Page 109 of Sweet Madness

I was a senator with a kid of my own.

“Shit.” As I stare out the window, overlooking the city and lost in my head, I grapple with mixed feelings. As a father, it’s my job to protect my kids, and right now, I feel like I’m failing. My eldest son, Royal, is slipping through my fingers, and Ambrose is dead set on sending me to an early grave. And now this—losing my daughter to a man who doesn’t deserve her. No man ever will.

Yet, deep down, I know I need to trust Ellaiza’s judgment, just as my wife once trusted mine. I failed to see that my daughter was hurting for years, and that’s something that will eat at me for a long time. But now I have a chance to keep her heart safe, and I won’t fail her.

If Shaw Banning loves my daughter, he’ll do the right thing.

As a father, letting go is never easy, especially when I see my own reflection in the man who has captured my daughter’s soft heart. Ellaiza doesn’t need to tell us she has fallen in love; we can see it. And Shaw doesn’t need to tell me he’s crossed a line with my daughter.

“She’s happy here,” he said over the phone. I know then what he means—he wants my daughter to stay with him.

“You’re a lot of things, Sebastian, but an idiot you’re not.” My wife’s words cut through the silence in our home office. “What you just did was cruel.” The air feels heavy with the weight of Arianna’s words. I have barely processed the phone call with Shaw when she enters.

“Darling…”

“You were wrong for that, Tyrant,” she begins, her voice tinged with anger. “Our daughter has never looked this happy. You know damn well she hasn’t been herself in years, and now she’s truly happy. We saw it. She’s the happiest with him.”

I feel a pang of guilt tighten my chest, but I stand by my convictions. I have to. This needs to be done. “Do you trust me, my heart?” Our eyes meet, and time seems to stand still as I take in the otherworldly beauty that is my wife. Even age hasn’t changed that. It has only enhanced her beauty.

Arianna leans against the doorframe in her nightgown, her hair messy from sleep and her face bare of makeup. Her green eyes soften for a moment before she hardens her expression once more. “You know I do,” she snaps.

“Then trust that I know what I’m doing, darling,” I say, trying to reassure both my wife and myself. “She deserves to explore all the world has to offer and reach for the stars.”

Arianna’s expression softens briefly, but her eyes still show sorrow and anger. She moves toward my desk. “I remember a time when you thought I needed the same,” she says quietly, her voice trembling slightly. “But all it did was break my heart. What you’re doing now, it will break hers, too.”

Guilt gnaws at me.

I reach out, wanting to comfort her, to explain, but she steps back, her disappointment clear. “Baby…” I start, but my voice trails off as she turns away, her silhouette framed by the door as it closes shut behind her.

Goddammit.

I act out of concern for my child, but now I can’t shake the feeling that Arianna might be right. I might be repeating past mistakes and risking breaking my daughter’s heart.

But I have to stay strong.

I believe in making tough decisions for the sake of my children’s happiness and well-being. If Shaw Banning truly cares for my daughter, he will do what I didn’t at the time. He will prove himself worthy of my daughter and not repeat the mistakes I made with my wife.

If he does, I’ll have no choice but to accept their relationship for her sake. I’ll play nice and tolerate the man who stole her heart, but only for her.

Just as I settle into my resolve, my thoughts are interrupted. The door to the office bursts open, and one of my twin girls, Ambrose, rushes in with mascara running down her face. She looks strikingly like my wife—Arianna’s twin in every way.

“Daddy,” Ambrose cries out, her voice trembling with heartbreak.

My heart clenches with concern as I stand up and walk over to her. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” I ask, my fatherly instincts kicking in.

I hate seeing my kids cry; it breaks my heart open and tears my soul to shreds. Through her tears, Ambrose manages to speak, her words choked with distress. “Daddy, I did something bad.”

My expression darkens, a surge of protective anger rising within me. “Tell me everything,” I say, my voice filled with fierce determination to protect my child at all costs.

I know it’s not right, but if she tells me right now that she’s hurt someone, I’d roll up my sleeves and deal with it myself.

Ambrose shakes her head, clutching onto my shirt. “I just... I don’t know what to do, Dad. It was an accident.” Her tears flowed harder, breaking my heart. Out of my twin girls, Haven is the sensitive one, while Ambrose is always fierce and strong. Seeing her like this reminds me of when she was six years old and accidentally killed her brother’s pet fish.

My heart softens immediately. I wrap my arms around her. “Just breathe, Ambrose,” I say, rubbing her arms gently. “Shh, baby. It’s going to be okay. Daddy’s got you.” I assure her. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together. You’re never alone. I’m here.”

Then my girl looks up at me with eyes the same shade as her mother’s and sets my world ablaze with what she says next. I listen, doing my best to control my rage and not make the situation worse.

I don’t know when it happened, but one day my kids were safe within the magical bubble my wife and I had created for them. Now that bubble has burst, and here we are.

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