Page 40 of Atlas Uncharted

Chapter 28

Kairi

The knock came fast and hard, startling me out of my thoughts. Standing, I wiped my sweaty hands down the tights I was wearing and smoothed my T-shirt. I had invited Atlas over to talk. I was hoping to talk some sense into him.

I opened the door slowly, my hand trembling as I gripped the handle. Atlas stood with his back straight, and his eyes were dark.

“Come in.”

He stepped inside. I closed the door and made my way to his side.

“You can have a seat,” I offered, but he shook his head. He was staring a hole through me.

“I guess I’ll just start, then. I’m sorry,” I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper. “I know I should have told you about Dion. I should have said something. There is no excuse for what I did.”

Atlas nodded. “So you understand what you took from me?” he asked, his voice cold. “You had three years to tell me, Kairi. Three years. Do you even understand how much this hurts?”

I swallowed, trying to find the words that would make this right. “I understand, and I don’t want to fight you,” I said, steppingtoward him, desperate to bridge the gap. “We can figure something out. A compromise.”

He didn’t move. He just stood there, staring at me with that same cold expression. “I don’t want to fight either,” he finally admitted, but his tone was flat, devoid of any warmth. “Can I just see my son? Spend some time with him without all of this…”

I exhaled. “Of course. He’s upstairs.”

Atlas followed me up the stairs to Dion’s room, and when he saw him sleeping peacefully, something in his face softened—just for a moment. I watched as he crouched next to the bed, brushing his hand over Dion’s hair. It was the first time I’d seen Atlas look anything close to human in weeks.

“Do you want to stay for dinner? That’s when I’ll wake him. You can eat with him and play with him,” I offered. “I’m about to cook.”

He stood up, looking at me like he was trying to figure out my angle. After a pause, he nodded. “Yeah. I’ll stay.”

We went back downstairs, and I moved around the kitchen, trying to act normal, like this was just another evening. But my hands were shaking as I chopped vegetables, my mind racing. Atlas sat at the table, watching me. I could feel his eyes on me the entire time. It felt like when we were in school. He watched me then—all the time. He had me feeling like that same insecure girl I was back in college, but this time, there was no Ashlen to distract him—or for him to distract himself with.

Dinner was quiet, almost normal. He ate while I told him little things about Dion—how he loved dinosaurs, how he was already reading small words. Atlas fed Dion as I talked, nodding occasionally, but never saying much.

After dinner, I started washing the dishes while Atlas took Dion upstairs to get him ready for bed. I could hear them laughing, Dion’s small giggles mixing with Atlas’s deep voice. For a moment, I let myself believe that maybe things would be okay. Maybe he’d forgive and forget, and we could figure out how to move forward.

“Ki, I’m going to the car.”

I jumped at the sound of Atlas’s raised voice from the living room.

“Yes?”

“I said I forgot something I have for you in the car. Be right back.”

I heard the front door open and close. I wiped my hands on a towel and made my way to the living room.

When he came back inside, I was expecting him to have something simple in his hand. Instead, he was holding a duffel bag. He dropped it on the floor and unzipped it, pulling out something. He dropped one box, and then another, and another on my sofa.

“Atlas… what’s that?” I asked, my voice tight.

“An ovulation kit.”

He pulled out several more.

“What… what are they for?” I stammered, stepping back instinctively. I knew what they were for.

Atlas looked at me, his eyes colder than I’d ever seen them. “First,” he said, his voice calm, “you’re going to take that.” He gestured to the kit. “Then, you’re going to take off your clothes.”

I took several steps back. “What do you mean?” I asked, feeling the panic rise in my chest. “You really are insane if you expect me to actually do this.”

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