CHAPTER 105: 105

A soft smile tugged at my lips as the warmth of the morning sun kissed my face. I shifted slightly, letting the golden ray rest against my cheek before lazily lifting my right hand to shield my eyes. My lashes fluttered at the brightness, and with a small sigh, I pushed myself upright.

My body stretched instinctively, arms arching above my head, and my shoulders rolling back, my spine elongating until a gentle crack loosened the tension along my lower back. I curled my toes into the soft bedsheets, feeling the satisfying pull in every muscle. It had been... a long time since I slept this deeply. No late-night panic, no restlessness, and neither did Nyxella’s cry wake me up.

It was just peace. A rare kind of peace I had lost for a while.

I turned to my side, expecting to see a head full of messy curls and a tiny hand flung across my stomach.

But the space beside me was empty. Making my smile vanish

"Nyxella?" I called softly at first, brushing the sheets as if she might be hiding under them. When I found nothing, my heartbeat picked up.

I swung my legs off the bed and stood, scanning the room quickly, her favorite blanket wasn’t on the floor, her little socks weren’t scattered anywhere, the door was still slightly open just as I left it.

But she wasn’t here.

"Nyxella!"

This time my voice was sharper and louder, carrying a tremor of fear I didn’t bother to hide.

I hurried around the bed and knelt briefly to check if she had climbed down on her own. But found nothing.

My breath tightened in my chest, as different thoughts began to process in my head

Where could she have gone?

"Calm down... she must be somewhere," I whispered to myself as I stepped out of the room. I forced my breathing to steady. The last thing I needed was to cause a scene, especially in Nix’s house. One wrong move, one crack in my composure, and everything could unravel... including the truth about his connection to Nyxella.

I quickened my steps down the staircase, my heart pounding louder with each passing second. But as my foot hit the next step, it slipped slightly just enough for my ankle to twist sharply beneath me.

A searing pain shot up my leg.

I sucked in a breath, clamping a hand over my mouth as my eyes squeezed shut. The sound that wanted to escape lodged painfully in my throat. The last thing I needed was for Nix or anyone to hear me.

For a moment, I stayed frozen, gripping the railing as the throbbing ache pulsed through my ankle. It felt as though fire had wrapped itself around the bone hot, tight, and unrelenting.

Not now. Please, not now.

Nyxella had barely been walking for a month, yet she had somehow mastered the art of vanishing the moment I blinked. If anything, this tiny, mischievous child had inherited a little too much from..

I pushed the thought away.

With a slow breath, I forced myself upright, testing my weight on the injured foot. The pain was sharp but bearable. I limped forward, scanning the hallway as I made my way toward the sitting room.

But just as panic began to rise again, a tiny, soft giggle floated through the air.

Nyxella’s giggle.

Not thinking twice, I hurried toward the kitchen where her voice was coming from with my ankle throbbing and forgotten only for the breath to catch in my throat the moment I stepped through the doorway.

There she was.

Nyxella sat comfortably on the marble counter, her tiny legs dangling as she kicked them excitedly. A bib hung crookedly around her neck, smeared with something orange. And in front of her wearing a charcoal apron over a white T-shirt stood Nix.

Yes. Nix.

The same Nix who threatened board members with a single bored glance. The same Nix who could ensure the downfall of an entire family with just three words.

That Nix... currently had flour on his cheek.

He was slicing apples with one hand and stirring a pot with the other, switching between the tasks with an ease that almost made it look like he’d been born in a kitchen. Every few seconds, he would make a ridiculous face that had Nyxella squealing and slapping her palms against the counter.

I exhaled sharply, relief flooding my chest, relief that she was safe... but also something else. Something warm and surreal that twisted inside me in a way I wasn’t prepared for.

It didn’t feel real.

To see him like this, with an apron tied crookedly, his hair slightly messy, acting like a fool just to make her giggle it was as if I had stumbled into someone else’s life. A life where he was allowed to be soft. A life where she had a father. A life where we were..

I swallowed. No. I couldn’t let myself finish that thought.

Meanwhile, the comedy show continued.

Nix held up a slice of apple shaped like a crooked star.

"Look," he announced proudly, "Papa made a masterpiece."

Nyxella blinked at the apple. Then at him.

