His Choice Wasn't Me (Cassidy Morgan) novel Chapter 2

Tiana’s hand remained looped through James’s arm as though she belonged there. She tilted her head, her wide eyes feigning surprise when they fell on Sarah.

“Oh, Sarah,” her voice rang with false humility, soft enough to fool anyone who didn’t know better. “You’re back already? I didn’t know you’d return today. If I had known, I wouldn’t have stayed here. Forgive me, I’ll just go now.”

Her shoulders curved as though in shame, her lips pursed like a woman eager to disappear.

But Sarah knew the act. Her silence was deliberate; her eyes were sharp on Tiana, refusing to reward the performance.

But yet again, another familiar little voice cut through her thought.

“Don’t go!” Daniel’s cry split the room. His small hands clutched Tiana’s waist with desperate force. “Don’t go, Auntie Tiana! You’re always here with me, every day. Why must you leave because she came back? I don’t want you to leave. She should be the one to go!” Daniel cried, pointing accusingly at her mother.

Sarah’s breath hitched, as though the boy had torn something from her chest with those words. Her lips parted, but no sound came.

Her son wanted another woman to stay. Her son wanted her to leave.

James’s jaw tightened, a muscle flickering at the edge. He rubbed his forehead, sighing heavily. “Daniel, that’s enough.”

But Daniel shook his head, clinging harder to Tiana. His face flushed red with emotion, his small chest rising and falling quickly.

Tiana bent, gathering his face in her palms with practiced tenderness. Her fingers stroked his cheeks, her voice low and melodic. “My love, don’t cry. It’s alright. I will see you again soon.”

She tilted her head upward just enough for her eyes to catch Sarah’s. A faint smile, smug and calculated, curved her lips before she turned back to Daniel. “Be strong for me, okay? Auntie Tiana will always come.”

Her words slid into the boy’s ears like a promise carved in stone.

Reluctantly, she straightened. Her hand lingered on James’s sleeve longer than necessary before she sighed and walked toward the door.

Her exit was slow, designed to leave an echo of absence.

The silence she left behind felt thick enough to choke anyone around.

James dropped into a chair, pressing his fingers into his temples. His irritation burned through the air.

“You didn’t have to be so rude,” he said finally, his eyes meeting Sarah’s with reproach. “Ryan is gone, and Tiana is his widow. She’s been through enough. She is family. You should try to understand that.”

The words struck harder than any insult. Family. That was the excuse.

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