The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter

Chapter 292: Facing the Truth

Easter~

The door closed with a soft, final click, sealing Jacob out of my room... out of our lives. I pressed my back against the wood, sliding down until I sat curled on the thin carpet, trembling with confusion and exhaustion.

"Mommy?" Rose’s tiny voice wavered, breaking through the tangled mess of my thoughts. I turned to see her standing by the window, her little body framed by the soft morning light. She clutched Donut to her chest so tightly, it was a wonder the poor cat didn’t protest – but he just lay there, limp and quiet, as if he somehow knew she needed him to stay still.

Tears spilled freely down her pink cheeks, each droplet carving a glistening path as her lower lip trembled. Her big eyes, wide and glossy with sadness, searched my face for something – comfort, reassurance, maybe answers I wasn’t sure I could give. Seeing her like that, so small and broken-hearted, made my chest ache with a tenderness so fierce it almost knocked the breath out of me.

"Rosie... baby, come here." I opened my arms, and she rushed into them, burying her face in my neck. Her sobs came out in tiny hiccups.

"Mommy... why did you send Daddy Jacob away? He wasn’t bad... he wasn’t... he loves you... and me..." Her voice cracked, and she clung tighter, shaking.

My throat tightened painfully. I stroked her wild brown curls, inhaling her sweet scent—baby shampoo and strawberries. "Shh, sweetheart... it’s okay... I’m here."

But my words felt empty. My chest ached at her tears. What was I supposed to say? That her mommy was scared out of her mind because of visions she didn’t understand? That her mommy’s head was a mess of memories that didn’t fit together, like shattered glass?

She sniffled and pulled back, staring at me with those innocent emerald eyes so much like mine. "Mommy... Daddy Jacob isn’t bad. He loves you. He told me stories about wolves and magic... and he said I’m brave like a wolf cub."

I felt something crack inside me. I cupped her damp cheeks and kissed her forehead softly. "I know, baby. I know. Mommy just... Mommy doesn’t know what to think right now."

Rose’s tiny brows knitted together, and her little lips quivered as she frowned up at me. "You’re being mean to him," she whispered, her voice so soft it almost disappeared into the quiet room. She hugged Donut closer, as if his warmth could give her courage. "You didn’t even let him tell you why he came," she continued, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "He told me that he came because he missed us, mommy." Her words wobbled on the last syllable, breaking my heart with how fragile and honest they were, spoken with all the innocence only a child could hold.

But her words pierced deep. Tears burned my eyes. Was I being unfair? Judging him without knowing him or letting him explain? All because of blurry visions I didn’t understand... visions that made no sense but filled me with dread.

Was Jacob good... or bad?

My thoughts churned endlessly long after Rose drifted off to sleep that night, curled up against my side. I lay awake staring at the ceiling, the flickering shadows from the streetlamp outside dancing across the stained white paint.

One thing refused to leave my mind, a splinter digging deeper with every breath: If Jacob wasn’t a stalker... if he truly wasn’t dangerous... then how did he find me?

The next morning arrived heavy and silent, thick grey clouds hanging low as if they wanted to press down on the earth itself. I got Rose ready for school in our small hotel room, slipping her arms through her pink cardigan and smoothing down her wild curls. She didn’t say much, just watched me with those big green eyes, her little hands holding tightly onto Donut until it was time to leave.

We drove in quietness, the hum of the engine filling the spaces where our morning songs usually played. She gazed out the window at the gloomy sky, her thumb resting against her lips, deep in thoughts only a child could have.

When we finally pulled up in front of her preschool, I parked and unbuckled her seatbelt before walking her up to the gate, my hand warm around her small fingers. I crouched down to her level, brushing a stray curl away from her forehead and tucking it behind her ear. "Listen to me carefully, Rosebud," I said softly, my voice firm but gentle. I kissed the tip of her nose, feeling her tiny breath hitch with nerves. "After school today, don’t go with anyone except Mommy. Okay? Tell your teachers that no one else is allowed to take you." noveldrama

She nodded slowly, her eyes serious and searching my face for answers I couldn’t give. "Are you going to bring Daddy Jacob to pick me up?" she asked in a whisper, hope and confusion mingling in her tone.

My chest tightened, but I forced a small smile. "No, baby. Just Mommy today, alright? Only me."

Before standing up, I turned to her teacher, who waited patiently at the gate. "Please," I said, keeping my voice calm but firm, "don’t release Rose to anyone else today. Only me. No one else, no matter what they say."

