13
We had to leave. There was no other choice. Our home, the place where we’d once built so many memories, had become a prison. We weren’t safe there anymore, and no matter how much I wished we could stay and make things right, I knew we couldn’t.
Nathan had found a new apartment for us. It wasn’t perfect, but it was far enough away from the place we‘ called home for so long. It was in a small town, and it was close to the diner where Nathan worked as a manager. At least he wouldn’t have to go far to work, and that gave me some relief. It felt like the first real step we’d taken to put the past behind us, even though I knew it would take so much more than a new address to outrun what we’d lived through. Still, I hoped this new place would be the fresh start we needed.
We’d left so much behind, and yet, as we unpacked, I realized that it wasn’t just the house we’d left. It was everything. Our safety, our sense of peace, and the very life we’d built. It was a hollow feeling, knowing we had to abandon all of it because of a man like Dean. But this place… it could be different. It had to be.
I found a terrace off the living room that overlooked the horizon, a small patch of sky that seemed to promise
6.30 AM
Kept the Alpha’s Secret Ho
some sort of freedom. Every evening, I’d sit there and watch the sunset, as if the fading light could somehow erase
the scars we carried. Maybe it was foolish to believe in that kind of magic, but it gave me something to hold onto. I
hoped, with all my heart, that Dean that he wouldn’t find us in this new place.
The days passed, and Nathan and I adjusted to our new routine. The unease was always there, lingering beneath the surface, but it was quieter now. Nicholas was home with me, as we’d decided to homeschool him. I couldn’t bear
the thought of sending him to school, not with everything that had happened.
But as the weeks went by, I noticed a change in Nicholas. He wasn’t the same. He grew quieter, more withdrawn. He didn’t run around the apartment or laugh the way he used to. He’d sit by the window, staring out at the world, his eyes full of longing.
One evening, Nathan sat down beside him, looking concerned. “What’s wrong, kiddo?” he asked gently, ruffling
Nicholas‘ hair.
Nicholas didn’t immediately answer. He just stared ahead, his little hands fidgeting in his lap. Finally, his voice
came out, small and fragile. “I miss the park,” he said, his eyes welling up with unshed tears.
I swallowed hard, the pain of hearing those words hitting me like a punch to the gut. The park. That had been his place, the place where he ran, played, laughed without fear. I’d taken it all away from him when I pulled him out of school and kept him locked inside for his own safety. It was the right choice, but hearing him say those words made
it feel like the wrong one.
“We can go to the park tomorrow,” Nathan said softly, his voice full of warmth. “Just the three of us. We’ll make
sure it’s safe. How does that sound?”
Nicholas‘ face lit up for a moment, and I could see the spark of hope in his eyes. I had to do this for him–for the boy who hadn’t asked for any of this, for the boy who deserved to feel free again.
The next day, we went. We packed a picnic and drove to the park, my heart beating a little faster with each mile we put between ourselves and the apartment. I tried to push my fears aside, to focus on Nicholas‘ smile as he ran ahead of us, his feet flying over the grass. I wanted to believe we could leave the darkness behind, that we could have just one moment of normalcy, one moment of peace.
But the moment we stepped into the park, I saw Dean.
My blood ran cold as I spotted him standing by the swings, his eyes scanning the area. Fury surged through me, how was he still here? How was he still following us?
Before I could say anything, Dean turned toward us and began to approach, a mocking smile on his face. “I was wondering when you’d show up,” he said, his voice dripping with smugness.
HT
Nicholas, of course, hadn’t seen him yet. He was too busy playing, too caught up in the joy of being outside again. But when he finally saw Dean, his face broke into a smile, and before I could stop him, he ran to the man and wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug.
I froze, heart pounding in my chest. “Nicholas, no!” I shouted, but my voice felt far away, distant and powerless. Dean smirked as Nicholas clung to him, and then he turned to Nathan and me. “You let him be miserable, didn’t you? You’re his parents, but look at him–he’s not even happy. I’m just trying to be his friend,” he sneered.
Nicholas pulled away, looking up at Dean with trusting eyes. “He’s just a child,” Dean continued, his voice softer now, like he was explaining something simple. “I would never hurt him.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. “Then go have a child with Cecelia if you want a son!” I snapped, the words flying out of me before I could stop them.
Dean’s smile faltered for a moment, and then he looked at me with a cold, calculating gaze. “Cecelia can’t bear children,” he said, the words chilling me to my core.
I didn’t know what to say to that, and so I said nothing at all.
