CHAPTER 28
“The past shapes who we are today, and our future depends entirely on the choices we make.”
COLIN ADAMS
A week went by, and things between Isabelle and me were still unresolved. She barely looked at me, only spoke when necessary, and even then, it was strictly about work.
I couldn’t understand why, after all this time, she’d pushed so hard to ask about the tragedy in my family. But no—I wasn’t about to open up about something I’d spent years trying to bury.
“Do you want some tea?”
“I’d love some.” I smiled.
Yeah… I was playing house with Hanna. Or whatever that’s supposed to be called.
Basically, it meant sitting there doing absolutely nothing while pretending to drink tea and eat snacks with her dolls.
It had been ages since I’d done this—back when I used to play with Maddison.
Back then, it was either this or going to the park.
“Is the tea I made good?”
“It’s delicious.”
“Then drink it properly, okay?” she said, all bossy, practically ordering me.
“Okay, got it.” I nodded obediently.
Hanna’s school had started a few days ago, and at first she wasn’t excited.
I think she preferred being here, playing with everyone around the house.
I’m her favorite—modesty aside—or at least I think I am.
Joshua doesn’t join in most of her games, especially ones like this.
Me, on the other hand… I’ve gotta admit, saying no to her is nearly impossible.
I tried once a few days ago, and the look she gave me—those sad little eyes—it broke me.
I gave in immediately. And for a man like me to go back on a decision? That’s saying something.
“Uncle Colin…”
“What is it?”
“When can I start dating?” she asked, staring right at me.
“Excuse me, what?!”
Of course I froze. Coming from a five-year-old, that was the last thing I expected.
“I just wanna know when I can kiss someone on the mouth,” she said, smiling shyly and showing her tiny teeth.
“Never!” I blurted, raising my voice. “What kind of question—”
I stopped myself. Sometimes I forget I’m talking to a five-year-old.
“But I see people doing it,” she tried to argue.
“They’re adults. You’re a kid. You can do that in, say… fifteen years or so.”
I’m terrible at this. I have zero talent for conversations about boyfriends or—God forbid—kissing.
“Okay, Uncle Colin. It’s just that… I saw you and Mommy kissing on the mouth.”
I froze. And here I thought things couldn’t get worse.
“Are you sure? Maybe you saw it... wrong?”
Great excuse, Colin.
“Nope. It’s been a few days now.” She grinned.
“I… I’m sorry, Hanna. I—uh—I don’t even know what to say.”
It’s rare for me to feel embarrassed or awkward, but right then, I had no idea where to hide my face. I was completely thrown off and couldn’t even come up with a decent excuse.
“Okay. My mom liked it—she was laughing after you left.”
I raised an eyebrow. That kid was way too sharp for her age.
“Does Isabelle know you saw?”
“I don’t think so. I didn’t tell my mommy anything. Do you want me to tell her?” Her little eyes sparkled.
“No!” I blurted out so fast that she jumped. “Let’s keep this secret between us, okay?”
“Okay.”
We went back to playing, but about fifteen minutes after our little “grown-up” talk, Isabelle walked toward us, arms crossed.
“Hanna, I think you’ve taken up enough of Colin’s time. He needs to work. Go find something else to do.”
She wasn’t wrong—but I didn’t mind spending a few minutes of my day with Hanna. Still, I kept quiet; from Isabelle’s tone, she was on edge.
“But, Mommy…”
“I’m not asking, young lady. That’s an order.”
Isabelle was being unusually strict, even with Hanna—something I wasn’t used to seeing.
“Okay. Bye, Uncle Colin.”
“See you later, kiddo.”
Hanna left the room and quickly disappeared from sight. Isabelle was about to do the same, but I caught her left arm as she turned.
“You gonna tell me what’s going on?”
“What do you want from me?” she shot back, ignoring my question.
“I want you.”
“What we’re doing isn’t good for anyone.” She dropped her gaze. “I don’t want to keep this going.”
I studied her face, noticing the discomfort written all over it. I already knew why she was acting this way—I didn’t need to be a genius to figure it out.
“Your problem with me is that you don’t know my past. That’s why you keep your distance. Actually, you’ve been avoiding me.”
“I’m grateful for everything you’ve done and still do for me. Really,” she said, giving me a faint, polite smile. “But that’s not the only problem. There’s no future for us, and you know it.”
“Know it? Who says there isn’t?”
This time, she was the one caught off guard.
I’d hidden my feelings for so long whenever she was around, but it was time to say more—to show I wasn’t as emotionally detached as she thought.
She made me feel alive. Her gestures, her care—they’d never leave my mind. And I could see she truly cared too.
“Don’t play games with me. Just tell me the truth about who you really are.”
“Who I really am?”
“Your past—and how it affects your present.”
“There you go again,” I said, running a hand through my hair, trying to calm down.
“Just like I thought. You don’t trust me. And you don’t even want to tell me the truth.”
She looked down and stepped away, heading toward the back of the mansion.
The right thing would’ve been to go after her. But I didn’t. There were too many things at stake, and I wasn’t ready to dig up my past—not when it was still haunting me every single day.