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“This ends now.” Adrian’s voice cut through her spiraling thoughts, quiet but absolute. “Pack what you need. You’re both coming with me. This isn’t up for discussion.”
Georgia’s heart slammed against her ribs, a caged bird seeking escape. Relief and fear warred in her chest, making it hard to breathe. She searched his face, trying to read beyond the mask of authority to what truly drove him. Obligation or something deeper she didn’t dare name.
“I’ve managed fine on my own,” she started, the words coming out defensive and brittle. “We don’t need?—”
Adrian’s expression didn’t change, but something in his stance hardened, brooking no argument. The words died in her throat.
Theo looked up, his truck forgotten on the floor. His eyes widened with the unguarded curiosity only children possessed, studying Adrian’s face like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Adrian’s stern expression wavered, softening around the edges. For a fraction of a second, raw fear flickered in his eyes, the look of someone who had found something precious only to realize it might slip away again.
Georgia’s fingers twisted in the hem of her uniform shirt. The familiar urge to handle everything herself warred with bone-deep exhaustion. Three years of carrying the weight alone, of late nights counting quarters and early mornings juggling shifts, had worn her resolve thin. The promise of help beckoned like water in a desert, but trusting meant risking everything she’d fought to protect.
The silence stretched, delicate as spun glass. Even Theo seemed to sense it, his usual chatter quieting as he looked between them. The hum of the ancient refrigerator filled the room, punctuated by distant traffic and the neighbor’s muffled television.
“We could…” Georgia swallowed hard, forcing the words past her pride. “If you wanted to set us up somewhere quiet, away from everything, I’d understand. You wouldn’t have to—” She gestured vaguely between them. “I know our marriage is over. I wouldn’t expect anything. I wouldn’t get in your way.”
Adrian crossed the small space in two strides, his presence overwhelming in the cramped apartment. His jaw tightened,determination rolling off him in waves that made Georgia’s skin prickle. She straightened her spine, bracing herself.
Adrian’s hand came up, fingers brushing her cheek with a gentleness that made her chest ache. “You think I’d let you hide away somewhere? That I’d give up what’s mine?” His voice carried that familiar mix of possession and control that used to both thrill and terrify her.
Georgia’s skin burned where he touched her. She forced herself to stay still, to not lean into his warmth like her body craved. “I’m trying to be practical. Your world, your position—having us there puts everything at risk.”
“My world.” Adrian’s fingers traced down her jaw, coming to rest at the pulse point of her throat. “You think I care about any of it compared to this?” His other hand gestured to where Theo sat.
Heat bloomed in Georgia’s chest, spreading through her limbs like wildfire. She searched Adrian’s face for any sign of manipulation or calculation, but found only raw intensity in his eyes. The careful mask he showed the world had cracked, revealing something fierce and protective underneath.
“I ran to protect you,” Georgia whispered, her voice catching. “Vincent was already using me against you. And then if he’d found out about Theo?—”
“Mommy?” Theo’s small voice cut through the tension. He stood beside them, truck clutched to his chest. “Can we have mac and cheese?”
Georgia’s heart squeezed at the innocent request. Such a normal thing, dinner with her son, yet Adrian standing there made her pulse race with the weight of possibility. She watched as Adrian’sattention shifted to Theo, something soft and wondering crossing his features.
Georgia’s throat tightened as she watched Theo clutch his truck, waiting for her answer about dinner. The familiar routine of their life collided with Adrian standing there, making even this simple moment pulse with unspoken meaning.
“Of course, baby.” She smoothed Theo’s hair, drawing comfort from the familiar texture. “But first we need to pack some things, okay?”
Theo’s face scrunched in confusion. “Are we going somewhere?”
Georgia felt Adrian shift beside her, his body angling toward their son with careful restraint.
“Yes,” Georgia managed, her voice steadier than she felt. “We’re going to stay somewhere new for a while.”
“Can I bring Rex?” Theo held up his favorite toy dinosaur, its plastic tail slightly bent from being loved too hard.
“And your truck too.” Adrian’s voice was softer than Georgia had ever heard it, though it still carried that underlying note of authority. “You can bring whatever toys you want.”
Theo’s eyes lit up at the permission, and he darted toward his corner of the apartment, already cataloging his treasures. Georgia watched him go, her heart aching at how easily children adapted, how readily they accepted change without questioning the cost.
She turned to gather Theo’s clothes, needing distance from Adrian’s intense focus. But his hand caught her wrist, gentle but firm, stopping her retreat.
“No more running,” he said quietly, the words carrying the weight of a command and a promise.
Georgia nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. She knew this moment marked the end of her solitary struggle, of late nights worrying about rent and early mornings counting tips. Whatever came next would be better for Theo, but better for her? She would have to worry about that later.
CHAPTER 21
The city lights streaked past the window like watercolors bleeding together. Georgia pulled Theo closer, his small body warm and heavy with sleep against her chest. His dinosaur dangled precariously from limp fingers, and she adjusted her hold to keep it from falling.
The leather seat felt foreign beneath her, too smooth, too expensive compared to the worn bus seats she was used to. Adrian sat beside her, his profile sharp against the passing lights, hands folded in his lap with that perfect stillness she remembered so well.