Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 134

Chapter 134

Jessica’s POV

Aaron didn’t say a word. His gaze was fixed on the boy, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard.

Then, slowly, he dropped to his knees.

The movement was so humble, so raw, that I felt the first hot tear track down my cheek.

I watched solemnly, my heart aching with a mixture of immense relief and crushing guilt.

Aaron’s large palms came up, gently cupping Adrian’s cheeks.

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I could see the shimmer of moisture in Aaron’s eyes-the cool, composed “Superstar” was nowhere to be found.

“You’re… you’re my father?” Adrian asked, his tiny voice trembling with a question he’d been asking the universe for years.

Aaron nodded, a single tear breaking free. He pulled Adrian into a hug that looked like he was trying to fuse their souls together.

“Yes, champ,” he croaked into the boy’s hair. “Your dad. I’m your dad.”

Adrian pulled back just enough to look at me for confirmation, his face a mask of disbelief.

“Momma?”

I nodded, the sobs finally catching in my throat.

“That’s your dad, baby. That’s him.”

Adrian turned back to Aaron.

For a second, a flicker of adult-like nervousness crossed Aaron’s face-a man who ran a multi-million dollar empire was suddenly terrified of the judgment of a five-year-old.

He cleared his throat, his mouth opening to offer an explanation, an apology, a bridge-but he never got the chance.

Adrian lunged.

He threw himself into Aaron’s arms with such force that Aaron actually rocked back on his heels.

If he hadn’t been an athlete, he might have been knocked flat.

Adrian buried his face in Aaron’s neck and started to sob-loud, messy, cathartic cries that spoke of every missed birthday and every lonely night.

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Chapter 134

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Aaron just held him, his eyes squeezed shut, burying his face in the crook of the boy’s neck.

I stood there, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand, but it was useless. The salt and the grief and the joy were all pouring out at once.

It was the most beautiful, heartbreaking thing I’d ever seen.

After a long, silent moment, they pulled apart.

Adrian wiped his nose with his sleeve, looking up with red-rimmed eyes. You’re really my dad?”

Aaron smiled, a genuine, lopsided thing. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box.

Inside was a heavy gold locket. I stepped forward, curious.

Aaron clicked it open to reveal a tiny photo nestled there: one of them from an outing, Aaron’s arm around Adrian, both grinning at the camera.

It was beautiful, capturing a moment of pure, unknowing father-son joy.

“I am really your dad,” Aaron confirmed, hanging the chain around Adrian’s neck. “This is for you-to remind you I’m always here now.”

Adrian’s face lit up, fingers tracing the locket, then he remembered the flowers at his feet.

He scooped them up, slightly crushed but still vibrant, and thrust them toward Aaron.

“Happy Father’s Day…..Dad!”

The word Dad seemed to overwhelm Aaron. His eyes watered again, a bright, fierce happiness illuminating his face.

Watching them, I felt a fresh wave of shame.

I had taken this away from them for years because I was scared, because I was irrational, because I thought I was protecting a secret that only ended up hurting everyone.

Guilt surged up my throat, but I pushed it down for now.

Aaron cupped Adrian’s face, and planted a kiss on his forehead.

“Thank you, son.” When he pulled back, his voice was steady but emotional

“I’m back now, and I’m never leaving again. I promise.”

The joy on Adrian’s face was blinding, but then it fluttered. He looked down at his shoes.

“Why weren’t you there… before?”

The air in the foyer went cold. Aaron’s gaze shifted to mine, his expression a silent handoff, and I swallowed

hard.

ICU TU

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Chapter 134

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This was where I came in, the truth I’d dreaded but owed him. I blinked back fresh tears and took a breath.

“Let’s have dinner first, okay?” I suggested softly. “Then we’ll talk about everything. I promise.”

They nodded, and we headed to the backyard.

Night had taken its place, the sky a velvet black dotted with stars, the air cool and calm.

deep

Soft music blasted from the hidden speakers—gentle jazz melodies that mixed with the night breeze and the rushing sound of the fountain, blending so perfectly it felt like the evening itself was orchestrated for us.

The table glowed under the fairy lights, balloons swaying lightly, the banner fluttering over the table.

I served the food-roasted chicken, garlic mash, and greens-and we settled in.

I stayed quiet, barely picking at my plate, content to fade into the background.

I watched them. Truly watched them.

Adrian chattered about school, his latest bike tricks, and the complicated lore of his favorite dinosaurs, while Aaron listened with a rapt, hungry attention, like he couldn’t get enough.

He didn’t just nod-he leaned in, asked questions that made Adrian’s eyes brighten, and made the stories spill faster.

And when Adrian cracked a joke, Aaron laughed. Not a polite laugh, but a deep, warm baritone that seemed to fill the empty corners inside me.

It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever witnessed, yet a heavy, cold guilt kept me hooked in silence.

Aaron noticed. Without breaking his gaze from Adrian, he slid his hand under the table, his large palm coming to rest firmly on my thigh.

My body reacted instantly, a spark of heat radiating from where his palm rested.

I looked up, catching his side profile.

He was still smiling at one of Adrian’s stories, but that steady, grounding touch said everything: ‘I see you. You’re part of this, too.’

I couldn’t help but stare, admiring the way his eyes crinkled and lips curled.

Eventually, it was time for dessert. Adrian proudly carried out the tray of cupcakes we’d spent the afternoon decorating.

Most of them were buried under an avalanche of blue frosting, with the word DAD piped in wobbly, shaky letters that leaned precariously to one side.

As Adrian bit into a cookie, his face glowing under the fairy lights, I knew I couldn’t let the night end without addressing the elephant in the garden.

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