Carter pressed against Chloe's side, small fingers gripping tightly onto her sleeve—watching, reading, sensing.
Ready to stand between his mother and the man who carried too much presence.
Kian barely shifted at the gesture, but his gaze flickered toward the boy before settling back on Chloe—on the woman who, six years ago, begged him to let her go.
Now?
Now she was here.
And something was different.
Something was missing.
His lips barely parted before the words came—smooth, low, deliberate.
"Where's your husband?"
Chloe inhaled sharply, jaw tightening slightly.
Straight to the point. Unwavering.
But Kian had never been someone who wasted time.
She exhaled, keeping her posture steady.
"I'm divorced."
The word landed between them—final. Unshaken.
Kian blinked once, absorbing the confirmation.
Divorced.
How?
How could any man—her husband—be so completely, utterly stupid?
The thought pressed against his mind, sharp, fleeting. But instead of voicing it, he recalibrated, adjusted—moved forward.
His lips barely curled, unreadable.
And then—his next move.
"Are Mikael and the others waiting?"
Chloe exhaled, adjusting Carter's backpack.
"They don't know I'm back."
Kian tilted his head slightly.
Unexpected. Unplanned.
An opportunity.
"I'll take a cab, stay at a hotel for a night or two before heading home," she added, already preparing to end this conversation.
But Kian?
He won't let her slip away.
His voice remained smooth, effortless.
"Do I get to drive you there?"
Not just an offer.
A move. A deliberate insertion into the moment.
Carter shifted, eyes flickering toward Kian, still protective, still uncertain.
And Chloe?
She hesitated.
Because whether she liked it or not—he was already stepping into this transition.