The elevator ride up was pure silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
The kind that makes your lungs forget how to breathe.
I didn't know what scared me more—Killian's silence… or what came after it.
The doors slid open with a soft ding, and I stepped into the penthouse first. He didn't say a word. Didn't follow immediately either. I could hear his measured breathing behind me, the kind you use to hold back fury.
I didn't dare look back.
He went to the bar.
Poured a drink.
Didn't even offer me water.
"I know you're angry," I said finally, my voice quieter than I meant it to be.
He didn't answer.
"I just… I didn't know how to explain it. There was never a right time. And he's mine—he's always just been mine."
Still nothing.
"I did what I had to—"
"Don't."
His voice cut through the room like a blade. "Don't try to justify it now."
I flinched.
He turned slowly, glass in hand, eyes sharp but unreadable. "What's his name?"
The question landed like a punch to the chest.
I swallowed. "Leo."
"How old?"
"Four."
He stared at the floor for a beat too long, then downed the drink in one gulp.
"That means you were pregnant when you left him."
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me the second we met?"
"Because he's his son," I snapped, pain flaring in my chest. "Because I didn't know if you were worse than your brother. Because I didn't know if you'd use him against me. Because—" I stopped myself, breath hitching.
He didn't speak for a long time. Then he walked toward me.
Slow. Dangerous.
"I'm not Marcus."
"I know."
"Do you?"
I looked up, met his eyes, and nodded.
And for the first time since he found out… I saw something flicker. Not rage. Not betrayal.
Something like... grief.
"You should've told me," he murmured.
"I was scared."
He stared at me. "You still are."
I didn't answer.
He moved closer. His voice dropped an octave. "Let me make this very fucking clear, Noelle. If Marcus ever finds out about that child, he will come for him. Not out of love. Not out of guilt. Out of ownership. That's what he does. He breaks what he built."
"I know," I whispered. "That's why I kept him secret."
Killian exhaled harshly, jaw tight. "Which means from now on, you don't go anywhere without telling me. You don't breathe without my protection wrapped around you like a damn shadow. That child is under my protection now. And you don't disobey me again. Do you hear me?"
I hated how my chest trembled at his voice.
"I hear you."
He leaned in, his mouth so close to my ear it made my skin prickle.
"If anything happens to him, I will bury the motherfucker responsible. And if that motherfucker is you… I'll bury you with them."
I turned to him, trembling. "You think that's comfort?"
"I think that's reality."
---
I didn't eat dinner.
Didn't speak again.
I curled into the guest room bed and cried quietly, like I'd forgotten how to sob loudly.
Leo's face haunted every blink.
What if Marcus finds him?
What if he tries to claim him?
What if I made it worse?
The door creaked open hours later. I didn't look up—I didn't need to. His presence was obvious. Like cold wind before a storm.
He sat beside me, wordless.
I wiped my face quickly. "Came to finish yelling?"
"No."
A pause. Then, "I came to make sure you're still breathing."
I gave a soft, broken laugh. "Didn't think you'd care."
"I don't care," he said easily. "I just don't like the idea of you breaking before I've even started putting you back together."
I turned slowly to face him. "Is that what this is? A rebuild?"
His eyes searched mine. "No. This is protection. Because whether you like it or not, Noelle… you're mine now. And so is he."
Tears welled up again. I blinked them back.
"Do you hate me?" I asked, voice so small it embarrassed me.
"No."
Silence.
He looked at me with something softer now. Sadder. Almost human.
"I don't hate you," he repeated. "I hate that you thought I was the kind of man you couldn't trust."
That—that—shattered me.
My chest cracked open and I didn't know whether to kiss him or scream.
So I did nothing.
Just stared.
And for the first time… I didn't feel like prey.
I felt like I might just be safe.
He stood, walked to the door, and paused.
"You married a devil, Noelle."
I nodded. "You remind me every day."
He looked over his shoulder, voice lower now.
"Then let me show you what kind of devil I am."
And he left.