Chapter 134: Man up
I look down at my baby, sleeping so peacefully, his little chest rising and falling with each breath. He’s such a perfect, tiny version of me—blonde hair, green eyes, the exact same shade as mine. The resemblance is uncanny. I can’t help but smile and press a gentle kiss to his forehead because, really, how could I not? The love I feel for him is overwhelming, an all-consuming wave of affection I never knew I was capable of feeling.
But with that love comes a simmering dread. A deep-rooted fear that something could happen to him, or worse, to both of us, especially with the state of the kingdom as it is. The thought sends a shiver down my spine, and for a moment, I recall something Noelle once told me. He’d warned me, in his matter-of-fact way, that while I might love Thorne, I wouldn’t feel the same if I saw him for who he truly was. It was a hard pill to swallow, but maybe, he’d been right all along. My feelings for Thorne, once all-encompassing, now feel hollow, and have been replaced by fear almost embarrassing to think back on. It’s like looking at an old scar—a reminder of something that no longer matters but has left its mark nonetheless.
I hear the bedroom door creak open and look up, watching Victor as he enters, his face as dark and brooding as ever. He heads into the bathroom, and the sound of running water fills the silence. Eventually, he reemerges, wearing only his pants, his chest bare and still damp. I pretend not to stare at the hard lines of muscle on his torso, though why I’m pretending is beyond me—he’s my husband, after all. But there’s a gravity to him tonight, a heaviness in his movements that I can’t ignore.
Victor walks over to the cradle, leaning down to place a tender kiss on Zeke’s forehead. The sight of it warms me from deep within, but it also pulls at something raw in me. This isn’t the Victor I used to know. The sharp wit, the playful teasing, all of it is gone, replaced by a silence that’s so heavy it feels like it could fill the room. Tonight, he’s gloomier than usual, and I can’t keep my frustration at bay any longer.
"You went to them, didn’t you?" I ask, trying to keep my voice low for Zeke’s sake, though the irritation is clear. I’d told him to stay away from them after he came back last time—bruised, bloodied, and barely conscious. But the silence that follows only confirms what I already know.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Victor?" I whisper harshly, my anger simmering to a boil.
He grumbles, "You don’t understand."
"Then make me understand! Because if Thorne so much as catches a glimpse of you, I might as well prepare myself to be a widow and our son fatherless. For once, have some damn sense!" I snap, trying to keep my voice steady, though my heart races with the thought of losing him.
Victor’s shoulders slump, and he looks at me with that haunted, worn-out expression. "They’re my family," he says softly. "I’ve been with them since I was thirteen. I can’t just... let go."