The Devil CEO's Contract Wife - Chapter 229: Mine [1]

Chapter 229: Mine [1]

ARES

“You.”

At my reply, her entire body seized, and I observed how she swallowed thickly. It took a beat before she dragged her eyes off the notepad and set them on me, amplifying the tension that had hung in the air ever since I walked in here.

Fuck. Those eyes. Those hazels. I can’t begin to describe how much I have missed them, how they lit up when she laughs, how they burn when she’s mad at me, how they darkened when I ravaged her body. I fucking missed it.

Catherine had changed, and the ghost of her I had conjured over the years didn’t do any justice. Her features were sharper, more like that kind of fierce edge, and her beauty glowed, complementing everything about her.

She could give me one look, and I’d find myself on my knees. I don’t mind.

“Unfortunately, Catherine is not on the menu,” she gritted out, showing her sudden irritation.

Too bad.

No matter how much she tried to sound stiff and unaffected, the quiver in her voice and how low she tried to speak to hide it…I could tell she was tense, and a lot was going through her mind.

There was one thing that stood out of it all… she was uncomfortable, as if I had cornered her in a way she didn’t like.

I had no intention of doing that.

I just couldn’t help myself anymore; being civil was out of the books for me, and I found myself inside her house yesterday.

Seeing everything she had put together over the years, a home without me. A baby I didn’t know of… I missed her first cry, her first walk, and her first words. I missed everything. I wasn’t there when Catherine went through the ordeal of bringing a life into this world.

I have failed them in every way I could possibly imagine, and the pain ran deeper than any bullet as my failures slapped me right in my face.

I should have searched harder and quicker. Now I wasn’t just a stranger to my own daughter, but Catherine too.

They were both mine. Mine. And I’m gonna do what it takes to get them back.

Someone called for Catherine, and she broke focus, walking towards the counter. I admired every inch of her, feeling like I was floating. She had more confidence in her walk like a boss lady, and such a sight was ravishing.

She was dressed simply in a collared dress, with low-heeled work shoes, a red apron tied neatly at her waist, the diner’s logo stamped on the fabric.

Honey’s Diner.

I was grinning like a fool when I saw the building. I’m not sure she realised it or if it was a quick make-up name, but anyway, I’m pleased. There was hope I was still in her thoughts one way or the other.

Catherine walked back to me, more hesitant than she was earlier. I had the sense she was gonna say something to ward me away, so I got started.

“Let’s talk…” It was at the tip of my tongue to call her baby, but I withheld.

Not yet.

Her expression shifted, and it almost seemed like she was gonna run her mouth at me with curses.

“Talk?” she questioned in annoyance.

“Yes.”

“Well! I see none of our pastries or desserts is to your taste. You can try somewhere else that has what you want on their menu.” She turned to leave.

“Please.”

Catherine froze before facing me wide-eyed. It was a solid minute of thoughts before she walked back to me, the rhythmic sound of her heels against the floor like music to my ears.

She sat opposite me, giving me that stern look as if the moment I say anything she doesn’t like, she would leave.

I’m at a loss for words.

I had pictured this scene repeatedly and crafted words to say, yet I can’t seem to find them. I was more engrossed in detailing her face, studying the slow rise and fall of her chest, how she tucked those beautiful red strands behind her ear, revealing the piercing she had done on the helix.

Catherine shifted uncomfortably. I despise this. Years ago, she was more heated by my presence, but now it seemed like she was repulsed.

I’m gonna have to fix that, but first…

“You were three weeks pregnant when you left Midnight.”

“H-How did you…”

I did my findings after I saw the camera footage. I felt nothing but shock and rage at the possibility it was Reed’s.

But I set those aside and did my digging, more shaken than I have ever been before. And then the numbers added up.

We fucked in that elevator, but that wasn’t it… It was the honeymoon. She must have missed her period but didn’t realize it. So much was going on then, so it was only natural that her mind didn’t consider it, nor did mine.

The pregnancy was too early to detect during her minor surgery. Her trip with the gynecologist had been delayed, too, and neither of us had realized it.

She had been carrying my child the entire time, and I put her through all that shit. No matter how much I wanna punch myself in the gut, it won’t do justice to what I had done.

Catherine didn’t meet my eyes anymore. “Is that why you have been searching for me all this time? Are you here for Esme? Are you here to take her away from me?” Anger sliced through her tone like a knife aimed at my throat.

I felt insulted, but I understood her fears. She thinks I’m here to take Esme away from her. Wrong. I was here for both of them.

“I only found out a few weeks ago,” I replied. “I’m not just here for our daughter.”

Catherine released a shaky breath, her frown deepening.

“You never loved me, nor did we have a defined relationship that would justify your actions. I left just as I should have, just as I was meant to. The moment the contract was terminated, there was nothing left of us.”

My jaw clenched hard. “I regret everything.”