The CEO's Rejected Wife And Secret Heir novel Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Chapter 15 – Mother & Son

Aria pov

The late afternoon sun streamed through the tall windows of Silver Springs Elite Academy as I waited in the parent pickup line.

Other mothers chatted around me, designer bags and perfect highlights, discussing vacation homes and charity galas. I smiled politely when necessary, but kept my distance.

They didn’t need to know me. And I didn’t need their judgment when they inevitably discovered I was a single mother who’d clawed her way up from nothing.

The doors opened, and children poured out like in a wave of chaos and noise.

Then I saw him.

Noah ran toward me with his backpack bouncing, his little legs pumping as fast as they could go, his face lit up with pure joy.

"Mama!" He crashed into my legs with the force of a tiny hurricane.

I dropped to my knees and pulled him close, breathing in his little-boy smell of crayons and playground dust. "Hi, baby. Did you have a good day?"

"We learned about space!" His ice-blue eyes sparkled with excitement as he pulled back to look at me. "Miss Jennifer said there’s a planet made of diamonds! Can we go there?"

I laughed, tucking a dark curl behind his ear. "That’s pretty far away, sweetheart."

"But you’re really smart, Mama." He touched my face with his small hand, his expression serious. "You can do anything."

My heart squeezed. "Come on, let’s go home."

I took his hand and we walked toward my car, his chatter filling the space between us.

"And Tyler brought his daddy to show-and-tell," Noah said, his voice casual but his grip on my hand tightening slightly. "His daddy is a firefighter. He brought his helmet and everything."

I felt the familiar pang in my chest. "That sounds cool."

"Yeah." Noah was quiet for a moment as I buckled him into his car seat. Then: "Mama?"

"Yeah, baby?" I looked up from the buckle.

"Tyler has a daddy who picks him up sometimes." His ice-blue eyes met mine, so heartbreakingly similar to Damien’s. "Where’s my daddy?"

The world tilted slightly. I’d known this question would come eventually. Had prepared answers, practiced them in front of the mirror.

But nothing prepared me for the hope in his eyes.

I sat back on my heels, choosing my words carefully. "Your daddy... is working far away, sweetheart."

"Oh." He processed this, his small face thoughtful. "Does he know about me?"

The question hit me like a punch to the gut. "It’s complicated, Noah."

"That’s what you always say." He looked down at his dinosaur backpack, his fingers tracing the T-Rex design. "But will he ever come home?"

I couldn’t answer. Couldn’t promise him something I might never be able to deliver.

So instead, I cupped his face in my hands. "I love you so much, baby. More than anything in the whole world."

"I know, Mama." He wrapped his little arms around my neck, squeezing tight. "I love you too. The mostest."

I held him there in the parking lot, other families moving around us, my eyes burning with tears I refused to let fall.

When I finally pulled back, Noah was smiling again, the moment apparently forgotten in the way only a four-year-old could manage.

"Can we get ice cream?" He asked hopefully.

"Nice try." I booped his nose, making him giggle. "But it’s almost dinner time."

"Aww." He flopped back dramatically in his seat. "You’re so mean, Mama."

"The meanest," I agreed, closing his door and climbing into the driver’s seat.

As I drove home, Noah chatted about his day, but I was only half-listening. The rest of my mind was stuck on his questions.

Does he know about me?

Yes, I thought. He suspects. And he’s desperate to know for sure.

My phone rang through the car’s Bluetooth. Olivia’s name flashed on the screen.

"Hey," I answered, grateful for the distraction.

"Please tell me you’re free for dinner," Olivia said without preamble. "I just finished a twelve-hour shift and I need adult conversation and wine. Lots of wine."

"Miss Olivia!" Noah called from the backseat. "Are you coming over?"

"Is that my favorite little man?" Olivia’s voice brightened. "Of course I’m coming over. I’ll bring pizza."

"With extra cheese?" Noah asked hopefully.

"Would I bring anything else?" Olivia laughed. "See you in twenty, Aria."

She hung up, and I felt some of the tension ease from my shoulders. Olivia had been my lifeline for the past four years. The only person who knew the whole truth.

By the time we got home, Noah was half-asleep in his car seat. I carried him up to the penthouse, his head heavy on my shoulder.

"I’m not tired," he mumbled against my neck, even as his eyes drooped closed.

"Of course not," I agreed, unlocking the door. "You’re wide awake."

The penthouse was exactly as I’d left it this morning—clean, modern, safe. Everything I’d worked for, everything I’d built to give Noah the life he deserved.

I settled him on the couch with his favorite dinosaur documentary playing softly. Within minutes, he was sprawled out, fast asleep.

I stood there watching him, my heart aching with fierce love and terrifying fear.

He looked so much like Damien. The same jawline starting to emerge, the same dark lashes, those devastating blue eyes.

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