Chapter 39
I did not want Jaxon to leave and I made sure to voice my disapproval but as I soon learnt, there was nothing he could do about it. He had to go because he needed to convince the council that everything was under control and he could handle it.
Regardless of all the explanations, I still didn’t want him to leave because something about his leaving rubbed me the wrong way. I couldn’t help but feel like something bad was going to happen if he left but I didn’t know how to explain it to him.
He left that night around nine and he went with a handful of guards that he trusted. Aiden was to stay back with us and watch over the palace while also trying to figure out how those rebels were able to sneak in. I could tell that Aiden was not happy with being left behind but he never once said a thing.
When the time came–for Jaxon to leave, Kiara wouldn’t let him go. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried and I saw Jaxon’s heart break as he had to carefully detangle her from his body. She didn’t stop crying until he promised that he was going to be back soon and he would never leave after.
I almost cried watching their interaction but I knew that I had to be strong for them so I forced down my tears. When Jaxon ki*sed me, a stray tear slipped through the cracks and he wiped it away.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” he mumbled over my l*ps. “If anything goes wrong I want you to call me immediately.”
“I promise,”
When he left,,Kiara ran to her room and refused to come out again. I went back to the room I shared with Jaxon and it wasn’t until I closed the door behind me that the awareness of Jaxon’s absence hit me. The room smelled like him but it didn’t feel like his presence. There was a feeling that came with his presence- an aura and something that made the hair on my skin stand on end.
FUSE
When he wasn’t physically there, that presence wasn’t either. I opened the closet only to see that my clothes had been moved. I didn’t know that Jaxon had already arranged it and he hadn’t said a word about it to me but my clothes were neatly arranged on one end of the closet. I walked past mine and towards the back where I knew he kept his faded shirts and I pulled one over my held.
I brought it to my nose and took a long sniff- it smelled just like him. I lay on his side of the bed and wrapped the blanket around me while pretending it was his strong arms. It didn’t feel like him or offer the same comfort that
he did but it was a start.
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I found it hard to fall asleep and just when I was managing to do so, my phone rang. I rushed to grab it and I
I smiled widely when I saw who was calling.
“Did I wake you?” Jaxon’s husky tone blared through the speakers. “I wanted to hear your voice before you fell asleep.”
“You didn’t,” I lied because I would have done anything in that moment to hear his voice.
“I miss you,” I felt a piece of my heart crack when he said those words. “It has only been a few hours but damn, I do. I’m driving alone so I’m going to put you on speaker, okay?”
I hummed because his words practically flew over my head. All I could concentrate on was the fact that he had missed me. I felt like a giddy school girl as I squealed into my pillow and kicked my legs in glee and excitement.
We spoke for what felt like five minutes but in reality was over half an hour. The only reason Jaxon offered to hang up was because I was feeling sleepy and I had started to drift off. I wanted to tell him goodnight but my tongue and eyes felt heavy. I muttered something unintelligible and I heard him laugh. Before I drifted off, I heard him say something but my brain couldn’t process the words.
When I woke up the next morning, my phone was on its last legs of battery. I saw a text from Jaxon telling me when he arrived and it was around six in the morning. I couldn’t help but wonder how exhausted he was and I sent him a quick text before putting my phone to charge and leaving the room.
I knew Kiara would be sad when she woke up and I was determined to do something nice for her. I made her favorite–heart shaped waffles with whipped cream and bacon. It was our special breakfast that we had when I could afford it because of how expensive it was for me then and Kiara would be absolutely giddy whenever I made it for her.
The maids in the kitchen watched me in something akin to absolute shock and disbelief as I cooked for Kiara and I. It was almost like they had never seen someone in my position in the kitchen before and if not that I was completely focused on my task; I would have felt a little self conscious.
When I was done, I made to clean up but that seemed to be too much for them to handle because they promptly stopped me and assured me that they could handle it.
I decided to let them do it and focused on arranging the bacon and the shipped cream in the shape of a smiley face before I took it to her room so we could eat together.
When I knocked on the door, she didn’t answer immediately and I pushed it open only to see her sitting up on her bed with hermolls in front of her. She glanced up when she saw me and I saw that her eyes were red rimmed.
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“What happened sweetheart?” I asked and she sniffled. “Did you hurt yourself?”
“Daddy is gone,” she sobbed and I felt my heart clench for her.
+5
I couldn’t believe there was a time I ever considered leaving here with Kiara. She was born to be with Jaxon and even this brief separation was absolutely wrecking her from the inside.
“Daddy will be back soon,” I assured her. “He had to leave so that he can keep us safe. He loves you and I’m sure that when he is free later, he is going to call you so he can talk to you, okay?”
She sniffled and I doubted she understood half of what I said but she nodded.
“Good,” I took a seat at the edge of the bed. “I made waffles and pancakes for us.”
Just like that, her tears were forgotten and she leaped over to my side. We ate together and I made sure to bring up different conversations that would not have her thinking about Jaxon. As soon as we were done, I got her ready for the day because I knew Nadia was going to be around soon.
I dressed her in a pretty blue dress and tied her hair up with a ribbon. She squealed when she saw it and told me that she looked like a princess. I refrained from telling her that she was an actual princess.
Once she was dressed, I left the room because I wanted to speak to Aiden and see how things were going. I hated feeling useless and like I was of no aid and I was determined to do something while Jaxon was away. I didn’t want him to be the only person trying to keep us safe.
Jaden and his brother were still trailing me in silence. I had gotten used to their presence to the point where it felt normal to feel them around me. I wondered if that made me a hypocrite because growing up I had always found people who walked around with guards to be very pretentious.
I didn’t have to go far to look for Aiden because I met him on the hallway to the office. There was a phone in his hands and he was speaking rapidly to the person on the other side. I had to step in his way for him to notice me because of how focused he was on his task and once he did, he put the phone on hold.
“Is everything okay?” I asked and he nodded.
“I might have gotten a break but I can’t say anything until it is confirmed. Nadia called to say she might be a bit late because of a family emergency but she will be here as soon as possible.” I opened my mouth to speak but he put the phone against his ear again. “I’ll talk to you later.”
I knew in that menent that there was nothing I could do and the best way to offer my services would be to stay out of everyone’s way. I decided to go out into the garden for fresh air and I stayed there for an hour before I saw
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Nadia arrive. There was a light sheen of sweat on her forehead and she looked tired but the moment she saw
me, she wiped the tired look off her face and smiled.
I couldn’t help but wonder the kind of demons she had plaguing her and what family emergency had her coming late. I realized in that moment that I knew next to nothing about the woman who spent most of her time with my daughter.
I waved to her and she disappeared into the palace. I waited a few minutes before I decided to make my way inside as well. I was on my way to my room when Nadia rushed up to me looking panicked.
“Is everything alright?” I asked and she opened her mouth to speak but no words would come out. “Nadia, what is it?”
“It is Kiara,” she managed out. “She isn’t in her room.”
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