Read with BonusRead with Bonus

CHAPTER EIGHT

Gustin pov

She didn't notice him on time or she would have pulled back immediately, he could tell that much when she paused in her tracks a soft curse leaving her lips, he could tell by the way Leilani paled when she stopped. Ella Jordan always protected her sister, so if she had seen him first she would definitely have hidden. And he probably would not have felt like he had just been struck by lightning and his heart carved out with a spoon.

" Aunty Ella look Daddy" the little boy, mumbled and she smiled

" Right" she huffed, breathing slightly,

" Hi mommy" the reason for his shock whispered, she was just ad beautiful as her mother, her hair was as dark as his, and fell round her face in a mass of tangled curls. Her eyes though were like her mothers a soft gray that almost looked blue

" Hi baby" Leilani mumbled back to her

" Ally this is daddy" the boy huffed rushing to where his sister stood and grabbing her hand.

" I think we'll leave you both to talk" Ella muttered and the boy pouted

" No, I want to stay with daddy" he hissed and Ella laughed wryly

" I'm sure you'll get your wish soon enough" she replied dragging the children away from them.

Once they were out of ears shot they stood there in silence for quiet a while, Gustin wasn't sure what to say at all

" Two of them" he muttered mostly to himself his jaw clenched, as his mind raced with questions.

How long had she been gone? Three years? Four? And she had a child now—two child who looked exactly like him. Twins– he couldn’t help the bitterness that twisted in his gut.

She had divorced him knowing she was pregnant, the one thing he had wanted from her, the reason they had been married in the first place and then gone on to hide his children from him .

He stalked over to her

" Fucking twins, Lani " he hissed, she paled even more looking almost like a ghost

" Are they mine " he asked

“Lydia,” he said, his voice low and dangerous now.

“Don’t make me ask again.” he threatened and she flinched her shoulders slumping as her gaze fell to the floor.

When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper.

“Yes, Gustin,” she admitted, her words trembling.

“He’s… he’s your son. They are yours” he had known that even if she had denied it, he never would have believed her but hearing her say it made it real.

He wasn't sure what to feel in that moment. Anger–of course, betrayal – maybe, confusion— all those emotions swirled inside him, but beneath it all, the strange, inexplicable connection he had felt to the boy. His son. It felt even more real more understandable.

" Why" he asked

“Why?” he demanded, his voice harsher than he intended.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”she remained silent her shoulders falling even further

" I won't ask again" he hissed and Leilani let out a shaky breath, her shoulders sagging even further

“Gustin…” she began, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t know if I even should.”

" Not when we were already over, not when you had moved on"

Her words hit him like a punch to the gut. He didn’t need to hear anything else.

He already knew the truth.

“ That wasn't your choice to make, they were mine,” he said, his voice a mix of rage and disbelief. It wasn’t a question anymore. It was a fact.

Leilani flinched again, guilt written plainly across her face.

Gustin’s hands clenched into fists at his sides, all these years, that much time lost with his children.

He had missed their birth, their first steps, their first words. Every moment a father should have been there for, she had stolen from him.

Leilani shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I… I was scared, Gustin. I didn’t know how you’d react. And when I found out I was pregnant… it was too late. I didn’t want to hurt you any more than I already had.”

“Hurt me?” Gustin’s laugh was cold and bitter.

“You think disappearing without a word about my children wasn’t enough?”

" You were just being a selfish bi**h and you know it,"

She stiffened

" You don't get to do that, you don't get to put all the blame on me. You cheated first, you left me first maybe not physically but you were already far gone emotionally"

He stiffened at her mention of Bellamy,

“I thought I was doing the right thing,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

“I thought… maybe it would be easier if you didn’t know.”

How could she have thought this was the right thing? How could she have kept something so important from him?

He caught a glimpse of Ella and the children in the distance, he looked at them again—and felt his heart break all over again.

They didn’t deserve this– to be caught in the middle of whatever mess he and Leilani had created.

The boy broke free of Ella's hold and rushed to them, Ella ran toward them as well,the girl with her

He turned his attention back to the boy, who was still watching him with those wide, curious eyes, his sister joined him, and Gustin’s heart squeezed painfully in his chest.

Without looking at Leilani, Gustin knelt down to their level, a smile forming over his face.

“What’s your name, kid?” he asked

" Aiden " he muttered confidently, and he smiled

" Aiden, that's a cool name" he whispered, Gustin turned to the girl, his daughter, his breath shook even as he spoke to her

" What about you sweetie" he asked and she paused looking up at Leilani , who nodded gently before turning back to Gustin.

“Allison” she said shyly.

“Allison,” Gustin repeated,swallowing hard.

“Allison, such a pretty name for such a pretty girl,” he said again, softer this time, and she smiled blushing slightly

It took everything in him to stand back up, to tear his gaze away from them.

He had a million questions, a million things he wanted to say, but he couldn’t—not here, not now.

“I’ve got business to attend to abroad.” Gustin said, his voice low and hard.

Leilani nodded, her eyes brimming with unshed tears,

“We’ll talk about this later,” he said, leaving no room for argument.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter