The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 66

Chapter 60: Choice

Bella pov

“I didn’t have a choice,” I said. “The world knows now, even Tom figured it out himself but he was not so sure.”

“Still,” Caleb said, his eyes on our sleeping son. “You could have waited, could have controlled the narrative differently, could have lied but you chose to tell him the truth, you did it gently. That means something.”

We sat in silence for a while, the movie playing unwatched, both of us looking at Tom.

“He accepted it so easily,” I said finally. “Like having a father suddenly appear was no big deal.”

“Kids are resilient,” Caleb said. “They accept what adults complicate.”

“Or maybe he just really wanted a dad,” I said, my voice breaking slightly. “I tried to be enough, tried to give him everything he needed, but I couldn’t be both parents. I couldn’t give him what you can.”

“You gave him everything that matters,” Caleb said firmly. “You gave him love, security, confidence. You raised him into this incredible kid who accepts people at face value and asks if they like penguins instead of judging them. That’s all you, Bella.”

The compliment shouldn’t have affected me, but it did. For years, I’d doubted my parenting, wondered if keeping Tom from his father made me selfish, and questioned every decision I’d made.

“We should get him to bed,” I said, needing to break the moment. “He’ll wake up confused if he falls asleep

here.”

“I’ll carry him,” Caleb offered, carefully scooping Tom into his arms.

I followed them to Tom’s new room, watching Caleb tuck our son into the bed, adjusting the blankets and placing the stuffed penguin within reach. He moved carefully, like Tom was made of glass, with a tenderness I’d never seen from him before. “Goodnight, buddy,” Caleb whispered, pressing a kiss to Tom’s forehead.

We left the room together, closing the door quietly. In the hallway, we stood too close in the dim lighting, and I was suddenly hyperaware of everything-his height, his warmth, the way he smelled like expensive cologne and something uniquely him.

“Bella” he started, stepping closer.

I moved back instinctively, my shoulder hitting the wall. Caleb’s hand came up to steady me, and suddenly he was right there, his body inches from mine, his hand on my arm burning through the thin sweater. “Sorry,” he said, but he didn’t move away. “I didn’t mean to crowd you.”

“It’s fine,” I said, even though it wasn’t. Being this close to him was doing things to my heart rate that I absolutely couldn’t afford. “I should go. Check on Maya, see if she needs anything.”

“Bella, wait,” Caleb said as I tried to slip past him. His hand caught my wrist, gentle but firm. “I just wanted to say, having you both here, seeing Tom call me Daddy, it’s more than I ever thought I’d have. Thank you for giving me this chance.”

Chapter 60 Chore

“You’re welcome.” I managed, pulling my wrist free and practically fleeing down the hallway.

+25 Points

+ found Maya in her room, already changed into pajamas and scrolling through her phone. “The media is still going crazy,” she said, showing me her screen. “But Caleb’s legal team is fast. They’ve already gotten several sites to take down Tom’s photos.”

“Good,” I said, sinking onto her bed, “Maya, how long are we supposed to stay here?”

“As long as it takes,” Maya said. “Bella, I know this is hard. Being under the same roof as Caleb, watching him bond with Tom, but maybe it’s not the worst thing.”

“How is it not the worst thing?” I demanded.

“Because Tom is happy,” Maya said simply. “And because despite everything that happened between you two, Caleb is trying. He’s really trying.”

“That doesn’t fix the past,” I said.

“No, but it might build a better future,” Maya said. “For Tom, if nothing else.”

I left her room and went to my own, closing the door and leaning against it. Through the walls, I could hear the muffled sounds of the penthouse settling for the night, water running, doors closing, the quiet domesticity of shared space.

I should have been relieved to be safe, grateful for the protection, focused solely on Tom’s wellbeing.

Instead, all I could think about was the way Caleb had looked at me in the kitchen, the electricity when we’d touched, the dangerous awareness in the hallway.

I’d spent years building armor against him, convincing myself I felt nothing, that the man who’d destroyed me was dead and buried.

But the truth was, being near him still affected me. His presence still made my skin tingle, my heart race, my body remember things it shouldn’t. And that terrified me more than any media circus ever could.

Because if I wasn’t careful, if I let my guard down for even a moment, Caleb Black would destroy me all over again.

And this time, I wouldn’t survive it.

I climbed into bed, but sleep wouldn’t come. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Caleb with Tom, saw the tears on his face, heard the break in his voice when Tom had called him Daddy.

Sometime around midnight, I gave up trying to sleep and went to check on Tom. His room was dark except for the glow-in-the-dark stars someone had already installed on his ceiling, and he was sleeping peacefully, his penguin clutched tight.

I stood there watching him breathe, this perfect little boy who I’d tried so hard to protect from the world, when a sound in the hallway made me turn.

Caleb stood in Tom’s doorway, clearly having had the same idea, and our eyes met in the darkness.

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