Sweet Hatred-Chapter 438: Shape Of Happiness pt 3

Olivia pulled back, wiping at her eyes with the heels of her hands, a watery laugh escaping her. "Nothing’s wrong, baby. Everything is wonderful. I’m crying because I’m going to be an aunt. And you... you’re going to be a big cousin."

Kaleb’s face scrunched in adorable confusion. "A cousin?"

"Aunt Aria has a baby growing inside her," Olivia explained, her voice trembling with happiness. "You’re going to have a little cousin to play with and teach things to."

Kaleb’s eyes widened into perfect, awe-filled circles.

He turned to look at me as if I had just revealed I could fly.

"You have a baby?" he whispered, the words full of reverence.

"I do," I said, smiling through a fresh spill of tears.

"In your stomach?"

"Yep."

"How did it get there?"

"Uh..." I shot a helpless, amused look at Olivia.

She was biting her lip, trying and failing to suppress a laugh. "That," she said, "is a conversation for another day."

Kaleb accepted this with a solemn nod and immediately threw his arms around my neck, squeezing tightly.

"Is it a boy?" he asked, his voice urgent against my ear. "I want a brother. I really, really need a brother."

I looked over at Kael, who was watching the entire scene with unveiled amusement and something deeper, something that looked like profound contentment.

"We don’t know yet," I told Kaleb, running my fingers through his soft hair.

"It has to be a boy," he insisted, pulling back to stare into my eyes, willing it into reality. "So we can play video games together. And soccer. And build the biggest Lego castle ever."

"We’ll see," I said, leaning forward to kiss his forehead. "But even if it’s a girl, you can still do all those things with her. You can teach her everything."

Kaleb considered this with the grave seriousness of a world leader negotiating a treaty. "Okay," he conceded. "But I still want a boy."

"Noted."

Lily began babbling again, this time reaching her little arms out for me.

My heart melted. I took her from Olivia, her warm, solid weight a perfect fit in my arms. She smelled of baby shampoo and innocence.

She patted my wet cheeks with her soft palms, completely unfazed by the emotional storm around her.

"Baby," she said, clear as day.

"Yes," I told her, my voice thick with love. "Baby."

She seemed immensely pleased with this confirmation and settled her head against my chest with a contented sigh.

The next few hours passed in a blur of normalcy that felt like a miracle. We talked. We laughed until our sides ached. Kaleb regaled me with more tales from school and his intricate social world. Olivia filled in the gaps of the life I had left behind.

It felt like coming home after a long, cold journey. It felt safe. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Eventually, though, Kaleb’s stories were punctuated by yawns, and Lily had fallen into a deep, trusting sleep in my arms.

"We should go," Olivia said, her voice heavy with reluctance. "It’s past their bedtime."

"No," Kaleb protested immediately, his eyelids drooping. "I don’t want to leave Aunt Aria."

"I know, sweetheart. But you are past your bedtime."

"But I’m not sleepy," he mumbled, already half-asleep.

"Kaleb," Olivia said, her mother-voice firm but gentle.

He pouted but didn’t argue further.

I carefully transferred Lily’s sleeping warmth back to Olivia, then pulled Kaleb into one last, long hug.

"I’ll see you very soon," I promised into his hair. "I promise."

"You promise?" He looked up, sleep making his eyes heavy, but the need for certainty still sharp in his gaze.

"I promise. In fact, I’ll come back home. We can have a Mario Kart tournament."

His face lit up, sleep forgotten for a moment. "Really?"

"Really."

"And I’m gonna beat you this time."

"We’ll see about that," I said, smiling.

Kael had quietly arranged for his driver, and discreet guards materialized to escort them to the elevator.

Olivia paused at the rooftop door, turning back for a final moment. Her eyes were luminous in the fairy lights.

"Come home for your birthday, at least," she said. "Promise me."

My birthday.

In the whirlwind, I had forgotten it completely.

"I promise," I said.

She smiled, a beautiful, tear-streaked thing. "I love you."

"I love you too."

She leaned in, kissed my cheek, and then followed the guards out, her children in tow.

I stood at the door, my hand raised in a wave until the elevator doors slid shut, swallowing them from view.

Then I just stood there, the silence of the rooftop rushing in, the weight of the entire evening settling deep into my bones. The joy, the relief, the love... it was almost too much to hold.

Kael’s arms wrapped around me from behind, pulling me back against the solid, steady strength of his chest. His chin rested on top of my head.

"You okay?" he murmured into my hair.

"Yeah," I whispered, leaning my full weight against him. "I am. Thank you."

He pressed a soft kiss to my temple.

Then his voice came again, laced with a new, familiar curiosity.

"Birthday?"

I turned within the circle of his arms to look up at him.

"I know..." I admitted. "It’s in a few days."

Kael’s expression shifted instantly into something I knew all too well.

That calculating, focused look that meant his mind was already spinning, plotting, orchestrating.

"How many days?" he asked, his voice deceptively casual.

"Kael—"

"How many?"

I sighed, a mix of exasperation and fondness. "Four days."

His smile was slow, deliberate, and utterly dangerous. "Good to know."

"Don’t," I warned, poking a finger into his chest. "Don’t you dare make it a spectacle."

"I have no idea what you’re talking about," he said, the picture of innocence.

"Kael—"

He kissed me, effectively silencing my protest with the warm, certain pressure of his lips.

And when he pulled back, that predatory smile was still firmly in place.

"Four days," he repeated, the words a soft promise.

I groaned, burying my face against his shoulder, but I was smiling.

I was in so much trouble.