries, work out an agreement, do whatever you need to do. But Bella, you can’t keep running from this. It’s not fair to Tom.”

“Fair to Tom?” I turned to glare at her. “What’s not fair is Jetting that man into his life just so he can disappoint him later. What’s not fair is risking my son’s heart on a man who threw us away like garbage.”

“He was lied to,” Maya said gently. “The evidence proves that, Bella. He’s not the villain you want him to be.”

“He told me to abort our baby.” My voice shook. “That makes him a villain, Maya. Nothing changes that.”

“You’re right,” she said. “But Tom deserves a chance to know his father. And if you don’t give him that chance, he’s going to resent you for it someday.”

I didn’t respond because I knew she was right. I just started the car and drove back to the hotel, my mind spinning with impossible choices.

We were halfway there when my phone buzzed with an sss notification. I ignored it until we were parked, then opened it while Maya took Tom upstairs.

It was from a law firm I didn’t recognize. I opened the attachment with shaking hands and felt my world tilt.

PETITION FOR PATERNITY DETERMINATION AND CUSTODY EVALUATION

Caleb James Black vs. Isabella Marie Hart

Petitioner seeks court-ordered DNA testing to establish paternity of minor child, and requests temporary supervised visitation pending outcome of custody evaluation…

Chapter 40 – Threate

The legal language blurred as tears filled my eyes. He’d done it. He’d actually filed.

My phone rang immediately, Jennifer’s name flashing on the screen.

“I just got served,” I said numbly,

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify