Page 10 of False Heir

“Always,” he replied, his tone smooth as silk but with an edge that could slice through bone. I knew then that I was right to be wary. Whatever game we were playing, the rules had changed, and I needed to figure them out fast if I was going to protect what mattered most.

“Excuse me,” I murmured, pushing back my chair with a grace that didn’t betray the turmoil brewing inside me. “I need a bit of fresh air.”

Dad nodded, his gaze following me for a moment before returning to his own contemplations. The night was cool as I stepped out into the estate’s gardens, the darkness wrapping around me like a cloak. My hand instinctively went to my belly, where our future—Tristan’s and mine—grew stronger each day.

As I walked, the neatly trimmed hedges and flowering blooms felt like witnesses to my silent fear. The garden was usually a place of solace, but tonight, it was just another gilded cage. With every step, I could feel the eyes of the estate on my back, watching, calculating. But they couldn’t see the storm swirling in my mind.

Thoughts of Tristan battered against my resolve. Where was he now? I knew he was going to The Crooked Thorn, but I hoped he had gotten some medical attention.

Was he safe? Our twins kicked, as if sensing their mother’s distress. It was the kind of vulnerability I hated—a pregnant woman caught in the crossfire of mafia machinations. It made me feel exposed, a weakness to be exploited.

The moon cast long shadows across the path, and I willed myself to absorb its calm. I had to think clearly, act decisively. Tristan would have wanted me to be strong, to protect not only myself but also the lives we had created together.

The isolation of being in the heart of the Callahan estate, surrounded by power plays and hidden threats, weighed heavily on me. I was the daughter of one of the most feared men in the underworld, yet at this moment, I’d never felt more alone.

“Come on, Ade,” I whispered to myself. “You’re stronger than this.”

My decision was forming, crystalizing with every breath. I couldn’t stay here, trapped in luxury while danger loomed over us all. I had to make a move, create distance between myself and this place, for the sake of our family’s future.

I wasn’t exactly abandoning them all; Carmen, Kieran and Liam could take care of themselves. But only I could take care of the twins, I thought, my hand on my belly.

With a determined stride, I left the false comfort of the garden behind, my mind already racing ahead to the next steps I had to take. There was no turning back now.

I hurried through the silent estate, my footsteps echoing on marble floors that felt too cold, too unforgiving. The night was a cloak I wrapped around myself, using its cover to keep hidden from prying eyes that never seemed to sleep. My father’s men were always watching, and so were Tristan’s, but tonight, I needed to be a ghost.

Reaching the garage, I paused, hand hovering over the doorknob, heart hammering in my chest. This wasn’t just any door—it was the threshold between loyalty and betrayal, the past and an uncertain future.

Right outside, my father had parked his car.

“Damn it,” I muttered, steeling myself. The click of the lock breaking the silence felt like a gunshot in the quiet.

Inside, the air smelled of oil and leather, a scent that reminded me of my dad. He’d brought one of his vintage cars, which surprised me. But fuck it. There sat his vintage pride and joy, and I knew it was the car he brought to important meetings when he wanted to show off.

The Mustang was open, and the keys were in the center console.

Sliding behind the wheel, I closed the door with a soft click, not daring to make more noise than necessary. The interior wrapped around me, familiar yet foreign, as if it belonged to another life—one I had to leave behind.

With trembling hands, I inserted the key into the ignition. The engine roared to life, a beast waking from slumber, and I couldn’t help but flinch. This was it—the line was crossed. Once I drove out of here, there was no unringing this bell.

I eased the car out of its space, headlights off, moving on instinct and memory. The estate loomed large around me, a fortress of secrets and lies, but my thoughts were only of Tristan, his face etched in my mind’s eye, and the future we both yearned for.

The gates opened automatically, sensors recognizing the car even if they could not recognize my intentions. As I drove past them, out into the open road, the rush of adrenaline hit me like a tidal wave. Fear followed close behind, whispering of the consequences that would surely come.

But above all else, there was clarity—a singular focus on the man who held my heart and the children we would soon bring into this tangled world. For them, I would face anything. For them, I would drive into the night, away from the Callahan estate and toward a hope that flickered dimly on the horizon.

“Alright,” I breathed, a promise and a prayer. “Tristan, just…hold on.”

The road stretched before me, an endless ribbon of asphalt cutting through the night. My phone vibrated with a persistence that grated on my nerves, but I ignored it, focusing on the hum of the tires against the road and the steady beat of my heart.

“Later,” I muttered to myself as the screen lit up again, casting a ghostly glow over the car’s interior. Tristan’s name flashed briefly, followed by Carmen’s. They were both reaching out, tendrils of our intertwined lives trying to pull me back into the fray I was desperate to escape, if only for a moment.

I needed this time—time to think, to breathe, to strategize. It wasn’t just about my own safety anymore; it was about the twins, too. Their lives, innocent and unformed, depended on the choices I made now. The gravity of that responsibility lay heavy on my shoulders, a mantle I bore willingly for the love of them and their father.

I turned onto a narrower path, the dense woods swallowing up the world behind me. The safe house was close now, the secret sanctuary Tristan had brought me to when he had first taken me, right after I told him I was pregnant.

People still didn’t know about it, but I could remember every street that led there. The cabin was nestled among the trees, it was a place where we could be ourselves, away from prying eyes and the weight of our last names.

As I parked the car in the sheltered grove near the cabin, I couldn’t help but recall those early days with Tristan. It felt like it had happened so long ago…now, those memories seemed like another lifetime, one that was slipping further away with each passing second.

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