Chapter 2 She needed to say no

Elysia gripped the doorframe so tightly that her nails dug into her palm. She needed to say no-to turn him away before this became something she couldn't escape. But her eyes remained fixed on the baby, his tiny lips parting as he let out another soft whimper.

Her breath trembled.

"You should go," she finally said, forcing steel into her voice.

Cassian's expression darkened, but he didn't move. Instead, he adjusted his grip on the baby, holding him closer, as if shielding him from the cold. "Elysia, please."

She flinched. Cassian never begged. He was a man who commanded, who took without asking. The last time she had seen him, he had walked away with his head high, leaving her to pick up the shattered pieces of her life. And now he was here, soaked in the rain, pleading.

Not for himself.

For the baby.

Elysia's stomach twisted painfully.

"This isn't fair," she whispered, shaking her head. "You don't get to do this to me, Cassian."

His jaw clenched. "I wouldn't be here if I had another choice."

Liar. He always had choices. He was Cassian Laurent-wealthy, powerful, untouchable. He could have hired a dozen doctors, a hundred nurses. He could have found a way to feed this child without coming to her.

And yet, here he was.

"Why me?" she asked bitterly.

Cassian hesitated. The baby stirred again, his tiny face scrunching up as if he could feel the tension between them.

"You were the first person I thought of," he admitted.

The words sent a painful jolt through her chest. She didn't want to be the first person in his mind. She didn't want to be anything to him.

But the baby let out a tiny cry, and suddenly, it wasn't about Cassian anymore.

It was about the fragile life in his arms. A child who had been abandoned, who had no one else.

And Elysia-despite every ounce of anger in her heart-knew what it was like to grieve a child.

She exhaled shakily, pressing her fingers to her temple. "I don't have anything for a baby," she muttered. "No bottles, no clothes, nothing."

"I'll get whatever you need," Cassian said immediately. "Just... please, Elysia."

She could have fought him longer. She should have. But the baby's cries turned more insistent, his little body trembling, and before she could stop herself, she reached forward.

Cassian stiffened as her arms brushed his, but he didn't resist when she gently took the baby from him.

The moment she held the child, something inside her cracked.

His warmth. His weight. The way his tiny fingers curled against her chest.

Elysia's throat tightened.

She had sworn she would never let herself feel this pain again.

And yet, as she rocked the baby gently, whispering soft, soothing words, she knew-

She had already lost this battle.

Cassian exhaled, his shoulders sagging with relief. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Elysia didn't answer.

Because she wasn't doing this for him.

She was doing this for the child in her arms.

But she also knew-