Page 42

Chapter 42

Fantasia

P iers stands near the door, hands in his pockets, his eyes soft but wary as he watches me. In the past, our fights would’ve escalated, voices sharp and unrelenting, filling every corner of whatever space we occupied. But now, we both speak quietly- for the sake of Valeria sleeping in my arms.

“Have you been well?” Piers asks, his voice low, careful.

The question catches me off guard. For a moment, I almost brush it off, almost give him the easy answer. But I hesitate, gripping the blanket wrapped around Valeria a little tighter. I could tell him I’m fine, but that wouldn’t be the truth.

“I’ve been…” I trail off, then shake my head and lift my chin a little. “I’ve been getting by. It hasn’t been easy, but I didn’t want to burden you.”

Piers exhales a measured breath slowly through his nose, his eyes dropping for the briefest second before he looks at me again, his expression carefully neutral- but not quite.

“What’s her name?”

My lips part slightly at the question, and then I look down at my daughter, my heart swelling.

“Valeria,” I tell him. “She’s stubborn. Just like you… and optimistic.” A small, almost involuntary smile touches my lips. “Even when things don’t go her way, she just… keeps trying, like she knows something better is coming. She’s got a temper when she wants something, and she doesn’t give up until she gets it. But she’s clever, too. Always watching, always figuring things out. And she’s strong.”

I’m so proud to be a mum and it’s okay to let myself think about what I’ve done for her, what I’ve built. She’s a reminder of everything I’ve worked for- everything I’ve fought to give her.

I’ve thought about it before, of course. Late at night, when I’m exhausted but content, when I see how far we’ve come. But saying it out loud to him - to the man who helped create her- it feels different. I want him to know. I want him to see what I’ve done, what we made.

I might not be perfect, but she’s perfect to me. She deserves better than the mess I was when I first left, when I couldn’t even figure out how to take care of myself, let alone a child. I remember not knowing how to wash dishes, how to make sure the house was clean, how to make sure I stayed sober. Back then, I was a wreck. But now, when I look at Valeria, I know I've done something right.

I hesitate for a moment, taking a deep breath. It’s almost like I need to say it out loud—to Piers, to myself, to the universe—that I've come this far. The confidence I’ve built in myself, the steady foundation I’ve created for her.

I glance down at Valeria, her small hand curled around my finger. The pride I feel is like a warmth spreading through my chest, and I can’t keep it in anymore. I don’t need to tell Piers all of that—I hope he can see it in the way I hold our daughter, in the care I give her. But for the first time, I feel a little more confident, a little more certain that I've grown into the woman I needed to be for her.

“I’ve worked hard for her,” I add, my voice firmer now. “She has a good life.”

Piers looks at me then, really looks at me, his expression softening. For the briefest moment, I see pride in his eyes, maybe even admiration. His lips curl into a small, almost imperceptible smile, the kind that’s warm and full of quiet approval. It’s not the smile I was expecting, not after everything.

“You’ve done good for her, Fantasia,” he says quietly, his voice steady and sincere. “She’s lucky to have you.”

I swallow hard, feeling my emotions swell up, and for a moment, I just stare at Valeria, as if the calm of her sleeping face can steady me. But the truth is, nothing about this situation feels calm anymore. Not with Piers looking at me, not with all the mistakes and regrets flooding my mind.

“I’m sorry,” I say softly, my voice a little thicker than I want it to be. The words claw their way out, ragged and too thick. “I never meant to come back into your life like this.” I pause, my heart pounding, as everything that’s happened since I showed up again crashes through my mind- the kidnapping, the ransom, and the bombshell about Valeria. “The last thing I ever wanted was to bring chaos and pain to your world after two years of silence. I left you behind for a reason, to protect you from the mess I was, and now here I am, dragging you back into a storm I can’t even control. I never wanted to burden you with this... again. I thought a child, my child, would feel like a trap to you, something else you’d feel obligated to take care of.” The guilt crashes into me, nails biting into my palms.

Piers’s throat bobs with a hard swallow, as though he's trying to pull himself together before speaking.

“Fantasia.” My name fractures in his mouth. “I'd burn down every throne, every city, just to prove you're wrong about how I see you. I- “ A hitch in his throat. His lashes dip, shielding his eyes as if the confession might scorch the floor between us.

“Even when you wanted me dead, being with you was all I wanted.”

Tears sting behind my eyes before I can even stop them. I try to blink them away, but it’s like the floodgates are opening. And I can’t remember how to breathe, lost in the softness of his confession.

“I stayed away for two years,” he grinds out, his voice low and filled with a quiet bitterness. “I didn’t go searching for you… because you made it so damn clear you didn’t want me anywhere near you.”

Tearfully, painfully, we lay everything bare- the things we've held inside for so long, the words we never thought we’d say, the hurts we never wanted to revisit. It’s a raw, gut-wrenching exchange, each of us trying to make sense of the wreckage we’ve caused. My throat is tight with the weight of it all, my eyes burning with the sting of old wounds reopened. We don’t hold back now, letting everything spill between us- the betrayals, the anger, the regrets. It feels like we’re both trying to make the other understand something that’s impossible to put into words, but we keep speaking anyway, as if it’ll somehow make the hurt feel a little less real.

By the time the silence falls, we’re both completely drained, like every bit of our energy has been poured out onto the floor between us. My body aches with exhaustion, and I know his does, too.

I adjust my stance, Valeria’s weight gone leaden in my arms. Piers catches the movement- his attention snagging on the tremble in my biceps before lifting back to my face. “Here, let me take her,” he murmurs, already reaching. That tone of his: velvet wrapped around steel.

I nod, relieved, as he gently lifts our daughter from my arms, cradling her with a tenderness that almost takes my breath away. He carries her to the bed, laying her down carefully, adjusting the blanket around her tiny form. I follow him, feeling a sense of peace settle over me as I watch him take such care with her.

Piers turns back to me, his eyes meeting mine for a brief moment before he pulls the comforter back with a quiet motion, making space for me to lie down. I crawl in, grateful for the small act of care, and watch as he moves to the opposite side of the bed, settling down next to Valeria.

The room is quiet, save for the soft sound of our daughter’s breathing. I can feel the exhaustion pulling at my limbs, but for now, all I can focus on is the way Piers is lying next to her, a silent promise to protect her. To protect both of us.

We don’t speak as we settle down, but the pull to be close to her is undeniable. I slide closer to her small body, and he follows suit, our arms instinctively finding their way to protect her. There’s no more space between us now- no more arguments, no more walls. Just the sound of her quiet breathing, the warmth of her little body, and the quiet comfort of knowing that perhaps we were always meant to find our way back to each other.