The Unwanted Wife and Her Secret Twins (Mia and Kyle) novel Chapter 525

Mia's POV

The golden hour has passed, leaving behind that particular blue that only exists at tropical dusk—not quite night, not quite day, just this suspended moment when the world holds its breath.

We're on the deck of our bungalow. The ocean stretches endlessly in every direction, turning from turquoise to navy to something darker, something ancient. The first stars are appearing overhead, hesitant, like they're not sure they're welcome yet.

The kids are exhausted.

Three hours of snorkeling, two hours of beach time after that, dinner at the cafe where Alexander ate his body weight in "crispy chicken tenders," and then a bath that involved more water ending up on the floor than on any actual child.

Now they're in pajamas. Clean, damp-haired, sun-drunk and happy.

Madison is curled against my side, Eleanor tucked under her chin. Her eyes are half-closed, but she's fighting it. Fighting sleep like it's the enemy.

Alexander is sprawled across Kyle's lap, boneless in the way only exhausted five-year-olds can be. His hair is sticking up in seventeen directions despite my best efforts with a comb.

Ethan is sitting cross-legged on the deck, staring out at the darkening water. He's been quiet since dinner. Not upset-quiet. Just thoughtful-quiet. Processing-quiet.

"Daddy?" Madison's voice is soft. Almost a whisper. "Can you tell us a story?"

"A story?"

"A bedtime story. Like... like the mamas in books do."

"I'm not very good at stories," he admits.

"That's okay. I don't mind if it's not good."

"Yeah!" Alexander lifts his head. "Tell us one! With dragons! And knights! And—and—EXPLOSIONS!"

"I don't think bedtime stories have explosions," I say.

"They SHOULD!"

"How about a story with dragons but no explosions?" Kyle suggests. "Would that work?"

"...acceptable."

"Ethan? You want to hear a story?"

Ethan shrugs. But he turns slightly. Listening.

Kyle shifts, adjusting Alexander's weight. He looks out at the ocean for a long moment. When he speaks, his voice is different. Softer. The voice he uses when he's trying to be brave about something that scares him.

"Once upon a time," he begins, "there was a prince."

"Was he handsome?" Alexander asks immediately.

"He was... okay. Not particularly handsome. Not particularly brave. Just a regular prince who happened to live in a castle."

"Boring," Alexander declares.

"Let him finish," Ethan says.

Kyle continues. "One day, when the prince was very small—maybe about eight years old—something terrible happened. A dragon came to the kingdom."

Madison's hand finds mine. Squeezes.

"This dragon was different from the dragons in most stories," Kyle says. "It didn't breathe fire. It didn't guard treasure. It just... took things. Took people. And one day, it took the prince."

The deck is completely silent except for the gentle lap of water against the stilts below us.

"The dragon brought the prince to a dark place. A castle, maybe, or a dungeon. Somewhere cold and scary. And the prince was very, very frightened. He had never been so frightened in his whole life."

Funny that I know this story.

"But then," Kyle's voice is steady, "he heard something. Someone else crying. And he realized—he wasn't alone. There was someone else trapped in that dark place."

"Another prince?" Alexander asks.

"A princess. A very small princess with brave eyes."

Madison sits up slightly. "She was brave?"

"Very brave. The bravest person the prince had ever met. Because even though she was scared—even though they were both scared—she didn't give up. She talked to him. Told him stories. Made him laugh even in that terrible place."

"What happened to the dragon?" Ethan asks quietly.

"Eventually, knights came. They chased the dragon away and rescued the children. But in the chaos—in all the running and shouting—the prince and princess were separated. They didn't even know each other's names."

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