the hidden heir
851 Words
Calla Monroe’s POV
The morning air was crisp, but it did nothing to calm my racing heart. Every instinct screamed at me that today would be different. Today, Damian Vale would no longer be kept at bay.
I tried to act normal, making breakfast for Lucas, pouring cereal and milk, keeping my voice light. But every sound, every shadow made me jump. The knock came earlier than I expected—three sharp raps at the door that made my stomach plummet.
I peeked through the peephole.
Damian Vale. Gray eyes locked on mine, expression unreadable. He didn’t smile. He didn’t ask. He didn’t knock again. He simply waited.
The Arrival
I opened the door cautiously, forcing my voice steady. “Damian… please. You shouldn’t be here.”
“I told you I’d come,” he said softly, but the steel underneath his tone was unmistakable. “Alone. Now.”
I froze. My heart raced. Lucas was playing quietly in the living room, oblivious to the storm outside.
“Stay there,” I whispered to him, my hands shaking.
Damian’s eyes shifted to Lucas. My chest tightened as he crouched slightly, assessing him. And then it happened.
His gaze softened… and froze.
The Moment of Recognition
Lucas looked up, curious. “Mommy… who’s this?”
My throat tightened. “Just… someone from the past, baby.”
But Damian’s eyes narrowed. He stepped closer, slowly, carefully, as though every movement was measured. The resemblance was undeniable—the gray eyes, the dark curls, the tilt of his head…
He froze mid-step. “Calla…” His voice was low, almost strangled, a mix of disbelief and something darker.
I felt my knees weaken. I had known this moment would come, feared it with every fiber of my being. “Damian… I—”
“No,” he said sharply. “Don’t. Not yet. Not until I hear it from you.”
Flashback – Secrets and Goodbye
I remembered the night I left, rain pouring down, my heart breaking.
“You don’t understand,” I had cried. “I can’t stay.”
“You’re running from me,” he had said. “Do you think you can hide from what we had?”
I had stepped into the shadows, leaving him behind. I had thought I could escape. But I hadn’t counted on Lucas. My son, the living reminder of what I had left behind… and the truth I had tried to bury.
The Revelation
Damian knelt to Lucas’s level, his eyes soft but intense. “What’s your name, little man?”
“Lucas,” he said proudly, clutching his toy car.
Damian’s jaw tightened. My blood ran cold.
“Lucas… Monroe?” he asked slowly, disbelief in his voice.
I couldn’t speak. My heart hammered painfully in my chest. Every protective instinct screamed at me to hide him, to shield him from Damian’s overwhelming presence.
“You’re… mine?” His voice cracked slightly, but the power behind it remained.
“Yes,” I whispered, tears threatening to spill. “He’s yours. But you can’t… you can’t take him. Not yet. Please…”
Emotional Turmoil
Damian’s expression was a storm. Shock, disbelief, longing, anger—everything collided at once. His hands twitched slightly, and I felt the weight of his presence pressing down on me.
“You kept him from me?” he said finally, voice low, dangerous. “For five years… you lied to me?”
“I had to protect him!” I cried, my voice shaking. “I couldn’t risk you… or anyone else finding out. I didn’t want him caught in your world, Damian. He’s just a child!”
He stepped closer, towering over me, and I flinched. “Calla… you don’t get to decide that. He’s my son. I’ve waited for this moment, for him. For you. And now… I will not be denied.”
Romantic Tension and Possessiveness
Even as fear and anger roared between us, a forbidden ache flared in my chest. Damian was here, relentless, demanding, and impossibly magnetic. Every memory, every touch, every whispered word from our past seemed alive again.
I tried to push it down, to focus on protecting Lucas. But Damian’s gray eyes held me captive, pulling at emotions I thought I had buried.
“I… I can’t let you take him,” I whispered.
“Calla,” he said softly, voice dangerous, commanding, but tinged with longing. “You think I’ll let anything come between me and my family? My son? My mate? Never.”
Cliffhanger – Damian’s Ultimatum
I backed away, clutching Lucas, tears streaming down my face. Damian didn’t move closer, but his presence filled every corner of the room.
“I’ll give you a choice,” he said slowly. “You can run, hide, keep secrets… or you can trust me. All of us. But know this, Calla—I will not wait forever. And I will not forgive lies.”
My hands shook. Lucas whimpered softly, sensing the tension. I hugged him tight, my heart aching.
And in that moment, I realized nothing would ever be the same.
- Writer
