Chapter 273: ~ 272
Chapter 272
~Octavia~
"I—I have to go. Octavia, I’m so sorry, I really have to leave right now," Victoria stammered, her voice shaking as she abruptly set her rattling teacup down on the table.
She didn’t even look back at the mountain of baby gifts she had just lovingly unpacked. Her eyes were wide with a frantic, desperate panic as she scrambled to scoop up her handbag from the armchair.
"Victoria, wait! Please, just hold on a second," I pleaded, rising quickly from the sofa and stepping toward her. I reached out to grab her arm, completely bewildered. "What is going on? Why are you rushing off like this?"
"I’ll call you! I promise I’ll call you later, Octavia. I just... I can’t be here right now," she cried, her breath hitching as she practically sprinted past a frozen Flynn.
The door of the nursery slammed shut behind her, the echo reverberating through the sudden, suffocating silence of the room.
I stood in the center of the lounge, my heart thumping against my ribs. I turned my head slowly to look at Flynn. He hadn’t moved a single inch. He was still holding the small crystal saucer with the green juice, his knuckles stark white against the glass. The loud, arrogant, "cool uncle" persona he always wore had completely vanished, leaving behind a raw, hollow look that made him seem incredibly vulnerable.
"Flynn," I said softly, keeping my voice gentle, trying not to sound accusatory. I walked over to him, my eyes searching his face. "Are you going to tell me what just happened? You did not want to say a word when she was here, but you can talk to me. How do you know Victoria?"
Flynn let out a long, shaky breath, finally setting the green juice down on a nearby console table. He rubbed a hand over his face, his shoulders dropping as if a massive, invisible weight had just settled onto them.
"She’s my first love, Octavia," Flynn murmured, his voice cracking slightly as he confessed the truth. He looked down at the floor, a bitter, self-deprecating smile touching his lips. "My first... and my only love."
My jaw dropped slightly. The pieces of a long-forgotten puzzle suddenly began falling into place inside my mind. Years ago, Victoria had been completely distracted, hopelessly floating on cloud nine.
She had told me everything about a mysterious, breathtaking romance she had experienced during a business trip to San Francisco. She had been so deeply, madly in love with a man she thought she would never see again.
"San Francisco," I whispered, the realization hitting me. "You’re the guy from San Francisco. She met you there."
Flynn let out a breathless, dry chuckle, finally looking up to meet my eyes. A deep, agonizing sorrow swam in his dark gaze. "Yeah. That was me. I even called her VK. It was the nickname I gave her the very first night we met. It all started as a reckless, stupid one-night stand at a hotel lounge... but it turned into the only real thing I’ve ever felt in my life."
He paused, his jaw clenching tightly as his gaze drifted toward the closed door. "But I broke her heart, Octavia. I did things... I had secrets I couldn’t tell her, and I walked away when I should have stayed. I completely ruined the best thing that ever happened to me. And now... now I’m back to fix what I broke."
Looking at him right now, any lingering trace of suspicion I had about him completely melted away. He wasn’t a dangerous infiltrator or a calculating villain in this moment. He was just a deeply regretful, brokenhearted young man who was desperately trying to navigate the messy consequences of his past mistakes.
I smiled gently, wanting nothing more than to lighten the incredibly heavy, emotional mood in the room. I reached out and playfully nudged his shoulder. "Well, you better treat my best friend right this time around, Flynn. Seriously. If you break her heart a second time, you’ll have to answer to me, and trust me, a protective bestie is not someone you want to mess with."
Flynn didn’t smile back. Instead, his eyes went incredibly dark, and he quietly mumbled something under his breath, staring blankly past my shoulder.
"...that’s part of why I am back," he whispered, the words slipping out in a low, haunting tone.
I caught the phrase, my brow furrowing slightly, but I chose not to comment on it. I figured he was just referring to his regret and his desire to make amends with Victoria while finally bonding with our family.
Moved by his raw honesty, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a warm, comforting hug. "Everything will be fine, Flynn. Just be honest with her. You’re family now, and we can figure this out together."
Flynn stood frozen for a split second before his arms slowly came up, hugging me back with a desperate, heavy grip, as if he were a drowning man clinging to a lifeline.
The door of the nursery opened widely.
I broke the hug and spun around.
Franklin stood in the doorway. His massive, imposing frame completely filled the entrance, his broad shoulders squared and tense. His face was entirely pale, twisted into an expression of raw, unhinged fury. His dark eyes were locked dead onto Flynn, burning with a terrifying, lethal hatred that made the temperature in the room drop to absolute zero.
"What the hell is happening here?" Franklin growled, his voice a low, vibrating rumble that sounded dangerously close to an explosion.
I blinked, completely confused and utterly blindsided by his sudden, intense anger. Just yesterday at the barbecue, he had been perfectly fine! He had been smiling, talking normally, and sharing a peaceful family afternoon with Flynn. Why was he suddenly reacting like an aggressive, territorial beast over a simple, innocent hug?
"Franklin, calm down," I said, my voice frantic as I stepped in front of Flynn, trying to shield him from my husband’s terrifying gaze. "You’re misunderstanding. Victoria was just here, and we were talking, and I was just comforting him because—"
"I don’t care," Franklin snarled, cutting me off entirely. He didn’t look at me once. His murderous eyes remained pinned strictly on his cousin. He stepped into the room, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles were popping loudly in the quiet space.
"Franklin, please listen to me!" I cried, my confusion quickly morphing into deep frustration. "I was just consoling him! There is absolutely nothing going on. Why are you doing this? We were all fine yesterday!"
"Octavia, stay out of this," Franklin ordered, his voice dropping into that cold, commanding tone. He pointed a rigid, trembling finger toward the exit, his chest heaving as he stared over my head at Flynn.
"Get out of the room, Flynn," Franklin whispered, the quietness of his voice far more terrifying than a shout. "Get out of my sight before I do something I won’t regret."
Flynn didn’t say a single word. He didn’t smirk, and he didn’t argue. He just slowly lifted his hands in peace, gave me a brief, apologetic look, and quietly slipped past Franklin, disappearing into the hallway.
The doors clicked shut again, leaving me alone with a breathing storm of a husband. I stared at Franklin, my hands on my hips, a painful mix of exhaustion, confusion, and anger bubbling up in my chest. He was completely overdoing it, and I was finally reaching my breaking point.