Liam's going to need therapy
877 Words
The kiss was unexpected.
Not rushed. Not desperate.
Just quiet. Sure. Inevitable.
Lena's lips met Ares’s, and for one suspended moment, everything else fell away. The boardroom battles, the cameras, the sleepless nights. Even the fear.
He kissed her like she was the only thing he hadn’t been able to control—and maybe he didn’t want to.
When they finally pulled apart, she was breathless.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” she said softly.
“Then I’m glad you did,” he replied.
She stepped back. “This changes things.”
“Does it have to?”
“Yes.”
But she didn’t explain. She just walked past him, into the house, where Liam’s laughter echoed from the living room.
Ares stood on the patio, tasting the line they’d just crossed.
And wondering what came next.
---
In the days that followed, the leak investigation escalated. Ares hired an independent cyber-forensics firm. Every phone, laptop, and employee close to the Knight inner circle was reviewed.
By midweek, they had a name.
Daria Lin.
An executive assistant on the PR team. Close to Camilla. Closer to Ares—years ago. A forgotten flame with access to private files and a grudge.
“She leaked Liam’s identity for a payday,” Mason reported. “Tabloids, influencer deals, even a documentary pitch.”
Ares didn’t hesitate. “Press charges.”
It wasn’t enough. Lena still jumped every time a car slowed outside their gate. Liam still asked if the cameras were coming back.
And Ares? He couldn’t sleep.
He spent his nights watching over them like a sentinel, silent and still. Wondering how much damage had been done. Wondering if Lena regretted trusting him.
---
One morning, Ares found Lena in the garden, trimming lavender.
“Liam’s going to need therapy,” she said, not looking up.
“I’ve already arranged it. Discreet. Best child psychologist in the state.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
He hesitated. “And you?”
She finally looked at him. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not.”
“I don’t have time to fall apart.”
“I can give you time. I can give you space.”
“What I need,” she said, “is a partner who doesn’t try to fix me. Just stands beside me.”
Ares swallowed hard. “I’m trying.”
“I know.”
She set the shears down. “I’m not ready for us. But I’m not running either.”
“That’s enough.”
And it was.
---
Liam began his sessions quietly. Hesitantly. But within a week, he opened up. Told stories about “the mean people with cameras” and how he missed his old school.
The psychologist, Dr. Nia Brooks, was brilliant. Warm. Smart. Clear-eyed.
“He’s coping,” she told Ares and Lena in a private consult. “But you both need to set a stable foundation. He’s picking up on your tension. Your uncertainty.”
Ares looked at Lena. “We’ll work on that.”
“I hope so,” Dr. Brooks said. “Because if you don’t, it won’t just be Liam who unravels.”
---
Later that night, Lena sat in the kitchen while Ares made tea. Not coffee. Not scotch. Just tea.
“You’re different,” she said.
“I’ve had to be.”
“You left your company for us.”
“I left because I didn’t recognize myself anymore. I was becoming my father. Obsessed with power. Detached. Cold.”
She was quiet.
“Do you regret it?” she asked.
“No.” He handed her the mug. “But I do wish I’d found you sooner.”
She looked down. “I never stopped loving you. I just stopped trusting you.”
“I’m working on both.”
“I know.”
They sat in silence, letting it settle.
---
The next weekend, Ares suggested a trip. Just the three of them. Somewhere quiet. No headlines. No reporters.
“Somewhere we can be just… us,” he said.
They rented a cabin in the Catskills. Trees. Firewood. A lake.
Liam fed ducks. Built sandcastles. Learned how to fish.
Ares skipped phone calls. Read stories. Fell asleep on the couch with Liam curled on his chest.
Lena watched them and felt something thaw. Not erase, but shift.
One night, after Liam had fallen asleep by the fire, Ares and Lena sat under the stars.
“You make it look easy,” she said.
“It’s not. I wake up scared every day. That I’ll mess this up. That I’ll lose him. You.”
“You’re not the only one scared.”
He looked over. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“Why did you really leave that night? Five years ago.”
She didn’t speak for a long time.
Then, “Because I thought you’d never choose me over your ambition. And I couldn’t raise a child on promises.”
He nodded, eyes heavy. “I would have, if I’d known.”
“I know that now.”
They didn’t kiss. Didn’t need to.
But something broke open between them.
And for the first time since Liam was born, Lena didn’t feel like she was doing it alone.
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