Two Hearts

Nobody goes There

Laura POV

Daniel was truly unbelievable.

No, actually, unbelievable wasn't a strong enough word.

How he managed to make me feel guilty about something that wasn't my fault in any way was beyond me.

For an entire week he had barely been home. He avoided me. Avoided conversations. Avoided anything that resembled normal human interaction.

And then suddenly, out of nowhere, he acted as if I should have informed him about the marriage certificate and rings at the exact right moment.

When exactly was I supposed to do that?

While we were sitting peacefully on the terrace at the cabin?

"Oh, by the way, Daniel, the lawyer dropped off our marriage certificate and wedding rings."

Even imagining it now sounded ridiculous.

I honestly didn't understand how he couldn't see it. In Daniel's world, someone else was always responsible. Never him. As if mistakes simply didn't exist. As if people weren't allowed to make them.

But life didn't work that way. Everyone made mistakes. Small ones. Big ones. Life-changing ones.

If I looked at my own life, one wrong decision had destroyed everything.

And if I hadn't met Erik...

I honestly didn't know where I would be now.

People made mistakes. They fixed mistakes. Or they learned to live with them.

But Daniel?

Daniel acted as if mistakes were some mythical creature that only happened to other people.

Which was ironic.

Because whether he admitted it or not, he'd already made the biggest mistake of his life. Ten years ago. The moment he'd created this entire lie.

The first thing I did after entering my room was take a shower. I wanted to wash all of it away. The argument. The frustration. The disappointment. Even my anger.

I hated being angry. It always left me exhausted afterward. Sometimes with a headache. I preferred solving problems calmly.

Unfortunately, Daniel made that nearly impossible. He was probably the biggest headache I'd ever had.

When I stepped out of the shower and changed into comfortable clothes, I felt slightly better. Not completely. But better.

I was about to unpack my bag when someone knocked on my door. My first thought was Ellia or Markus.

Definitely not Daniel.

Daniel Carter would rather wrestle a shark than voluntarily apologize. Which was why I nearly stopped breathing when I opened the door and found him standing there.

For a second, I genuinely wondered if he had come to apologize.

Maybe he'd realized he'd overreacted.

Maybe—

"My father arranged a photoshoot."

I blinked. What?

My brain immediately abandoned all other thoughts - Photoshoot? Already? How? When? Why?

Outwardly, however, I remained perfectly calm.

"And apparently we're having dinner with him tomorrow."

Just like that.

One piece of life-altering information after another. As if he were discussing the weather.

I crossed my arms.

"That's your apology?"

Silence.

He simply looked at me.

I waited.

And waited.

And then I realized it wasn't coming.

Not today. Not tomorrow. Possibly not within this century.

"Fine."

I nodded once. Then shut the door directly in front of his face.

If he wasn't willing to take one small step toward me, then neither was I.

Why should I?

Dinner that evening was strange. Painfully strange.

I had been almost certain Daniel wouldn't join us. Yet somehow he did. We all sat around the table eating in near silence. Even the children seemed quieter than usual.

It felt as if a storm cloud had settled directly above us.

Waiting.

Threatening.

Ready to explode at any moment.

But nothing happened. Everyone finished eating. Everyone disappeared into different parts of the house. And somehow that felt even stranger.

I fell asleep surprisingly fast. Despite the million thoughts running through my head.

The next morning arrived far too soon.

Everything was chaos - Coffee. Breakfast. School bags. Missing homework. Missing shoes. Something else. Then another thing.

I quickly realized the children were going to miss the bus. And I was dangerously close to panicking.

Not because of myself. I had already arranged to work from home. I wanted time to prepare for dinner with Erik. Something told me tonight would bring more surprises.

Working remotely wasn't unusual. Our company allowed it occasionally. Since I rarely requested it, my manager approved it immediately.

"Ellia! Markus! Hurry up! You're going to miss the bus!" I used my official mother voice. The one reserved for emergencies.

Daniel was heading toward the front door when he suddenly turned around.

"I can take them to school."

I froze.

For him, the offer sounded casual. For me, it felt like someone had removed a massive weight from my shoulders.

