Chapter 690

Nick's POV

The silence in the car was worse than anything else.

I drove without remembering the route.

Gwen sat with her hands folded in her lap, her fingers moving now and then like she was counting something invisible to keep herself steady.

Heartbeats.

Deadlines.

Fear.

When we got home, Bella was in the living room with Martina, sitting on the floor drawing.

When she saw us, she looked up and smiled.

Small.

Real.

The kind of joy that wrecked me because it had no idea what was coming.

"Daddy!" She jumped up and ran to me with that pure, instinctive sense of belonging I crouched down and hugged her, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Hey, baby." Martina looked at me, then at Gwen, reading the news in our faces.

She didn't ask.She just stood slowly and touched my shoulder.

A silent I'm here.

It took me a full minute to find words that didn't taste like panic.

"Bella...can you come with me for a minute?" I asked.

your room.” She nodded like it

and started up

it wasn't her hand the world had just tried

on the edge of

beside

happened," I started,

And things are going to be...different for a little while." Bella frowned,

how?" I took a

Then another.

air could hold

with Mommy for a few days." The silence that followed

But heavy.

Bella blinked.

looked at her face and felt the full

sweetheart," I said

with me," she said, and her voice carried a hope that should've comforted

I felt Gwen's presence in the

way she stiffened for a second.Martina appeared in the hallway too,

now, like she'd found a plan that made this less

Gwen stepped fully into the room

two?"

at someone who exists

stomach dropped.I looked at

an innocent

It had shape.

Direction.

Intention.

to Bella, trying to

that why..." My throat felt

why you told the man...the man in the suit...that you

Gwen and added, without cruelty, just with that clean certainty children have: "And I'm not Gwen's." Gwen walked closer and crouched down in front of her, at eye

saw the effort it took for her not to look

she was

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