Chapter 124
Sarah’s POV
Two weeks, fourteen days, three hundred thirty-six hours, and I had made exactly zero progress with Ryan.
Zero.
He still barely looked at me.
He said maybe five words a day.
“Yes p>
“No p>
“Water p>
“Bathroom p>
That was it.
He just… existed like a little ghost floating through the house, following his schedule, never straying, never feeling.
It was breaking my heart.
Melinda followed the schedule like it was the Bible.
I watched Ryan during outside time. He would sit on the bench in the garden just staring at the flowers.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
So today I did something crazy and something I shouldn’t be doing, I went against every rule Melinda gave me.
I took Ryan out without telling anyone.
It was during his afternoon outside time.
Instead of going to the garden, I took his hand and led him out of the mansion, making it seem like Melinda and Marcus were aware of it, so I didn’t have an issue with the guards.
“Where are we going?” Ryan asked quietly as I buckled him behind the Uber we hailed.
It was the most words he had said to me all week.
“It’s a surprise,” I said, smiling at him in the rearview mirror.
He didn’t smile back; he just looked out the window.
We drove to a small ice cream shop I had seen a few blocks away.
It was cute and Colorful.
He held my hand loosely, his little fingers barely gripping mine as we walked into the shop.
The shop was busy.
“Okay,” I said, crouching down to his level. “We’re getting ice cream. What flavor do you want p>
He didn’t answer.
“Ryan? Buddy? What flavor sounds good? Strawberry? Vanilla? They have cookies and cream. That’s my favorite p>
Nothing.
Just staring.
I was about to just pick something for him when his little hand lifted.
He pointed at the board.
Chocolate.
“Chocolate?” I asked. “You want chocolate p>
He nodded just once.
“Perfect Chocolate it is. You wait right here. Don’t move, okay p>
I got to the counter and ordered two scoops of chocolate on a cone. The girl behind the counter smiled at me. “Your kid is so cute, so well-behaved p>
I just smiled back.
If only she knew.
I paid and turned around with a cone in hand.
Ryan was still standing exactly where I left him.
Good boy.
“Here you go,” I said, handing him the cone.
He took the cone carefully.
He looked at it.
Then, for just a second, the tiniest second, the corner of his mouth twitched.
Not a smile but almost.
My heart did a little flip.
Progress, tiny, tiny progress.
We walked out of the shop.
We would get back before Melinda even noticed we were gone.
Everything would be fine.
We were walking to hail an Uber, and Ryan was holding his ice cream, not eating it, just holding it.
Then he suddenly stopped, his whole body went stiff. The ice cream fell from his hand and splatted on the sidewalk.
“Ryan? What’s wrong?” I asked.
He didn’t answer; he just stared at something across the street, and his face went pale.
His eyes got huge.
Then he screamed.
It was a scream I had never heard from a child before.
High-pitched.
Terrified, almost like he had seen a ghost. He lunged at me, grabbing my legs, burying his face in my jeans, shaking like a leaf.
“Ryan! Ryan, what is it? What’s wrong?” I crouched down, trying to hold him, trying to calm him.
He just screamed and clung to me.
Then a woman appeared out of nowhere and yanked Ryan away from me hard.
He cried out, his little arms reaching for me.
“Who are you?” the woman demanded. Her voice was sharp and mean. “What are you doing with my son p>
My son.
I stared at her.
She was beautiful in a cold, hard way with blonde hair and expensive clothes. Red lips pulled into an angry line. Ryan was crying, struggling in her arms, reaching for me.
“Give him back!” I said, stepping forward. “You’re hurting him p>
“Give him back?” She laughed, but it wasn’t a nice laugh. “I’m his mother, you idiot. I see what Marcus is doing. Letting some nobody cheap rat take care of my son. Is this his new plan? Hire trash to raise my boy p>
Ryan was crying harder now. “Sarah! Sarah, help me p>
Hearing him call my name, hearing the fear in his little voice, made something snap in me.
I didn’t care who this woman was, whether she was his mother or not.
“Give him back right now!” I yelled, reaching for Ryan.
She pushed me hard I stumbled backward, my arms flailing, sure I was going to hit the pavement, but I didn’t fall.
Strong arms caught me, warm and solid, they wrapped around me and steadied me.
I looked up.
And my breath stopped.
He was handsome.
Like, devilishly handsome with dark hair,
slightly messy, sharp jaw, his eyes the color of whiskey, looking down at me with an expression I couldn’t read.
He was tall.
Built.
His shoulders were huge under his expensive suit; he looked like he was in his late forties, but in that way where age just makes a man more attractive.
For a second, I just stared. The world faded away like it was just me and him and the strange electric feeling of his arms around me.
Then something clicked.
I knew that face.
But where?
The asshole from the cafe shop who made me lose my job!
But how? What is he doing here?
Before I could say anything, before I could even process the shock, he moved. One hand left my waist and cupped my face. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.
It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was quick, firm, possessive, like he owned me.
Like he had every right.
Then he pulled back just an inch. His lips were still close to mine, and he smiled. A slow, devastating smile.
“Sweetheart,” he said, his voice low and smooth like honey. “I told you to wait in the car p>
Sweetheart?
What?