Page 64 of Tempted By Eden

“I see you’ve managed to lie and manipulate your way up here,” he snarls.

The venom in his voice stings, but I swallow my pride and step fully into the room, closing the door behind me. “We need to talk.”

“The time for talking was weeks ago. I’m not interested in anything you have to say now.” His tone is like ice, each word a dagger meant to cut me down.

I step up to his desk and force myself to meet his eyes. “James, please. Just let me explain.”

“Explain what, exactly? How you lied to me?”

“I-I didn’t lie,” I stammer. His piercing glare makes my resolve falter, but I push forward, desperate to explain. “I withheld the truth, yes. I should’ve told you about Leo sooner. But I never manipulated you. What we had—what I felt—it was real, at least for me…” I trail off. “I never expected to fall for you.” The weight of my confession lingers in the air between us.

James shifts back in his chair, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. “Omission of truth is still a lie, Cora.”

The words slice through me, and my heart feels like it’s being squeezed. “I know,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “I know, and I’m sorry. But I was scared. I wanted to protect my son. I didn’t even know who you were for a long time, and when you didn’t recognize me at Eden… it threw me. I wasn’t sure what to think, or if I could trust you. I didn’t want to let you into our lives without knowing more about who you are. I made mistakes—I kept Leo from you, and I’ll never forgive myself for that. But everything I did was to protect him. I never wanted to hurt you.”

Tears burn at the corners of my eyes, but I blink them away. This isn’t the time for weakness.

James’s expression doesn’t soften. If anything, he seems even more closed off. Silence stretches between us, thick and suffocating.

Finally, he breaks the quiet with a bombshell.

“He’s not my son.”

The words hit like a thunderclap. For a moment, the world narrows, the air thinning, and I’m standing on the edge of a cliff. His words echo in my ears, but my mind refuses to grasp them.Not his son?The thought swirls around, chaotic and senseless. I’m falling, even though I haven’t moved.

“That’s… impossible,” I gasp. “You—” My voice breaks, choking on the confusion. “You’re wrong.”

But James’s expression doesn’t change. He’s turned to stone—cold, immovable.

“Leo isn’t my son,” he repeats, almost too calmly, as if the words are just facts and not a wrecking ball. He watches me, waiting for the impact to land.

I blink, the world slanting beneath me.

Is this some kind of sick joke?

Some twisted form of revenge for not telling him sooner? Or does he not want to be part of Leo’s life so he’s denying it?

“I don’t understand.” I shake my head, stumbling back. My eyes search his face, pleading for something that might make sense of this nightmare.

I collapse into the chair behind me, my legs giving out. My mind spins, trying to grasp what he’s saying, but it doesn’t make sense. It can’t be true. This conversation was never going to be easy, but I didn’t expect him to outright deny it. I thought he had more honor than that.

“You’ve mistaken me for someone else. For Jonathon—mybrother. He’s Leo’s father.”

My mouth opens and closes in shock. I can’t help but wonder if this is a sick scheme, a way for him to dodge responsibility. But as James looks at me, I see the truth in his eyes, the anger, the pain.

This is no joke.

“Jonathon?”

“My twin.” His voice is detached, like he’s talking about a stranger.

I blink, my heart crashing against my ribs.

“What… where is Jonathon?” I whisper.

James flinches, the first crack in his icy facade. “He’s dead.”

The words feel like a noose tightening around my throat. My mind blanks, scrambling for meaning. I want to scream, to shake him, to demand that he take it back—to admit that it’s some cruel joke. But the look in his eyes is like a hammer, driving the truth deep into my chest.

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