Free Web NovelChapter 204: HIS PEACE
Finnegan
I sat in the back of the car outside the sleek media building. My jaw was clenched so tight I could hear my teeth grinding together.
My hands were fisted on my thighs as I stared at the entrance, waiting for Victoria to emerge.
The press conference she had just held was already detonating across every news channel.
My marriage, which I had kept hidden for years to protect Angel, was now public knowledge and the crazy woman had done it all on purpose.
Wasn’t it enough that she cheated on me for years, belittled me, and worked with my mother to try to ruin me? Now she was after my little girl?!
James kept the engine running, and I was bloody grateful that Connor had called in sick this weekend, or I would definitely have fired him if he’d so much as muttered a word to me.
The rage simmering inside me was that volatile.
Finally, Victoria stepped out, beaming triumphantly for the cameras flashing around her. The moment she spotted my car, her smile widened.
Wonderful. She knew I’d come. She knew I wouldn’t let her run this circus without confronting her.
She slid into the backseat beside me, shutting the door with a soft click. The car pulled away from the curb.
"If I knew that was all I had to do to get your attention, darling, I would have done this a long time ago," she purred, leaning toward me with that false, saccharine smile.
I didn’t move. I didn’t even look at her. God knows what I would do if I did.
"Cut the crap, Victoria," I snapped. "Really? Using our daughter like a pawn on national television? All this just to cling to a marriage you never wanted?"
She tried to lean in and kiss me. I shoved her away, hard enough that she sprawled back against the seat.
"Finnegan," she whined, smoothing her dress.
"It’s not like that. I’m trying to save our family. The world deserves to know the truth about us."
I laughed bitterly. "Save our family? You’ve been cheating on me for years. You turned our home into a battlefield. How dare you use my daughter?"
"How dare you expose her like that?! What kind of mother are you? And did my mom put you on this?"
"Is she trying to inherit the company? What does your staying married to me accomplish exactly?"
Victoria’s eyes flickered with fear for a second, but she quickly masked it.
"You’re being dramatic," she said lightly. "Just bear with me until after your birthday, hmm? Then I’ll be out of your life for good." frёewebηovel.cѳm
My eyes narrowed. "Why? What have you planned for my birthday?"
Her eyes widened for a split second, and I realized that was a slip. She wasn’t meant to let that out. So, they were planning something after my birthday?
She tried to cover with a sweet smile. "Nothing, darling. Just... give me a little more time?"
I demanded answers, pressing her again and again, but she refused to utter another word. The rest of the drive was silent and thick with tension. I dropped her off at her residence without another glance.
As the car pulled away, I called River.
"Where are you?"
"We’re at Winchester. It’s safer. The paparazzi were already at the penthouse."
I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair. What would I have done without River?
"Thank you. I’m on my way."
I ended the call and leaned back, rubbing my face. Fury and frustration warred inside me. Victoria had shattered the privacy I had fought so hard to maintain for Angel.
Now the world knew I was married. They knew I had a daughter. The spotlight would be brutal.
And Abigail... fuck. I had promised her I would divorce Victoria. I had promised her we could be together openly one day.
Now we would have to hide even more. I wouldn’t blame her if she were furious with me. If she decided this was too much for her to bear and...
Left me?
Flashes of her eyes lighting up as they gazed up at me flickered through my head, and my own eyes snapped shut at the horror.
The thought made my chest ache. I couldn’t lose her. Not now. Not when she had become the only bright spot in my life.
"Drive faster, James," I muttered.
When we finally pulled up to the suburban house, Angel was the first to spot me when I walked into the living room. She bolted into my arms, hugging me tightly.
"Daddy... what are we going to do now?" she whispered.
I sank to my knees, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I’ll always protect you, princess. Always."
"I know, I know," she mumbled. "Can we catapult that woman to Mars?"
"Make that Uranus," River grumbled. "We can’t have NASA bringing her back from Mars as evidence of aliens."
Giggles filled the room, and my eyes locked on Abigail’s across the space. Her cornflower blue eyes — the prettiest I had ever seen — gazed at me with understanding, not anger. The relief that washed over me was almost dizzying.
I planted another kiss on Angel’s forehead before heading straight for Abigail, tugging her aside into a hallway, away from everyone. The moment we were alone, she stepped close and reached her soft fingers up, stroking my jaw lovingly.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly.
I was stunned. I had braced for fury, disappointment, maybe even distance. Instead, her eyes brimmed with warmth and concern.
"I’m sorry," I rasped, pulling her into my arms. "I never wanted this. I promised you I would divorce her. I promised you we could be together without hiding. And now—"
She cut me off gently, pressing her fingers to my lips. "It’s not your fault. No one saw this coming. I had little idea she was manipulative, but not to this extent."
"We’ll figure it out, okay? We’ll lie low until we can do something about her. I’m not going anywhere, Finnegan."
I hugged her tighter, burying my face in her hair.
"I don’t know how I got you," I murmured against her neck. "But I can’t let you go. I won’t."
"You better not," she teased, then pulled back slightly, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Well... at least if I don’t get to touch you in public anymore, we still have the club."
A low, rough chuckle rumbled out of me. I kissed her deeply, pouring all my frustration, relief, and hunger into it.
Abigail was my peace and I would burn the world down before I let anyone take her from me.
