Chapter 91
Faith’s Pov
I stopped dead in the threshold of his office.
He was holding Marco on one hip, and standing right next to him was Isabella.
The sight was a physical punch.
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They looked like a family. It wasn’t just that they were side–by–side; it was the way Isabella leaned into him slightly when she spoke, and the way Astor’s hand rested casually on her shoulder when he set Marco down. It sliced through me like glass.
That could have been us.
In the back of my mind, that awful, whining voice started up. I could have had my family intact, my son raised with his father, and maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t be standing here right now, tortured by the fact that I didn’t know if my other daughter–my baby girl–was safe, or if
she even knew what her own mother looked like.
The pain was so sharp I almost gasped. I needed to stop this pity party. I needed to talk to
him.
“Astor,” I cut in, my voice rougher than I intended.
They all turned. Isabella’s smiled and she was polite.
Marco, thank the universe for Marco, dropped the little toy car he was holding and immediately scrambled toward me.
“Mommy!”
He crashed into my legs, squeezing hard. His tiny, warm hug was the only thing holding me together. I buried my face in his hair for a second, letting that familiar, comforting scent fill me up. For a moment, everything felt a little less wrong.
I looked over Marco’s head at Astor, who suddenly looked very concerned. “We need to talk”
Marco pulled back, still holding my hand tight. He looked at Isabella, who was watching us quietly.
“Mommy,” he whispered, looking disappointed, “can I play with Isabella? Please? Just for a little bit?”
Astor and Isabella were both looking at me, waiting for my answer. If I said no, I would be
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creating bad blood. These children were siblings, half–siblings, and I couldn’t punish them for
our sins.
“Okay,” I forced out. I tried to make my tone casual, but firm. “Yes, you can play.”
Marco’s face lit up.
“But,” I held up one finger, looking straight at him, “I am going to pick you up in exactly twenty minutes. Set a timer, okay? And you have to stay on the field. Don’t go very far.”
I hope he understood that ‘not very far‘ meant ‘don’t go anywhere near Isabella’s house.‘
“Okay, Mommy! I promise!” He threw his arms around me for one last quick hug, kissed my cheek, and then dashed over, taking Isabella’s hand.
As soon as they left.
I ran into Astor’s arms.
He looked surprised, but before he could even ask a question, I was clinging to him, my arms wrapping tightly around his waist and my face pressed against his chest.
“Faith, what is it?” he asked, his voice low and alarmed. He was immediately holding me back, his strong arms closing around me tight.
The moment he touched me, the dam broke. I didn’t mean to cry that hard. It was ugly, hiccuping, gasping sobbing. But it felt so good just to be held. His presence, his warmth, and the quiet, solid rumble of his wolf underneath the surface, instantly started to calm the screaming panic in my own heart.
“Everything,” I choked out, inhaling the familiar, comforting scent of woods and leather that was uniquely his. “Everything is wrong. It’s all my fault.”
“Hey, hey. Shush. Tell me what happened. You need to calm down.” He rubbed my back steadily, guiding us to his chair but I refused to let go.
After what felt like hours, when I finally ran out of breath and the sobs turned into shaky shivers, I managed to pull back just enough to look at his face.
“Astor,” I whispered, the words tasting like ash. “We have a daughter.”
He blinked at me, confusion replacing concern. “What are you talking about? We have Marco. And Isabella is my daughter. What are you saying?”
A terrible thought crossed his face. His eyes narrowed, and a sudden, sharp edge entered his voice. “Faith, don’t tell me… did you hide another daughter from me as well?”
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“No!” I shouted, the protest raw. “I didn’t know either! I swear, I didn’t know!”
I pulled away completely and started pacing back and forth in front of him, too
panicked to sit still.
“Kyle. He has the proof. He sent it to me.”
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Astor’s head snapped up. “What? Kyle? What are you talking about? And why were you talking to that monster, Faith? I told you to stay away from him!”
“I didn’t talk to him!” I cried, running a shaky hand through my hair. “He sent me a message. He sent me my hospital file from when Marco was born.”
I stopped pacing and took a deep, shuddering breath. “Astor, they only gave me one baby that day. Marco. But… but Kyle’s file, and then I called the hospital and asked them to send me my official medical file… and they confirmed it.”
His jaw was clenched tight. “Confirmed what, Faith? Spit it out!”
“I gave birth to twins,” I whispered. “Astor, we had twins. A boy and a girl.”
The silence was deafening. He just stared at me blankly, processing the unbelievable words.
“Somebody took her,” I continued, scrambling to get all the horrible facts out before I broke down again. “Somebody took her the day I gave birth. And that person… that person is Kyle.”
His eyes widened in shock, but then his face darkened with pure fury.
“He’s using her, Astor,” I rushed on, grabbing his coat sleeves. “He’s blackmailing me. He told me that if I ever, ever told you about her–if you found out–we would never see our daughter again.”
Astor was completely flabbergasted. He didn’t move. He didn’t speak. For a few agonizing minutes, he simply sat there, turning to stone.
“Astor, what do we do?” I shook his arms, needing him to react, needing his strength.
He finally moved, standing up so fast the chair rattled. He was towering over me, his hands shaking slightly.
“This had better be some kind of sick joke, Faith,” he said slowly, his voice dangerously quiet.
“A movie script…”
“It’s not!” I insisted. “We have to find her. We have to get her back!”
For the first time since I met him, I saw the true face of Astor’s anger. I thought I knew how
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mad he could get, but this was different. It wasn’t just frustration or annoyance. This was primal, terrifying rage. His eyes, usually a warm hazel, seemed to glow from within. His wolf was shining through, ready to rip the world apart.
I quickly grabbed his hand, trying to pull him back from the edge. “Astor, breathe. Please. We
need to think.”
He squeezed my hand so hard it hurt, but I welcomed the pain.
“I swear, Faith,” he ground out, his teeth visible as he spoke. “This was the last straw. I will find that man. I will find our daughter. And then, I will kill Kyle.”
“How?” I needed details. I needed a plan.
He took a deep, rattling breath, forcing his human control back over his wolf. His eyes were still burning, but the clarity was returning.
“First things first,” he said, pulling me close and lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Nobody, nobody can know about our daughter. Most of all, Kyle must believe that you did not tell me.”
He looked straight into my eyes, the cold focus locking me in.
“We are going to play his game now, Faith. And we are going to beat him at it.”
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