"That would be amazing." The words escaped before I could stop them. "Ellia can show you where to go. Thank you, Daniel." I practically shoved all three of them toward the front door.

"You aren't going anywhere today?" he asked.

I glanced suspiciously at the children. The way they were sprinting toward his car suggested they may have intentionally delayed getting ready.

"Nah. I'm working from home today. I want time to prepare dinner."

"Ah." He hesitated.

Then said,

"You can use my office if you want. It might be more comfortable."

I blinked. That was unexpected.

"I'll think about it." Which was a lie. I fully intended to stay in my room.

Unfortunately, my laptop had other plans.

Three hours later I was standing outside Daniel's office. Apparently my ancient computer had finally chosen violence. After twenty minutes of technical issues, I'd lost the battle.

I reluctantly entered the office. The marriage certificate was gone. The rings were gone. I released a small sigh.

Good.

At least that disaster had disappeared.

I focused on work instead. And surprisingly, Daniel's computer was incredible. Fast. Efficient. Reliable. I finished nearly twice as much work as usual. By the time I closed the laptop, I actually felt productive.

For once.

I opened the office door and immediately walked straight into a solid wall. Or what felt like one.

Daniel.

His hands instantly landed on my shoulders to steady me before I fell. Heat rushed through my body. I stepped back so quickly I nearly stumbled again.

"Uh... you're home already?" I pretended absolutely nothing had happened.

Daniel stared at me as if I'd arrived from another planet.

"Yes." His voice sounded strange. "I came back early. My father has a habit of arriving before he's expected."

Of course he did. I nodded quickly.

"Right. Well... I should start dinner. The kids should be home soon."

"They already are."

I blinked.

"What?"

"I picked them up."

For some reason that caught me completely off guard.

"Oh."

Brilliant response, Laura.

"Okay."

And before my brain could embarrass me further, I escaped into the kitchen.

Cooking became my salvation. When I cooked, I didn't think. I simply followed steps. Ingredients. Measurements. Timing. Everything made sense.

Unlike people. Especially Daniel.

As it turned out, Daniel was right.

Erik arrived early. Of course he did.

At some point Daniel disappeared again, leaving Erik and me alone in the kitchen. Erik leaned casually against the counter while I finished the last preparations.

"So," he asked casually, "how was your weekend?"

I smiled despite myself.

"Actually... pretty nice."

Erik's eyebrows lifted.

"Really?"

"The cabin was beautiful." I found myself smiling. "It was peaceful. Quiet. Exactly what we needed."

And then I noticed something strange. Erik froze. Completely.

"The what?"

I frowned.

"The cabin."

His expression changed instantly.

"Daniel took you there?"

Now I felt uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable.

"Yes..."

A long silence followed.

Then Erik shook his head.

"That's impossible."

I stared at him.

"What do you mean impossible?"

"Nobody goes there."

"What?"

"Nobody."

The tension suddenly felt real. I didn't understand. Seeing my confusion, Erik explained.

"Not friends." He held up one finger.

"Not girlfriends." A second finger.

"Not business partners." A third.

"Nobody."

I simply stared at him.

My thoughts immediately returned to the cabin. The wood he'd chopped. The window he'd repaired. The tea he'd brought me on the terrace. The way he'd seemed different there. Lighter. More real.

Maybe Erik was right. Maybe that place wasn't just a cabin. Maybe it meant something. And maybe Daniel hadn't wanted me to know that.

At that exact moment, Daniel walked into the kitchen carrying a bottle of wine.

Both Erik and I looked at him. Immediately.

Daniel stopped. His eyes narrowed.

"What?"

Erik studied him for a moment. Then said,

"You took them to the cabin." It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

And I watched Daniel change instantly. His grip tightened around the wine bottle. For a second, I genuinely thought he might break it.

"Dad."

Just one word. A warning. A plea. A command - Don't.

Erik simply shrugged. Then smiled.

"Dinner?"

And just like that, the moment was over.

But my thoughts weren't. Because as I carried the food toward the dining room, one question kept repeating itself inside my head.

Maybe Erik was exaggerating. Maybe it wasn't a big deal. Maybe Daniel simply needed a place to escape.

But if that were true...

Why had he taken us there?