The MC President's Forsaken Wife (Zara and Knox) novel Chapter 280

Chapter 139-1

Claim

take a slow breath, tetting my cheek rest against Locke’s chest, listening to the steady, reassuring thrum of his heartbeat as I gather my thoughts.

‘I grew up in the club,” I say. “It was noisy, rough, and completely chaotic. As the daughter and younger sister of two patched-in members, with no mother at home to take care of me when they were out, I had a very… specific kind of childhood.”

‘I can imagine.”

‘Don’t get me wrong, there were amazing pros: I had a dozen giant, tough men who treated me like absolute royalty. They taught me how to ride before I could drive a car, and made sure no one ever dared to breathe wrong in my direction. I always knew I was loved, safe, and backed by an entire family.”

Locke’s hand slides up to cup the back of my head, his fingers gently weaving through my hair.

‘When my mom died of breast cancer when I was four, it shattered my Dad. I knew my mother was gone, and that hurt like hell, but I had her photos, I had her stories. And most importantly, I had a family that surrounded me with so much love that I never felt abandoned, and I was never alone. Nobody let us fall apart completely”

You were lucky, baby.”

‘I was luckier than most,” I say. “I knew who I was, and I knew who loved me. Of course, living under that club microscope had its downsides too… zero privacy, every boy I looked at got interrogated, and the violence was always lurking. But I always had my foundation.”

pause, leaning a little heavier against his warmth.

‘When you look at it from the outside, Dad was this larger-than-life figure,” I say. “A dedicated and respected club member, terrifying to anyone who crossed him. But behind closed doors, after Mom died, he was a damaged, grieving man trying to hold together two broken kids while living in a world that was constantly on the verge of burning down.”

“I I never thought about that.”

“He drank too much on the hard nights. He went silent for days when the grief hit him sideways, locked away in his bedroom with a bottle of whiskey and pictures of Mom. He never yelled at us, and he sure as h ell never hit us, but still… it wasn’t an easy way to grow up.”

Locke shifts slightly. “He did the best he could with what he had and what he knew, Zara.”

“I know he did,” I say. “And that’s exactly why I relate to Willow so much, even when I want to throttle her. We were both raised by single parents who were deeply, fundamentally broken. The only difference is the flavor of the damage.”

Locke’s eyes meet mine, questioning and silent.

“Dad was a damaged man who buried his pain under anger, control, and fierce overprotection,” I explain. He built me a fortress, and kept Mayhem close to him in the club, because he was terrified of losing another person he loved.”

12

Chapter 119

“Okay,” Locke says slowly. “And Willow?”

Chem

“Willow’s mom was a damaged woman who buried her pain in bitterness, resentment, and withholding. Her mom built a prison of silence because she felt abandoned and betrayed by the father of her child.”

I trail my fingers over his shoulder, watching the way the twilight catches the sharp angles of his collarbone.

“I know what it feels like to watch a parent struggle with their own demons,” I continue softly. “I know the exact weight of feeling like you have to be the careful one, the quiet one, the one who doesn’t cause extra trouble because the adult in the room is already holding on by a thread.

“Willow felt that exact same crushing pressure, but she had to carry it completely alone. She didn’t have a big brother to shield her. She just had a bitter mother denying her the most basic information: who her

father was.”

Locke stays silent, his eyes fixed on mine, listening with every ounce of his attention.

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