Chapter 1

ZELENE’S POV

“You disappeared eight years ago after that night,” Kevin says quietly, staring at the children beside me. “Don’t tell me these kids are mine.”

My entire body goes still, around us the ballroom keeps moving like nothing just happened. Music drifts through the air while people laugh too loudly near the bar. Waiters weave through the crowd carrying champagne like my entire life isn’t seconds away from falling apart.

But none of it reaches me anymore, Kevin is looking at my children. Casey grips my hand without understanding why my fingers suddenly tightened around his. Cynthia presses closer against my side while Cedric watches Kevin silently, too observant for his own good.

“You’re wrong,” I force out quickly. Kevin’s eyes snap back to mine. “Oh really?”

Shit…….I should’ve left earlier, I should never have come tonight but Marissa kept pushing and I kept thinking one stupid event couldn’t ruin my entire life.

Now Kevin Morales is standing in front of me looking at my children like pieces of a puzzle he’s already starting to solve.

Casey blinks up at him curiously. “Mom, who’s this?”

“Casey,” I cut in too fast, his eyebrows pull together immediately. “What?”

“Don’t interrupt.” His face scrunches slightly. “Okay…… Mommy.” Cedric nudges him quietly. “Leave it.”

Kevin still hasn’t looked away from them. That look on his face used to destroy me once, now it terrifies me because I know exactly what he’s seeing.

Casey has my smile, Cedric has my attitude and Cynthia……has Kevin’s eyes. Kevin takes one slow step closer. “How old are they?” My throat tightens instantly. “Kevin…..”

“Answer me.”

“Why does that matter?” His jaw shifts slightly. “Answer the question.”

My fingers tighten painfully around Casey’s hand while heat rushes hard into my chest. For one dizzy second, I can’t even tell what I’m feeling anymore except that everything inside me feels too loud.

“You can’t show up after eight years and start asking questions about my life.” A muscle jumps in his jaw. “My life?” he repeats quietly. “You disappeared, Zelene.”

The hurt under those words hits harder. I look away first but the second I do, memories hit fast.

Kevin half asleep in my bed years ago, pulling me against him before sunrise because he hated waking up without touching me.

Laughing against my mouth at two in the morning while we burned frozen pizza because neither of us remembered it was in the oven.

Holding my hand under restaurant tables like he physically couldn’t stop himself from reaching for me.

I loved him so much and leaving him nearly destroyed me. I shove all of it down hard before it reaches my face.

“You left,” he says again, voice rougher now. “No call. No goodbye. Nothing.”

“I moved.”

“Bullshit.” The word comes out sharp enough to make Cynthia flinch slightly beside me.

Kevin notices immediately. His expression changes for half a second before softening just a little, and somehow that hurts even worse because he still notices things about me. About them.

Casey studies him curiously. “Do you know our mom?” Kevin’s eyes stay locked on mine when he answers. “Yeah,” he says quietly. “I used to.”

Something twists painfully inside my chest. He used to know me better than anybody. Before things fell apart, before my mother died. Before fear became the thing controlling every decision I made.

I force myself to breathe evenly. “We’re leaving.” Casey immediately groans. “Already? But we just got here.”

“Now, Case.” The sharpness in my voice quiets him instantly. Cedric’s gaze flicks between me and Kevin again, thoughtful in a way I absolutely hate right now.

Then Cynthia tilts her head slightly while looking at Kevin. “You look sad.”

Silence crashes between all of us. Kevin stares at her like she just knocked the air out of his lungs and I can see it happening, the suspicion settling in, the pieces connecting one by one, realization slowly darkening his expression as he looks at them.

He looks back at me carefully. “Your children?” he asks again, quieter this time. My stomach twists so violently I nearly lose my balance. “Yeah.”

His gaze moves over them slowly, then back to me and right there, I know he sees it enough to start digging.

Damn it, I grab Casey’s hand tighter. “We’re leaving.” Casey stumbles slightly trying to keep up while Cynthia stays pressed against my side.

Cedric lingers behind for half a second longer than the others, looking back at Kevin one last time before following me toward the exit.

I keep walking, forcing my steps not to speed up even though every instinct inside me is screaming to run.

Casey keeps talking beside me, something about balloons near the entrance, but I barely hear him over the blood rushing loudly in my ears.

A heart beating so hard it hurts. I never stopped loving Kevin. The problem was what happened after my mother died.

The threats, the missing files, the people who stopped talking to me after my mother died……..it all came crashing down so fast I could barely breathe through it.

Leaving Kevin wasn’t about falling out of love with him. It was about keeping him away from the disaster my life became.

But Kevin never knew that and if he starts searching for answers now…….

Everything buried all these years is about to come back up. Just before we reach the ballroom doors, Kevin’s low voice cuts through the noise behind me.

“Those kids are mine, aren’t they?”