Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

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

hand and started

world had just tried to pull

sat on the edge of

up beside me, her legs

started, hating

going to be...different for a

I took a

Then another.

could hold the world in

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

But heavy.

Bella blinked.

with me?" My chest tightened.I looked at

sweetheart," I said

play with me," she said, and

felt Gwen's presence in the

us up but stayed outside, not stepping in.Not intruding.I saw the way she stiffened for a second.Martina appeared in the hallway too, quiet, watching the way mothers do when they see their child about to fall.I forced

like she'd found a plan

and Mommy." Gwen stepped fully into the room then, her entire body

you two?" she

did your mom promise, sweetheart? What else did she say?" Bella looked at Gwen the way a child looks at someone who exists in the room but doesn't control the rules.She wasn't mean.She was just...closed."She said...she said she'll

stomach dropped.I looked at Gwen.She understood

wasn't an innocent

It had shape.

Direction.

Intention.

turned back to Bella, trying to keep my

My

you liked staying at Mommy's house more?" Bella shrugged, like

Gwen and added, without cruelty, just with that clean certainty children have: "And I'm not Gwen's."

saw the effort it took

to look like she was