"...bah?"

"Yes. Exactly. Pure art." He nodded seriously.

Nyxella slapped her hands twice. "Ba! Ba!"

Her little face lit up as if she had solved the mysteries of the universe.

"Well, at least someone appreciates my genius," he sighed theatrically, placing the apple into a small bowl beside her.

Then he lifted the wooden spoon and tapped it lightly against the pot.

"Now behold Papa’s magical breakfast soup. It might explode, so stay alert."

Nyxella gasped dramatically, her tiny hands flying to her mouth.

Nix’s lips twitched. "Yeah. Very dangerous. Only brave babies are allowed to stay in the kitchen during operations like this."

Nyxella puffed out her little chest as if accepting the challenge.

Nix chuckled. "Thought so."

He turned back to the stove just as she stretched both arms toward the fruit bowl.

"No," he scolded gently without even looking. "You’re not stealing apples before breakfast."

Nyxella froze mid-reach... then slowly, her hand continued creeping forward.

"...I see you," Nix said without turning.

Nyxella snatched her hand back instantly, eyes wide.

He finally looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Suspicious." he said making her giggle even more

He pointed the spoon at her. "You think you’re cute?"

"Ba!" she answered proudly.

"Alright. You win." He surrendered with a dramatic sigh before handing her one tiny apple cube.

She took it triumphantly, smacking it into her mouth while kicking her legs.

I couldn’t help it. The smile that pulled at my lips came without permission but then suddenly our eyes met.

I masked the smile tugging at my lips, straightening my expression as I narrowed my eyes at him. But his own smile didn’t fade. If anything, it widened. And then unbelievably he lifted a hand and waved at me.

"Good morning," he said brightly.

I blinked, stunned. That couldn’t possibly be directed at me.

I took a small step back and glanced over my shoulder to see if someone had entered behind me.

But found the space empty.

My eyes snapped back to him. "Are you... talking to me?"

He didn’t answer. Instead, he picked Nyxella up in one arm, her chubby fingers still clutching an apple cube, and held the bowl in his other hand as he walked past me.

"Your mum seems to have seen a ghost," he told Nyxella lightly.

I rolled my eyes and followed, my limp more obvious now that the adrenaline had faded. I tried to hide it, but Nix was annoyingly observant.

He set Nyxella gently into a chair and placed her apples beside her before turning, his eyes sharpening as they dropped to my leg.

"Why are you limping?" His voice lowered, more serious now.

Before I could lie or deflect, he closed the distance between us in two long strides and without warning, he swept me off my feet.

Literally.

"Wh.. what are you doing?!" My hand flew to his shoulder in pure alarm.

"You haven’t answered my question," he said calmly, not even flinching at my shock.

I swallowed. "I... missed my footing coming down the stairs."

He lowered himself into a squat, raising my foot gently to inspect it.

A hiss escaped me before I could hide it.

His brows drew together briefly but I couldn’t tell if it was him being annoyed or concerned, I honestly couldn’t tell. He let out a slow breath, then lifted his gaze to mine.

"When will you learn to be careful?" he murmured. "You’re a mother now, so you..." His voice trailed. Something flickered in his eyes, something soft, painful, and unreadable. He exhaled again and finished quietly, "...just be careful."

Then he stood up and returned to the kitchen without another word.

I watched his back, my thoughts a tangled mess.

What is going on?

Why the sudden warmth? The gentleness?

Why did he look at me like that earlier... and why did it make my chest tighten?

Something was wrong. I could feel it in the way his voice softened around me.

In the way he couldn’t seem to look at me for too long.

In the way he held Nyxella almost too close.

Almost... protectively.

He came back moments later, carrying a steaming plate and a smaller covered dish for Nyxella. Without meeting my eyes, he set the plate before me, lifted Nyxella into my arms with surprising care, and stepped back.

"Have breakfast," he said simply. "Then go and prepare. We leave by eight."

And with that, he turned and walked away.

Leaving me frozen in place.

Nyxella gurgled against my chest, happy and oblivious.

But I..

I could feel my heartbeat drumming in my ears.

Why do I feel like something is closing in around me? Why do his actions feel like silent warnings?

Am I safe...?

Or was everything I feared finally catching up to me?