Chapter 4 His Return

Ethan's small arms wrapped around Audrey's neck as she held him close in a quiet corner of the ballroom. The soft hum of music floated through the air, the chandeliers casting golden pools of light on the polished floor. His head rested against her shoulder, soft curls brushing her cheek.

He had no idea the world around him had shifted that the man who had been a shadow in Audrey's memories now knew the truth.

Audrey's chest rose and fell with each shaky breath. She could still feel Vincent's words echoing through her like thunder rolling through a storm.

"The silence ends tonight."

Ethan lifted his head and blinked up at her with sleepy, trusting eyes. "Mommy, why are you sad?"

Her heart clenched like someone had squeezed it in their fist. She forced a small smile, brushing his cheek with her thumb. "I'm not sad, baby. Just tired."

He reached up and cupped her face with both hands the way he always did when he was trying to make her smile. "Then I'll make it better."

A shaky laugh slipped out of her, soft and fragile. "You always do, sweetheart."

"Good," he mumbled, resting his head back on her shoulder, his small body warm against hers.

She kissed his forehead, closing her eyes for a moment. She'd built their world carefully quietly away from the man who once shattered her. But now... that world wasn't hers alone anymore.

And no matter how tightly she tried to hold on, everything was changing.

A voice she couldn't mistake cut through the hum of music.

"Audrey."

Her spine stiffened. Slowly, she turned.

Vincent stood a few steps away, his suit jacket gone, shirt sleeves rolled to his forearms. He looked powerful and unnervingly calm like a man who had already made up his mind. His presence filled the room even though he barely moved.

Ethan perked up at the sound of his voice; his little brow furrowed in curiosity.

"Can we talk?" Vincent asked, his gaze locked firmly on her.

She shifted Ethan in her arms. "Now?"

"Yes," he said simply. "Now."

Before Audrey could respond, Zara appeared at her side, sensing the storm simmering just beneath the polished surface of the wedding. Her friend's eyes flicked between them, soft but alert. "I can watch him," Zara offered gently.

Ethan looked unsure, clutching his mom's dress, but when Zara crouched down and revealed a cupcake with blue frosting, his hesitation melted instantly. "Cupcake!" he squealed.

Audrey forced a shaky smile. "Go with Aunty Zara, okay? Mommy will be right back."

Ethan nodded, skipping off with Zara, blissfully unaware of the battle waiting just a few feet away.

The moment he disappeared into the crowd, Vincent stepped forward. His presence closed the distance like a tide swallowing the shore.

"We need to talk about our son."

The way he said our son hit her like a blow she wasn't ready for.

"I don't want to do this here," Audrey whispered, her voice unsteady.

"I don't care where we do it," Vincent countered, his voice low, firm, and unshakable. "But we're not walking away from these like strangers. Not after everything you've just admitted."

"Vincent"

"No, Audrey." His voice lowered even further, steady and dangerous. "I've already lost five years. I'm not losing one more day with him."

Her breath caught. His eyes weren't just hard; they were aching. And that hurt worse than his anger.

"Do you have any idea what it felt like," Vincent continued, his voice thickening, "to stand in that ballroom and realize I've missed my son's entire life?"

Tears burned behind her eyes. "I know"

"No, you don't." His voice cracked just slightly. "You don't know how many nights I wished you'd call. How many times I thought about what our life could've been."

Audrey swallowed hard, the burn spreading down her throat. "I did what I thought was best for him. For me. I didn't trust you anymore, Vincent. I didn't trust us."

His gaze flickered, something raw cutting through the controlled mask he wore. "And now?"

Her lips parted, but the words felt too fragile. "Now... everything's complicated."

He stepped closer, close enough for her to catch the clean, warm scent of him. It made her heart ache in ways she hated. "It doesn't have to be. I'm not going to take him from you, Audrey. But I am going to be in his life. I'm his father."

Something in his tone shifted then. Not just anger. Not just pain. It was a vow. A promise that felt unshakable.

Her pulse stuttered. "You can't just walk back in and expect everything to be fine."

"I don't expect it to be fine," Vincent said softly. "I expect it to be real. I'm not leaving this city without my son knowing me."

The weight of those words wrapped around her chest like steel bands. She'd always known this moment would come. But not like this. Not in the middle of a wedding with her heart trembling between the man she once loved and the little boy she'd raised alone.

"Vincent, please," she whispered, voice cracking. "He doesn't know you."

"Then I'll give him a reason to," he said steadily. "I'm not the same man you walked away from, Audrey. I'm not the boy who let you go."

Her vision blurred. The war inside her grew louder than the music behind them.

For four years, she'd done everything to protect Ethan from a past that haunted her. But now that past was standing right in front of her

steady. determined. unrelenting.

Vincent's voice softened, but his eyes didn't waver.

"I'm not asking for permission. I'm claiming my place in his life. Our son deserves to know his father."

The man she once loved was no longer just a ghost in her memories.

He was here.

And he wasn't leaving.