The Secrets Between Us

Chapter 4 - A Father's Promise

Chapter 4

Elaine's POV

“Mummy, why are you fighting with Daddy?” Noah’s small voice cut through the thick silence like a knife.

His tiny face looked confused as he stared at us. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Nathan was the one who answered first, stepping toward him with a soft smile.

“We weren’t fighting, buddy,” he said gently. “We were just talking grown-up talk.”

Noah blinked, unconvinced, and looked at me.

“Are you sure?” he asked slowly. “Because it sounded like shouting.”

Nathan reached the staircase and bent slightly, patting Noah’s curls with a tenderness that made my chest ache.

“I promise. No shouting. Just a serious conversation. But everything’s okay now.”

Noah hesitated, then took a step down.

“Where have you been, Daddy?” he asked, his voice small.

“My friend at school said his daddy comes home every day after work. But you didn’t come back after the wedding. Were you working for a long time?”

Nathan froze. I felt something break inside me as Noah continued. His little face looked sad as he asked another question.

“Are you going to leave again?” My breath caught.

I had done everything to keep Noah from feeling that gap, that aching absence. I never wanted him to think his father didn’t care. And yet here we were. And he was old enough now to ask questions. Real questions.

“I’m sorry, Noah,” Nathan said quietly. “I had to leave for a bit. But I won’t do it again. I promise.”

“Pinky promise?” Noah asked, holding out his tiny hand, his pinky extended with all the seriousness of a sacred oath. His little eyes were full of hope.

Nathan didn’t hesitate. He hooked his pinky around our son’s and smiled.

“I pinky promise.” Noah smiled then, that bright, warm smile that could light up the darkest days.

Without waiting for permission, he stepped into Nathan’s arms. Nathan picked him up effortlessly, holding him close as Noah wrapped his arms around his neck.

“I missed you, Daddy,” he whispered.

“I missed you too, champ. So much.”

I stood there, frozen, watching them. My heart twisted with so many emotions I couldn’t name. Relief, pain, hope, fear.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. But somehow, it was exactly what I had wanted and dreaded all at once.

“I think someone needs to get back to bed,” Nathan said, glancing at me, then back at Noah.

“And maybe I can read you a bedtime story? If that’s okay with Mummy?”

Noah nodded eagerly, and I found my voice again.

“That’s fine,” I said softly. “Just one story, okay?”

“Two,” Noah bargained, already yawning.

Nathan chuckled. “We’ll see.”

As they disappeared up the stairs, I sat down slowly on the couch, my heart still pounding.

The man who broke me was now gently holding the pieces of the life we shared. He was dangerous. Secretive. Not entirely human.

But when he looked at Noah like that, when he held our son like the most precious thing in the world, I couldn’t deny the truth.

Nathan Kade wasn’t just a storm in my past.

He was the father of my child. And no matter how much I wanted to shut the door on him, he was already inside. Whether I was ready or not.

---

That next morning Nathan drove Noah to school despite my protests.

I had struggled to sleep last night after our argument and could have sworn I felt Nathan standing outside my door for a while before retreating to his room down the hall.

It was 11 a.m. I had been planning on leaving the house to get thoughts out of my head when I heard a knock on my door.

The housekeeper, Mrs. Cory, a plump middle-aged woman with eyes that were full of secrets, came into my room and announced the arrival of my parents.

I sighed and felt my heart sink. Nathan had known they were struggling and had used that to make them throw me back into his life.

They knew I hated him. They knew I was struggling when he left me. They had been ashamed of my pregnancy and had treated me badly. There were snide comments, emotional abuse, and a lot more that made me leave before it got worse. I avoided them for five years, only telling them of the birth of their grandson and focusing on making a living and caring for my son.

They threw me under the bus at the first chance and used me to solve their problems. They left no room for me to escape and made me go with Noah to sign the contract that day. If I had refused, Nathan would have taken Noah away from me. He had the money and power to do it.

I walked downstairs and went to one of the living rooms where they were seated.

My mother looked up first. Her sharp eyes scanned me from head to toe like I was a stranger invading her space. My father sat beside her, silent as always, only shifting to adjust the expensive-looking cuffs Nathan had no doubt paid for.

“Look who finally decided to show some manners,” Mum said, her voice laced with disdain.

I didn’t respond. I folded my arms and stood by the doorway. “What are you doing here?”

“We came to talk,” she replied calmly. “You didn’t bother to return our calls. Nathan was kind enough to let us know you are alright.”

“Since you already know that I'm fine,” I said, my jaw clenched. “Why did you bother coming here? I don’t owe you anything anymore. You have already used me to get what you want.”

My father cleared his throat, still not meeting my eyes. “That’s not how you talk to your parents.”

I let out a dry laugh. “Parents? Is that what we are now? Because last I checked, you disowned me the moment you realized I was keeping the baby.”

My mother’s nostrils flared. “We were trying to protect you.”

“By calling me a disgrace?” My voice rose. “By making me sleep on the floor for months? By pretending I didn’t exist until you needed something from me?”

She stood up, her voice icy. “Don’t you dare raise your voice at me. You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for us. You’re not the victim you think you are.”

“No?” I snapped. “Then what am I, Mum? Tell me. What am I to you?”

“You are an ungrateful brat. We made the best decision for you to marry your child's father and be taken care of. You should be grateful that you are now the wife of a powerful man,” she said without hesitation.

The word sliced through me. I looked at my parents and felt a deep, intense hatred.

“You’re emotional,” my father muttered. “This is exactly why you shouldn’t be making decisions alone. You never could.”

I shook my head, trying to blink away the tears that were threatening to fall from my eyes. “You think I made a mistake keeping Noah. That’s what this is about.”

“Of course it was a mistake,” Mum said, voice low and bitter. “But we fixed it, and now look at you, the wife of a billionaire. Your son will be well taken care of, and you no longer have to live the stupid life you lived before. Just be nice to Nathan and give him what he wants.”

My chest heaved. “You gave me to him. You didn't try to help me when he threatened to take my son from me.”

She scoffed. “Oh, don’t be dramatic. He gave you a good life and he saved our family from ruin. If you had any sense, you would be a good wife and pop out more children for him as soon as possible.”

I took a step back, heart pounding in my chest.

“I never asked for your help,” I said shakily, tears falling from my eyes. “I never needed you. And I certainly didn’t need you coming into my life now just to sell me off like I’m some pawn.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” she said with a smile. “You owe us for the good life we gave you before you ruined everything and got pregnant. It's the duty of children to obey their parents.”

That was it. The room spun.

I felt heat crawl up my spine, the sick weight of helplessness pressing on my chest. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.

All I wanted to do was run.

Run from this house, this life, this trap that Nathan had built around me with walls made of painful memories and a door locked without any escape. I wanted to take Noah and vanish, disappear into the world where no one knew our names.

“Get out,” I whispered.

“What did you say?” my mother asked, arching a brow.

“I said get out!” I screamed. “Get out of this house! Get out of my life!”

The silence that followed was heavy and stunned.

My mother straightened, expression unreadable. My father finally stood, his mouth pressed into a tight line.

Without another word, they turned and left.

The moment the door shut behind them, I collapsed onto the nearest chair, trembling. My vision blurred as tears spilled down my cheeks.

I was shaking, but I couldn’t tell if I was shaking from anger or from fear.

Because deep down, I knew what I wanted to do.

I wanted to take my son and run.