Page 23 of Silent Night Temptation

“Yes, Dad. My boyfriend,” she repeats, her voice firm.

The words slam into me like a fist to the gut, leaving me winded. “How can you go out with a guy like that? After everything he’s done to our company? How could you do that?”

Coco crosses her arms, her expression hardening. “I didn’t know any of that when we started dating, Dad. I only found out later.”

“And you stayed with him?” my voice rises, incredulous.

“Yes! What? You think I’m supposed to break up with him just because you two have business differences?”

The air between us feels heavy, thick with tension. I can hear my heart pounding in my ears, feeling the weight of everythingpressing down on me. I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself, trying to rein in the fury that’s threatening to consume me.

“Coco,” I start, my voice calmer now, quieter, “guys like Ethan… they’re no good for you. I’m just trying to protect you.”

But she cuts me off before I can say more, her voice sharp with frustration. “This isn’t about you, Dad! I’m a grown woman. I don’t need you picking who I can, or can’t, be with. Ethan is my boyfriend. It’s my choice.”

The words hit me like a slap. All I can do is stare at her, my mind racing, searching for something to say, something that will make her understand. But the anger, the confusion, all tangles together in a knot I can’t untie.

I exhale deeply, watching my breath form clouds in the cold air. My eyes scan the scene before me; Coco, standing there defiant, her arms crossed, her eyes blazing with a mix of anger and hurt. Nyree, caught in the crossfire, looking increasingly nervous. Her confusion is etched plainly on her face. And then Ethan, standing there with a smug smile plastered across his face, as if he’s enjoying every second of this.

It breaks something inside me, the realization that all this time I was worried about how to tell Coco about my feelings for Nyree. But she… she’s gone and brought him here. The man who’s been nothing but a thorn in my side; the man who’s caused so much stress in my life. And she does it without a second thought, without any regard for what this would mean.

I can’t take it. The weight of it all, the suffocating anger, the frustration. I need space. I need to breathe.

“I’m gonna go check on the generator,” I mutter, my voice flat. The words spill out without a thought. Without waiting for a reply, I walk past them all, my boots crunching against the snow as I make my way toward the outhouse. The cold air bites at myskin, but I welcome it, letting the chill seep in, hoping it might cool the fire raging inside me.

As I walk, my mind spins in circles, trying to make sense of it and trying to figure out how everything went so wrong so quickly. But right now, all I can focus on is putting one foot in front of the other. The sound of my steps is the only thing grounding me in this moment of chaos.

Nyree

Istand frozen, watching Marcus walk away, his figure growing smaller as he moves toward the outhouse. His shoulders are stiff with frustration. The cold air nips at my skin, but it’s the tension that chills me. I didn’t expect this. I didn’t expect any of it; the sudden whirlwind of emotions, the anger swirling between father and daughter, and the way I find myself caught in the middle of it all.

This is a new side of Marcus. The man I’ve come to know now seems wounded in a way that shakes me. The way his voice cracked, not just with anger, but with a deep-rooted hurt, reverberates in my mind. I’ve never seen him like this…so vulnerable. It’s as if the foundation I thought I understood has suddenly shifted, leaving me standing on unstable ground. The controlled, charismatic man I’ve grown close to is now unraveling in front of me, and I’m not sure how to handle it.

Part of me wants to run after him, to offer some kind of solace. But another part of me hesitates, unsure of what to say. This isn’tabout me, it’s about his daughter. Yet, I’m tangled up in it now, standing here like an outsider witnessing something I have no place in. It makes me feel helpless, watching Coco and Marcus clash, seeing the anger, the pain. I don’t know how to help, or if I even can.

What do I do now? There’s this gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach, a question that I can’t shake;was this all a mistake?Was giving into my feelings for Marcus, letting myself fall into him, too reckless?

I can’t deny what I feel for him. I want him. But standing here, in the cold reality of his world, I have to wonder, am I just complicating things further? Am I adding to the chaos?

Watching him defend Coco, watching the anger in his eyes when Ethan appeared… it dawns on me just how protective Marcus is. He loves fiercely. He fights for what he cares about. But there’s also a fragility to him that I hadn’t seen before. It makes him seem more human, more real, but it also makes me question where I fit in all of this. Can I handle being a part of his life, with all its layers and complexities?

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but my thoughts keep racing. Part of me wants to retreat, to step back and protect myself from getting even more entangled in this mess. But another part of me, maybe the stronger part, wants to stay. I want to be there for Marcus, to help him through this. But I don’t know if I’m ready for that. I don’t know if I’m strong enough.

But the most terrifying thought of all is the possibility that maybe, just maybe, this thing with Marcus was never meant to be simple. Maybe it was always meant to be this complicated, this messy. And maybe, despite all the uncertainty, despite the doubt creeping into my heart, I want it all the same.

The silence between us is thick as we step back into the house. Ethan heads toward the living room, hands still in his pockets, while Coco lingers behind. Her eyes are downcast and hermovements are slow, like she’s carrying something too heavy. I can feel the weight of whatever it is hanging in the air between us. She walks over to me, her face softening as she approaches. There’s something in her eyes, regret, maybe guilt, and that makes my stomach churn.

“I’m sorry,” she says quietly. “I didn’t mean to drag you into all of this. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.”

I stand there, unsure of what to say, unsure of how to feel. Part of me is still reeling from everything that just happened outside. But as I look at Coco, I can see she’s hurting too. She takes a deep breath, and it’s like she’s steadying herself, preparing to let me into something deeply personal.

“It’s just… I feel like I’m always being watched,” she starts. “Like no matter what I do, I’m still this little girl in his eyes. Dad loves me, I know that. But he’s always so… protective. It’s suffocating sometimes, you know? I just wanted to make my own choices. To live my own life without feeling like I’m constantly under his control.”

She pauses, her gaze shifting to the floor, as if she’s searching for the right words. I can hear the frustration in her voice, the exhaustion of carrying this burden for so long. I nod, though I’m still processing everything.

“When I met Ethan,” she continues, “it wasn’t anything serious at first. Just a fling. I didn’t even know he had this whole history with my dad. I didn’t know who he was in that world. I just… I liked him. He made me feel free, like I could be myself without worrying about what anyone thought. But then, as we kept seeing each other, it got deeper. I started falling for him.”

I can see the truth in her eyes, the way her voice wavers. It’s clear she’s been holding this in for a long time, and now it’s spilling out, unfiltered.

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