Chapter 181:

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Kelly’s POV

One of my most epic birthday celebrations was this. All because I’m surrounded by the people I love—my newfound friends, my old family, and a rekindled love. I never dreamed of anything extravagant. I just wanted a simple life with the man I love and the family we’d build together. I didn’t care if we lived in a small house, as long as we were happy, full of love, and financially stable to support our family. Thankfully, Pierce gave me all of that at once.

“It’s a tiger!” Snow shouted happily but then pouted when we failed to guess what she was trying to imitate. We had been playing charades since we finished eating.

Lаτєѕτ chɑρτєrѕ ιn g𝒶lɳovєlѕ.ϲoм

“That’s not how a tiger acts!” Phoebe laughed.

Snow shook her head. “No! I saw a tiger on TV, and that’s how it looked!”

I smirked and shook my head. I could feel Pierce playing with my fingers. When I looked at him, he was staring at my fingers while absentmindedly playing with them. His gaze was fixed on my ring finger, and I knew exactly what was going on in his mind. I bit my bottom lip, watching him.

“Daddy, you’re next!” Snow said, grabbing Pierce’s hand and interrupting us.

Pierce smirked and kissed Snow on the cheek before sitting her beside me. Snow immediately hugged my waist, while Pierce stood in front of us.

He smirked again and looked at me, forming a heart shape with his hands.

“Love?” I guessed with a laugh.

He shook his head, still smirking.

“Heart?” Snow asked innocently.

“No, princess,” Pierce replied, glancing at me again. I could feel that it was me he was trying to get to answer.

He pointed to himself, made a heart shape with his fingers, and then pointed at me.

I laughed hard. Silly!

“I love you?” I asked.

He snapped his fingers and winked at me. “I love you too.”

I bit my bottom lip, feeling something stir inside me. My heart skipped a beat as I stared at his handsome face.

“Err! What did I just watch?” Phoebe said, her face scrunched in mock disgust. Pierce returned to my side and placed Snow on his lap. They exchanged a high five, which made me shake my head. They truly were father and daughter—so in sync.

“That’s so gross!” Emily commented, while Yara, Ana, and Mary giggled in the background.

“Me again!” Snow exclaimed, jumping off Pierce’s lap.

We stayed for a few seconds before I felt Pierce’s hand grab mine and pull me closer, stealing my attention. I looked at him and smiled. “Hmm?”

He pouted and moved his face closer to mine, resting his head on my shoulder before kissing my neck.

“I’m sleepy,” he whispered, sounding like a child.

I smirked and glanced around at everyone. I saw Emily watching us, and when our gazes met, she smirked back.

“Let’s go,” I whispered after making sure everyone was busy with the game. I knew they’d take care of my daughter, so I wasn’t worried.

Once we entered Pierce’s bedroom, he immediately lay on the bed and pulled me beside him. He used his arm as my pillow while his other hand rested gently on my stomach. I turned to face him and smiled when I saw him staring at me. His eyes were sleepy, but he kept them open just so he could keep staring at my face.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I love you…”

I caressed his cheek, suddenly feeling worried as I noticed he didn’t seem well. “Is something wrong? Tell me…”

He pulled me closer, pressing himself against my chest. “My head hurts.”

I was immediately concerned. “You need your medicine. You have to take it before you sleep.”

“I already took one,” he mumbled. “Just stay with me until I fall asleep.”

I hugged him tighter and gently started tapping my palm on his shoulder. He always got extra clingy when his head hurt. He would bury his face in my neck or chest to avoid the light, as it worsened his headache.

“Kels…” he whispered.

“Hmmm?” I hummed, brushing my fingers through his hair.

“Sleep now so you’ll get better,” I said softly, hoping it would help him relax.

I felt him sigh against me. “I’m worried about you and our children.”

“Don’t worry too much. Nothing will happen to us,” I reassured him.

“If the heavens decide to take one of you from me,” he said quietly, “I’d trade myself because I’d die if I lose one of you.”

I shook my head as I gently pulled back to look at him. “Shh, no! Don’t say that, Pierce.”

“I’d rather die than live without you and our children, Kelly.”

“Then no one will die, Pierce,” I said firmly. “We won’t lose each other. We won’t lose our babies.”

He pulled me even tighter, his voice trembling. “I’m just scared. Luke died mercilessly, Kelly. You can’t blame me or stop me from overthinking like this.”

“How long have you been thinking about that?” I asked softly, brushing my fingers through his hair.

“Just… recently. When… Luke died.”

I sighed deeply, squeezing my eyes closed. “Pierce…”

“It worsened when your cousin disappeared without a trace. If Connor Foster could hurt his son like that, what’s to stop him from hurting you? I’m scared, Kelly. I’m sorry, but I’m terrified of losing you. If I lose you, I’ll lose everything. I’d ruin the world just to keep you.”

“You won’t lose me,” I said, my voice firm with assurance. I didn’t want to lose him either, so I promised myself I’d do everything to make sure he wouldn’t lose me.

I felt him shake his head. “Let’s just leave, Kelly. Let’s go somewhere far away. Somewhere with our family.”

“What about your company? My company?” I asked, the weight of everything pressing down on me.

“I don’t need the damn company if your life’s in danger, Kelly. I don’t need anything. I just need you.”

My heart ached. God, how could I convince him that we wouldn’t lose each other or our children? How could I give him the assurance that we would never be apart, not by fate or death?

I squeezed my eyes closed again, the silence between us deafening. I didn’t know what to say anymore, so I kept my lips sealed. The future is uncertain, and even I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. But there’s one thing I’m sure of—we’ll be safe and together until the very end. That’s all I need. That’s all I want.

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