Chapter 58

Agnes & Elijah

Agnes

Elijah’s breath was warm against my neck, the faint scent of whiskey and pine curling through the small, dark space between us. I could feel the rise and fall of his chest against my body, and I didn’t know what to make of it.

To make matters worse, my own pulse was entirely unhelpful, hammering so loudly beneath my skin that I was sure he could hear it. There was no reason for me to feel this way. None. And yet—

I swallowed, trying to gather the words tangled somewhere in my throat. “Elijah, what are we doing in a broom closet?”

His gaze flickered toward the door, his body half-leaning against me as he shifted just enough to poke his head out of the room. A moment passed. Then another.

Finally, Elijah eased back into the hallway, looking for all the world as if he were relieved. I stepped out beside him and smoothed my skirt down. The halls were empty, thank the Goddess. If anyone had seen whatever that was, I would have been even more mortified.

Finally, Elijah turned to me. “Olivia’s assistant showed up today,” he said simply.

I raised an eyebrow. “So you hid in the utility closet?”

He let out a chuckle that sounded more like a weary exhale. “She’s been calling non-stop trying to set up the first visit with Thea. I didn’t feel like dealing with it today.”

“So you were hiding,” I said, folding my arms across my chest. It wasn’t easy to keep the smirk off my face. The great Alpha Elijah, reduced to cowering in a broom closet from his ex-wife’s assistant.

His mouth twitched like he wanted to smirk as well, but whatever humor might have surfaced dissolved too quickly. “Yes. She’s persistent, and I’ve got too much on my plate right now to deal with it.”

I didn’t need to ask what he meant. I had sung him to sleep just last night, after all. He was a busy man with a lot on his shoulders, and I couldn’t blame him for not having the energy to deal with his vulture of an ex-wife.

“You know I can help, right?” I glanced up at him through my lashes. “You don’t have to handle everything alone. You said yourself that we’re partners.”

Elijah exhaled, his eyes skimming over my face. “I appreciate that. But handing over responsibility is easier said than done when it comes to Thea. Even more so when it comes to Olivia. If she senses that I’m not on top of everything, she’ll use it to her advantage.”

He didn’t need to clarify for me to understand what he was hinting at. Olivia might try to regain custody of Thea if she sensed that Elijah wasn’t being the best possible father he could be at all times. Having me handle their meetings might very well raise some red flags for her, cause her to look into Elijah’s business.

And she could claim that he was too busy to take care of a child, and that I, the stepmother, shouldn’t be the caregiver.

The sound of Olivia taking custody of Thea sounded horrible.

“She’s your daughter, Elijah,” I said as gently as I could muster. “No one can take that from you. Not even Olivia.”

For a moment, Elijah said nothing. His gaze lingered on mine for a moment, though, and something unreadable flickered behind his eyes.

But then his expression sharpened.

“I think Olivia’s been trying to test Thea’s DNA so she can claim I’m not the father.”

The words dropped like stones into the pit of my stomach. I stiffened immediately, but forced my features to remain neutral. “What do you mean?” I somehow managed to say evenly.

“Hair samples. One of the testing labs reached out. There were… inconsistencies in the request. I thought it was strange, but when I looked into it, someone had already tried once before.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “Did you know anything about that?”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “No,” I said a little too quickly.

Elijah studied me for a moment longer, and I felt like I might throw up from the pressure. This felt like a test of some kind, as if he were implying that he didn’t fully believe Olivia was the only one who was suspect in this matter. I tried my best to keep my face neutral.

Truthfully, I wondered if I could tell Elijah the truth—that I thought Thea might be my missing daughter and that I was the one who sent the samples in. But I couldn’t get the words out. I was too afraid—afraid that if I told him the truth, he might become overprotective and accuse me of trying to take Thea from him. I couldn’t let that happen.

But then, as if something clicked in his mind, his features eased.

“I’m almost certain it was Olivia,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "She’s trying to claim I’m not Thea’s father. It’s the only reason she’d go this far.”

Relief flooded through me so fast it nearly made me dizzy. I nodded, forcing what I hoped was a convincing frown. “That’s… concerning. But you are Thea’s father… right?”

He glanced at me for a moment, and I couldn’t tell if I’d taken it too far. But he nodded. “I had her tested in the beginning. I’m her father.”

I hesitated, not sure whether I wanted to press my luck any further. “Well, maybe you should put a stop to the visits for now,” I finally said. “Thea doesn’t need that kind of stress.”

Elijah’s jaw tensed. “Trust me, I’ve considered it. But if Olivia really is her mother, it might do more harm than good to completely cut her out. I’m not saying I trust her… but for Thea’s sake, it might be better to have those meetings. In controlled settings, just like we talked about.”

I didn’t like it. I didn’t like any of it. But I knew he wasn’t wrong.

“I know you’ll do what’s best for her. You always do.”

The words came out softer than I intended, but they seemed to land somewhere deep in his chest. He nodded once, glancing down the hallway. “I should let you get back to work.”

I nodded, stepping aside. Elijah brushed past me without another word, and I was left standing in the middle of the hallway, feeling like I’d just barely passed some kind of test.

At least, I certainly hoped that I’d passed.

…

Elijah

I left Agnes standing in the hallway, although I could feel her eyes on my back until I turned the corner; and even after that, I could feel the breath of relief that she let out more loudly than she’d intended.

Her words still echoed in my head long after that encounter, though. “You’ll do what’s best for her. You always do.”

But was that true?

Returning to my office, I leaned against the frame of the closed door, pinching the bridge of my nose. The moment I mentioned the DNA testing, Agnes had tensed up. Not much. Just a flicker. But I noticed it.

I always noticed when it came to her.

I had no doubt she had sent in the test the first time. I let it slide, convinced it was just curiosity—I knew about her missing daughter, and given the uncanny relationship between her and Thea, I couldn’t blame her for wanting to know. But testing a sample twice? That was a little bit harder to ignore.

I wanted to believe that she was telling the truth. That she had nothing to do with the latest sample. But something about the way she responded when I suggested it was Olivia…

It didn’t sit right with me.

Maybe I was reading too much into it. Maybe she really was just worried about Thea. About us. Or maybe she knew something I didn’t. Either way, one thing was clear.

If anyone tried to take Thea away from me, even Agnes, then they would have to face me first. I wasn’t about to give up my daughter. Not to anyone.

Not even to Agnes, no matter how much I trusted and cared for her.