Page 131 of Stolen Kiss

Emilia

One week had passedsince I found out the truth.

I hadn’t had any contact with anyone since, not Evelyn, not my dad, not Ethan, and certainly not Jensen.

I didn’t know how to look Evelyn in the eyes and tell her what I knew now. And I didn’t know how to look at Jace without breaking down.

He’d known about it this whole time, and he didn’t say anything to me. His loyalty lay with Jensen, but that didn’t stop the sting of betrayal I felt in my heart at the thought.

I went through the motions of everyday life.

I woke up, missed Jensen and Elodie, went to work, did some paperwork, missed Jensen and Elodie some more, looked in on my instructors, missed my mom, went home, tried to eat something, missed Jensen and Elodie once again, got ready for bed, thought about Jensen and Elodie, went to sleep, and repeated.

Jensen had succeeded.

I wasn’t just in love with him.

I was in love with Elodie as well…

My daughter.

How could I let her go?

But how would I make this work with Jensen?

Now that I knew, it felt as if I shouldn’t even be mad at Jensen in the first place. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He had wanted everything to remain anonymous. But Elodie had my smile.

Yet I was mad at him.

So mad.

I didn’t know how we could get past this or even if we should. I wasn’t sure if I should be in Elodie’s life.

It was fine being in her life as Jensen’s girlfriend, and hell, I had entertained the idea of marriage with him, in the distant future. It had been something I didn’t have to think about right now.

But to be in Elodie’s life in the capacity of a mother?

I didn’t know if I could do it.

I rubbed my weary eyes and looked away from the computer screen.

I was in my office, trying to finish up some paperwork. I had been staring at the same row of numbers for the past fifteen minutes.

I didn’t think I could possibly get any more work done tonight.

Letting out a small sigh, I quickly saved my work and shut off the computer, leaning back in the chair.

I couldn’t even remember how long I had been sitting here, but it must have been a long time. It was way past lunchtime, I guessed. I couldn’t remember having any food.

And my leg was hurting.

Not the leg that was there.

But the leg that was missing. I slapped my thighs in frustration as tears singed my eyes.

This wasn’t the worst phantom pain I had ever experienced. No, the worst happened exactly one year after the amputation. I remember waking up and feeling like my left leg was being attacked by a thousand sharp teeth.

This pain now was an incessant ache.

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