The teacher nodded with understanding, and I watched as Rose took hesitant steps into the school, her little shoulders slumped. I watched her disappear through the glass doors, feeling like the worst mother alive. Tears blurred my vision. I blinked them back and drove back to the hotel slowly, each second feeling heavier than the last.

I didn’t know what I was doing anymore.

Back in my hotel room, the silence pressed in around me. I tried to clean up the dishes, made the bed, paced the worn out carpet, checked my phone over and over... but I didn’t have his number. I didn’t even know his last name. So I waited, jumping at every sound from the hallway, wondering if he would come back.

But he didn’t.

By noon, I was curled up on the bed, hugging my knees to my chest as I stared at the cold, untouched oatmeal on the coffee table. I thought I’d feel relieved that he hadn’t come back... that he was gone for good. But instead, all I felt was this gnawing emptiness, a heavy hollowness that settled deep in my chest. Worry clawed at me, questions spiralling endlessly in my mind. Was he okay? Did my words cut deeper than I intended? And why did the thought of hurting him bother me this much?

I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to hold back the tears that burned hot and stubborn. "I’m losing it," I whispered into the silent room. "Completely losing it..."

By the time 1:30 pm rolled around, I knew I had to get myself together to pick Rose up by 2:30 pm. I stood abruptly, my heart pounding with a decision that burned through me like wildfire.

I couldn’t keep hiding. Not anymore.

I pulled on a soft floral dress and slipped into a warm cardigan to fight off the chill. My hands worked quickly, tying my wild curls up into a bun, though stubborn strands immediately tumbled down to frame my face. Every second dragged by painfully slow, like the universe itself was holding its breath.

And just as I reached for the door handle to leave... there it was. A soft, hesitant knock on the door, stopping me in my tracks and sending my heart racing.

My heart leapt so violently I nearly fell over getting to the door. For a moment, I pressed my hand against the peeling wood, steadying myself, breathing in and out slowly. Then I grabbed my handbag from the bed, squared my shoulders, and opened the door.

Jacob stood there, his handsome face shadowed with worry. His thick black hair was tousled by probably running his hands through it, and his warm brown eyes widened in surprise as he saw me fully dressed, holding my bag.

"Easter..." he began softly, his voice a velvet caress that sent a shiver down my spine.

"Don’t," I cut in sharply, my voice shaking despite my efforts to keep it strong. "We need to talk. But... not here."

He blinked, stunned. "Okay... where do you want to go?"

"There’s a coffee shop down the street," I said, stepping into the hallway and locking my door behind me. I turned to face him, forcing myself to meet his gaze. "I don’t trust you enough to be alone with you in my room."

His expression flickered, like I’d slapped him. For a second, pain shone in his eyes, raw and unguarded, before he forced a small smile and nodded. "That’s fair," he said softly. "Lead the way."

We walked in silence to the small coffee shop, the air between us thick with tension and unspoken words. I could feel his gaze flick to me occasionally, studying me with an intensity that made my cheeks burn. I kept my eyes on the cracked pavement, trying to calm my racing heart.

At the coffee shop, I chose a table by the window where I could see everything and everyone. I sat down and folded my hands on the chipped wooden table to keep them from trembling.

Jacob sat opposite me, his long fingers curling around the coffee cup the waitress brought him. His eyes never left my face.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to look at him. His gaze was so warm, so deep, it felt like drowning in melted chocolate and sunlight.

"Did... did we know each other before?" I asked quietly, my voice almost a whisper. "Before you became my neighbor... did we know each other?"

His fingers tightened around the cup, his jaw clenching. He looked down, then out the window, as if searching for an answer in the afternoon light. My chest squeezed painfully with every second of silence.

Finally, he turned back to me, and his eyes... God, his eyes were so full of sorrow and longing that it stole my breath away.

"Yes," he whispered, his voice rough with emotion. "We did."

I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth. The room spun for a moment as his words crashed over me like a tidal wave. My vision blurred with tears, my heart thundering so loud I could barely hear anything else.

"How... how did we know each other?" I asked, my voice cracking, trembling with fear and desperate hope. "Who... who are you to me?"

He reached across the table slowly, as if afraid I would bolt, and laid his hand gently over mine. His touch was warm, grounding, sending tingles through my skin.

"Easter..." he said softly, his eyes locked onto mine, fierce and gentle all at once. "I promise... I’ll tell you everything. But not here. Not like this. I owe you the truth... the whole truth. Just... please... give me the chance to show you who I really am."

Tears slid down my cheeks, warm and silent. For a moment, all I could do was stare at him, searching his face for any sign of deception... but all I saw was pain, regret, and something that terrified me more than anything else in the world.

Love.

I nodded slowly, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Okay," I whispered. "Okay."