Theodore and Steve were in the garden playing with the swing.
Steve sat on the swing, giggling happily as Theodore pushed him.
Theodore crouched down in front of Steve. Every time Steve swung toward him, he would catch him and plant a kiss on his little face.
Each time, Steve would burst into laughter, and Theodore would gently push him off again, letting him swing in the air.
Father and son played joyfully, with Steve ending up in Theodore’s arms over and over again.
“Mama!” Steve suddenly called out.
Theodore smiled and said, “Do you miss Mommy? She’s at work, but she’ll be home soon.”
“Theo.” Rosalie’s voice rang out from behind him.
Hearing that she had returned, Theodore was delighted. He turned around, just about to say something, but then he saw that she wasn’t alone. Justin was with her, and they were holding hands.
Theodore froze. The sight of their intertwined fingers stung his eyes, making it painfully clear what had happened.
He was dazed for a few seconds before forcing himself to suppress his emotions. Then, he unfastened Steve from the swing, held him in his arms, and walked up to Rosalie. His eyes locked onto their clasped hands.
Rosalie got straight to the point. “Theo, we need to talk.”
Theodore’s face darkened to a degree beyond words. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly as if struggling to maintain control. Then, he gave a slight nod.
In the living room, the three of them sat on the couch.
Theodore sat across from Rosalie and Justin. The room was filled with a heavy silence.
Theodore crossed his legs, leaning back on the couch with a cold gaze fixed on Justin. Meanwhile, Justin also stared back at him without flinching.
The tension between them was suffocating until Rosalie finally spoke. “I’m with Justin now. I want to marry him.”
As she said this, she squeezed Justin’s hand.
It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck Theodore’s heart. His fingers trembled before clenching into fists.
“I thought he was leaving?” Theodore’s voice was strained.
“I asked him to stay,” Rosalie admitted without hesitation. “I realized that I love him. I didn’t want him to leave, so he stayed.” “You love him?” Theodore’s lips twitched.
Even though he had long suspected it, because Rosalie hadn’t admitted it outright, he had clung to a sliver of hope.
But now, with her confession, that last glimmer of hope was shattered, leaving only despair.
His eyes gradually reddened. “When are you getting married?”
“We haven’t settled on a date yet,” Rosalie replied. “But it will be within the next few months. Theo, before ×
that happens, I want to talk to youet
about Steve. After all, we’re his
parents. No matter who he stays with, it wouldn’t be fair to either of us So, we need to discuss how to handle his custody.”
Theodore closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His emotions surged violently, like a storm on the verge of breaking loose, but he forced them back down.
Rosalie saw his silence but didn’t rush him. She and Justin exchanged a glance, both understanding that Theodore was in immense pain. They gave him time to process his emotions.
After a long moment, Theodore finally opened his eyes, ready to face reality.
Things had come to this point, and there was nothing he could do to change it. All he could do now was accept it.
He said in a hoarse voice, “Steve is happy here. You should stay here, too. Nothing has to change. That way, we can both take care of him.”
Search the FindNovel.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.