The Unwanted Wife and Her Secret Twins (Mia and Kyle) novel Chapter 289

Chapter 289 The Weight of Lie

Chapter 289 The Weight of Lie

Kyle’s POV

+25 BONUS

Looking at Mia staring at me with that intense green gaze, I couldn’t say a word.

The sound of her fist connecting with my jaw still echoed in my ears. The sharp pain radiating through my face was nothing compared to the hollow ache spreading through my chest as I watched her walk away with our sons.

I could have responded better. I had done so before. I could have made her believe that Maxwell was an outsider, just another wealthy client with an unfortunate resemblance to her ex–husband. I’d practiced the denial in mirrors, rehearsed the confusion and offense I should display when accused of being someone else.

But I failed.

Standing there, watching Alexander’s small hand slip into hers with complete trust, seeing Ethan press closer to her side for protection, I couldn’t form the words. Couldn’t maintain the lie when faced with the raw devastation in her eyes.

Ethan and Alexander were well taken care of by her. One was more mischievous, the other more quiet. Both brilliant in their own ways. Both growing taller, stronger, more independent with each passing day I’d watched from the shadows.

Taylor’s hand found my arm, her manicured nails digging into my sleeve. “Jackson, darling, are you alright?” Her voice carried just the right note of concern, perfectly calibrated for our audience.

I pulled away from her touch without looking down. My eyes remained fixed on the space where Mia had been standing moments before.

Morton appeared at my side, his expression unreadable. “Let’s go.”

The private winery was tucked away in the lower deck of the ship.

We sat across from each other at a small table, an expensive bottle of Macallan between us. The amber liquid burned going down, but it did nothing to ease the knot in my stomach.

Morton poured another round without being asked. “You want to talk about it?”

I drained my glass and set it down harder than necessary. “Talk about what?”

“About Mia.”

“She’s better off thinking I’m dead,” I said finally,

Morton’s laugh was bitter. “Is she?”

I’d been telling myself for four years that staying away was protecting them.

But watching her face tonight, seeing the moment when hope died in her eyes, I wondered if what I’d done was really right.

“She’s moved on,” I said, the words tasting like ash.

Chapter 289 The Weight of Lie

+25 BONUS

I knew that Alexander was afraid of thunderstorms but pretended to be brave for his brother. I knew that Ethan talked to his stuffed elephant when he was worried. I knew that both boys still asked about their daddy sometimes, and Mia always changed the subject.

“Have we completely messed this up?” The question escaped before I could stop it.

Morton was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was gentler. “Maybe.”

“That family is still out there,” I said.

I thought about Mia’s face tonight. The way her shoulders had straightened when she realized the truth. The fierce protectiveness in her voice when she defended our sons. The devastation when I denied them.

As she walked away with the children, she looked at me like I was a stranger. Like I was just a speck of dust, nothing more. Not worth her anger anymore. Not worth her tears.

The whiskey was making my head buzz, but it couldn’t dull the sharp edges of regret cutting through my chest.

“She punched me,” I said, touching my jaw where a bruise was already forming.

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