The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 64

Chapter 58: Under One Roof

Bella POV

Tom pulled back slightly, his grey eyes shimmering with tears. “I heard you and Aunty Maya talking,” he whispered, his small voice breaking, “I woke up and came to find you ’cause I had a bad dream, but you were in the kitchen and… and you said his name. You said Caleb was my daddy but you didn’t want him.”

My breath caught. How long had my baby been carrying this secret? How many nights had he lain awake wondering about the father I’d told him didn’t exist?

I looked at Caleb and saw my own devastation mirrored in his face-the realization that our son had been hurting in silence, confused and scared.

“Yes,” I finally whispered, pulling Tom close again. “Yes, baby. Caleb is your daddy.”

Tom’s little body shook with a sob as he pulled back to look at me, his grey eyes wide and confused. “Really? But you said I didn’t have a daddy.”

“I said your daddy wasn’t with us,” I corrected gently, my heart breaking. “But he’s here now. And he wants to know you very much.”

Tom looked between me and Caleb, processing this information with the careful logic of a three-year-old. “So Mr. Grey Eyes is my daddy? That’s why we have the same eyes?”

“Yes,” Caleb said, his voice rough with emotion. He moved closer, slowly, like he was approaching something precious and fragile. “That’s why we have the same eyes. And the same nose, and the same stubborn chin according to your Aunt Maya.”

Tom touched his own nose, then looked at Caleb’s, comparing. “We do have the same nose! Mommy, look, we match!”

I couldn’t speak past the lump in my throat, could only nod while tears streamed down my face.

“Are you sad?” Tom asked, his little face worried. “Is it bad that Caleb is my daddy?”

“No, baby,” I managed, pulling him close. “It’s not bad. Mommy’s just feeling a lot of things right now.”

“Happy things or sad things?” Tom persisted.

“Both,” I admitted. “Sometimes grown-ups feel happy and sad at the same time.”

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Tom seemed to accept this, his attention already shifting back to Caleb. “Do daddies give hugs? Because I’m really good at hugs.”

Caleb’s face crumpled, and he dropped to his knees, opening his arms. “Daddies give the best hugs.”

Tom didn’t hesitate, launching himself at Caleb with all the trust and enthusiasm of childhood. Caleb caught him, wrapping him in his arms and pressing his face into Tom’s hair, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

I turned away, giving them privacy, and found Maya standing there with tears in her own eyes. “You did the right thing,” she whispered.

Chapter 58nder One Roof

Then why does it feel like I just gave away a piece of my heart?” I whispered back.

+25 Points

“Because you did,” Maya said gently. “But Bella, look at them. Tom deserves this. And so does Caleb.”

I looked back to see Tom patting Caleb’s face, clearly concerned about the tears. “Don’t cry, Daddy. Crying is okay, but you don’t have to be sad. I’m here now!”

The innocent comfort from a child to his father shattered something in me. I sank onto the nearby couch, my legs too weak to hold me up anymore.

“Mommy needs to rest,” Tom announced, abandoning Caleb to climb into my lap. “She had a big morning. We were ninjas and everything.”

“You’re right,” Caleb said, wiping his face and standing up. “Your mommy had a very big morning. Why don’t I show you to your room? You can pick which one you want.”

“I get my own room?” Tom’s eyes went huge. “Really?”

“You get your own room with your own bathroom and whatever toys you want,” Caleb said. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Tom grabbed Caleb’s hand without hesitation, already chattering about what color his room should be. They disappeared down a hallway, Tom’s voice echoing through the massive penthouse.

The moment they were gone, I put my head in my hands and let myself fall apart.

“Hey,” Maya sat beside me, rubbing my back. “It’s going to be okay.”

“How?” I asked, my voice muffled. “How is any of this okay? The media knows about Tom, we’re trapped here, I just told my son that the man who rejected him is his father, nothing about this is okay.”

“But Tom is okay,” Maya pointed out. “He’s excited, actually. Did you see his face? He’s always wanted a dad, Bella. And now he has one.”

“For how long?” I asked bitterly. “How long until Caleb realizes being a father is hard work? How long until the novelty wears off and he goes back to being the ice king who only cares about business?”

“Maybe he won’t,” Maya said. “Maybe he’s actually changed. You saw him with Tom, Bella. That wasn’t fake. That was real emotion, real love.”

ľ

Before I could respond, Caleb’s assistant appeared from somewhere in the penthouse, a professional woman in her forties with kind eyes and an efficient manner.

“Ms. Hart, I’m Lisa, Mr. Black’s executive assistant,” she said. “I’ve prepared the guest wing for you. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a small sitting area. I’ve also taken the liberty of ordering some essentials, clothing and toiletries that should arrive within the hour.”

“Thank you,” I said, feeling overwhelmed by the efficiency.

“Mr. Black wanted me to assure you that you have complete privacy,” Lisa continued. “The guest wing has its own entrance, its own security system. You’re not trapped here, Ms. Hart. You’re protected here. There’s a difference.”

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