I Picked Up a College Guy, Then My Mafia Ex Caught Me Chapter 13

Ava and I made it to the front gate. The guards were changing shifts.

But the gate had a keypad—Dominic was too careful. I tried a few codes. All wrong.

Then footsteps behind me. Nathan stood there in his pajamas, watching me quietly.

I had asked him before if he wanted to come with us. He always shook his head. Only once had he whispered, “Daddy would be sad.”

I understood. Dominic had raised him for four years, of course he felt closer to him. I thought Nathan had come to stop me.

Instead, he walked over, took my pinky, and entered the code. The gate clicked open.

He was helping me, silently.

Ava and I stepped through. Nathan watched from behind the bars, his expression unreadable. I knew he felt things, he just couldn’t show them.

My heart ached. I hesitated.

But if I didn’t go now, I would never get another chance. I didn’t want Ava to grow up in a beautiful prison like I had.

I steeled myself and walked.

Just before we rounded the corner, Ava stopped, tears in her eyes. “Mommy… I miss Nathan. He’s all alone. No one talks to him.”

Her eyes were red. I missed him too.

The moonlit path stretched ahead. I stared at the freedom waiting for me, sighed, and turned back.

We came home. Nathan was in the living room, holding the storybook I had read to them. He stared at us in confusion.

I hugged him, stroking his hair. “We’re not leaving, sweetheart. We can’t leave you.”

I would stay until we bonded more, and then I would take him too.

He was still for a long moment. Then a soft, muffled voice came out. “Mommy.”

My heart stopped. It was the first time he had ever called me that.

“I’m here, baby. I’m here.”

It was late when they finally fell asleep.

I was in the shower when I heard a door slam. Thinking one of the kids had woken up, I threw on a robe and rushed out.

I came face-to-face with Dominic, still in his travel clothes, looking at me like he had just run a marathon.

He exhaled. “You stayed.”