Four years later.
"LUCIANN!!"
The boyish screech sliced through the quiet of the house, startling Roseanne out of her thoughts. She blinked and turned toward the front door.
Roseanne's closest, if not only, friend stood in the doorway and let out just as excited a scream as he scooped the little boy into his arms. "Hey, little guy! You've gotten taller now, huh?"
"Not little anymore! I big guy, Lucian!" Kaden protested proudly. "I help Mommy make pancakes!"
"Really? For me?" Lucian rumbled with a warm laugh, giving Kaden a playful squeeze. "Now that's impressive."
The boy nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Much pancakes!"
"A lot of pancakes," Roseanne corrected with a fond smile as she walked over to greet Lucian. "Traffic?"
Lucian chuckled, "Terrible."
Roseanne smiled, gently taking Kaden from her friend's arms. "Come on, let's give Lucian a break. Want to start your cartoon marathon now?"
"Yes! Yes, Mommy! I can?"
"Of course, you can. Mommy and Lucian will join soon, okay?"
She carried him to the living room, where toys were scattered across the carpet and the television played some commercials. After setting up his favorite movie, something about cars, Roseanne returned to the tiny kitchen where Lucian had already taken a seat.
In that small house, everything was compact. From the kitchen, they could still keep an eye on Kaden who was now quietly absorbed in his cartoon.
"I missed a lot of his cartoon marathon days," he began, a guilty smile tugging at his lips as Roseanne tidied the kitchen.
"It's not like he doesn't watch them every single day. If I have to hear one more story about Queen McLightning, my head might actually explode."
Lucian let out a hearty laugh, before fixing his gaze on Roseanne's back. "They're getting married soon. Did you hear?"
A long pause followed as Roseanne placed the pancakes on the plate and set it down on the counter. "Took him long enough," she murmured.
"I, on the other hand, never thought they'd actually get married. Galen could've easily chosen someone else. Why Brielle?" Lucian questioned, mostly to himself.
"As long as they don't bother me, I don't really care. It's been ages since I last saw them anyway." They sat side by side, lowering their voices, as Roseanne watched her son cheer wildly at the car race flashing across the television screen.
"They never call? Your parents?"
"Nope. They probably thought it was good riddance when I walked out." Roseanne glanced at Lucian, her eyes wary. "They don't… find out about Kaden, do they?"
Lucian chuckled and shook his head. "No, I'm sure they don't. They're busy with… other things."
"What other things?"
"It's better that you don't know," Lucian said with a sigh, his gaze flicking toward the boy in the living room. "Just be careful, alright? Things have been a little unstable lately."
"Unstable how?"
"The big guy's dead."
"Mr. Mancini? Yeah, I saw it on the news a couple of weeks ago."
Lucian's gaze darkened for a moment before he forced a calm expression. "The complicated part is what comes after. When the king dies, everything he kept under control starts shifting, because the new ruler hasn't yet solidified his authority."
She lingered on his sentences. "Roderic's going to take over, right? The news said so."
"Naturally, but he has two younger brothers."
"Does that really matter? Isn't it supposed to go to the eldest?"
Lucian gave a faint shrug, his expression unreadable. "Well, not really. Especially if all of them have… ambition."
"Ugh, rich people," Roseanne muttered with a snicker, earning a faint laugh from the man at her side. "Someone follows you here and I'll shave you bald."
"You're cruel," he complained playfully. "I spend hours taking detours to make sure no one tails me, you know."
Roseanne laughed as she stared at his son, still playing in the living room. She now had an innocent child to protect. She couldn't help but be extra cautious. No one can know about her son. Not her parents, not Brielle, not Galen. No one.
Four years ago, she moved out right after the divorce was finalized, only to find out not long after that she was twelve weeks pregnant. At the time, she had been busy preparing for the divorce that she hardly noticed.
She had chosen this small town, Ougena, as the place to start over with Kaden. Far from her family and ex-husband yet close enough to her current job in Moncascia; an hour and half by train.
"My offer still stands, by the way." Lucian's deep voice pulled her back.
She turned toward him. "What offer?"
"The revenge," he murmured with a grin. "Crushing their wedding would be one hell of a satisfaction."
"It would," she admitted with a quiet laugh. But as the thought lingered, her expression softened. "But revenge comes with a heavy price, Lucian, and I'm not willing to pay it. Maybe I would've if it were just me, but now…" she sighed, glancing toward the living room. "Now I have more to lose."
Lucian nodded, though he clearly hadn't given up. "And the other offer?"
"Why do you have so many offers? Give me a break!" Roseanne groaned, hitting his arm lightly before getting up from her chair.
"The kid's father," he murmured. Just loud enough for her to hear, but too quiet for Kaden to catch.
The mention of that man made Roseanne pause for a moment before she continued reaching for her hoodie. "What about him? I've told you a hundred times, I don't remember anything. Just that he was very handsome, that's all."
"You're hopeless," Lucian chuckled. "But I can work with that. I've got my resources, Rose. Just give me something; his looks, shoe size, coat brand, anything."
"You're insane," Roseanne said, shaking her head before calling out toward the living room. "Kaden! Mommy's going out for a bit. Be good for Lucian, okay?"
"Yes, Mommy! I wants pudding!"
Roseanne smiled and flashed an okay gesture toward her son. "Do you want anything?" she asked Lucian.
"His coat brand."
"Drop it, Lucian."
The man just laughed as Roseanne stepped out of the house. She could hear him playing with Kaden behind her. Her son had always been ecstatic whenever Lucian visited.
On the walk to the nearest supermarket, her mind wandered back to Lucian's offer. Not the revenge one, but the one about 'that man'.
It wasn't that she didn't want to find him. But she knew it was just one night, and she was more afraid of the response she might get than anything else. Men like him tolerated no errors and the night they had shared was undeniably one.
What would happen to her and Kaden if he ever found out?
Roseanne wasted no time. She snatched the pudding and diapers from the shelf, added some snacks for Lucian, and paid at the cashier. She then exchanged a few words with an old lady asking for Kaden and walked out of the supermarket with everything she needed.
She knew her son was well-loved among the elders in the neighborhood.
When she was about to turn the corner, she felt eyes watching behind her back. Roseanne stopped, heart thudding, taking the moment to glance over her shoulder.
There was no one.
The streets were dark, and in this quiet, small neighborhood, most people were already inside their homes or fast asleep.
Maybe she was just imagining things.
Except, as Roseanne continued walking, she started hearing footsteps not far behind. She picked up her pace, walking faster until she was nearly running. When she finally reached her street and saw no one following, she exhaled shakily and jogged the rest of the way home.
But not far from where she stood, a black car lingered under the streetlight, its tinted windows glinting faintly.
She froze.
The car moved slowly before disappearing around the corner, leaving Roseanne alone with her racing heartbeat.
She quickly darted inside the house.
"Lucian!"